Speech of Incoming President Linda Boxer

Thank you for the honor of becoming president of the International Northeast Region of Women’s League. It is a privilege and a responsibility. I hope I will make you proud.

Thank you to Joan Lowenstein for all her work with the nominating committee to create the leadership team for 2024-2026. Let’s see just what we can do in the coming months. There are board seats to be filled. Please volunteer! You came to conference because you care and we need you to be part of the team that will move us forward.

Thank you to Marilyn Cohen for leading us for the past three years. We each put our own stamp on the region. Her’s is indelible.

Thank you to our consultant, Deborah Bruce, for her support.

Thank you to Rusty Zackheim for a meaningful installation. Rusty installed me as president of our synagogue 2 years ago. Who knows what comes next? When I was accepting the presidency of our shul and told my children, my son said, “Oh, Mom, what have you done?” When I told my children I was accepting the presidency of INR, my dear son asked if I ever learned my lessons. I guess not.

Thank you to Adele Weinstein and Rivy Blass for all their work in organizing this conference.

Thank you to Beth Tikvah Women for being our hosts.

Thank you to all of you who have come to Conference.

How blessed we are to have so many capable women in our midst.

You’ve heard my bio so you know that I am a native Detroiter. I spent much of my adult life living in Niagara Falls, New York, and now suburban Buffalo. I am well aware of the fact that our region straddles an international border. As the INR Torah Fund Vice President, I was consistently reminding to include both side of the border in all we do. I will continue to do so.

We have members in New York, Ontario, and Quebec. We belong to big shuls and those that are not so big. We all face the question of how to recruit younger members to insure our future.  I have more questions than answers about how to achieve that goal. Working together we will face challenges as they come our way.

We are not alone, here in the International Northeast Region. We are part of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. There are so many opportunities to learn, to gather, to read, to study, to pray, to find comfort, to be entertained, to support Israel, that we could spend most of our day involved in Women’s League. There is no need to be alone or lonely, ever. Join in. And when we have programs within our region, come! If you have ideas or suggestions, let us know. Your voice matters. 

My husband’s research interest is in Parallel Processing. While I do not understand the mathematics and computer science he professes, I do understand multi-tasking. I think most women do. We come to adulthood having had many roles in life: daughter, sister, cousin, wife, mother, grandmother, and, maybe most importantly, friend. When I was young, my friends were my classmates. As adulthood ensued and we moved, my friends were frequently the parents of my children’s friends. Some friends span the decades. Some are the lovely ladies I meet through Women’s League. During the COVID years, which coincided with the beginning of my term as INR’s Torah Fund VP, I met, via Zoom, women from across the United States and Canada. We did not know each other and did not meet in person until last summer’s convention, and yet, we’ve bonded as friends, as if we knew each other from long ago. It is our common interests and our common goals that make those bonds not only possible, but incredibly strong. We have similar connections within our International Northeast Region. We’ve held two Zoom conferences where we were each in our own box in our own homes, but connecting with one another. This year we’ve had the opportunity to be together in Toronto. How special it is that I can finally meet some of you in person.

Pirkei Avot is always a good source for a quote. One of my favorites is from Rabbi Tarfon: You are not obligated to complete the task, nor are you permitted to desist from it. From this we learn we have to keep trying, to keep going forward. Another of my favorites is a Saying of My Mother: Do a favor before you ask a favor. From my mom I learned to do each chore or task myself so I knew what was required, before I asked for help or recruited someone else to do it. Another of my favorites is a Saying of My fFather: you don’t have to be better than anyone else, you just need to do your best.  SO: there will be tasks before us and we’ll keep plugging away. We’ll share the chores and tasks within the region. And we’ll do our best to be the best region in Women’s League, because our best is pretty spectacular.

Finally, but not the least, my thanks to my husband, Larry, who has been president of my fan club for nearly 60 years. He is my best friend, my chauffeur, my teacher, my proofreader, my support and my love.

Am Yisrael Chai!