Dear Friends,
Looking back on this year in Sisterhood, I feel more than anything else, gratitude and appreciation for all the people who work so hard for Sisterhood and for our Temple community.
First of all, I want to thank all the people who work in the building—without the guidance and inspiration of our clergy, without the energy and efficiency of the office staffs upstairs and down, without the collaboration with the education directors, the librarian and Melissa, without the invaluable help of all the maintenance personnel, Sisterhood would not be able to function. After a year in office, I am more aware than ever of the coordinated effort that everyone at MLRT, including the Board of Trustees and Brotherhood, contributes to making our synagogue the vibrant place that it is.
The women on the Executive Board—Marcy Aufschauer, Ruth Niesen, Lynda Ginsparg, Norma Bolden, Marcia Perman, Sue Ellen Laken, Wendy Oldstein, Meredith Marks, Leslie Brier, Donna Miller, Sue Rubin Plick, Beth Love, Debbie Fleekop, and Joan Stein—have put in countless hours to make it possible for us to have wonderful events, do meaningful mitzvot, donate money to the Y.E.S. fund and many other worthy causes, and make Kosher meals for homebound senior citizens (thanks to Arlene Odell and Barbara Berger). I can’t thank them enough! We will miss Meredith Marks and Beth Love, and we welcome Joey Ostrum back onto the Executive Board. I am thrilled that everyone else has remained on the Board, some switching to new jobs, and I anticipate a great year next time around.
I also want to thank Hedy Kay and Helene Fischer for the many, many hours they put into making the Sisterhood Gift Shop run. Hedy and Helene have done the buying, setting up, inventory, and book keeping for the shop for five years, and they have done a beautiful job. They will be moving on to other pursuits, and a new team will be taking over for them next fall. Many thanks, Helene and Hedy!
We did so much this year! I will list the highlights: Opening dinner with award-winning medical reporter, Stephanie Stahl; trip to the Wharton Esherick Museum; pottery painting; a docent tour of the Renoir exhibit; Rabbi Straus’s book review of Those Who Save Us; BINGO fundraiser with Cantor Portnoy; the Shalach Manot fundraising project (additional thanks to Donna Bronstein, Carol Melman Brown, Beverly Prince, Diane Krause, and Mark Komen); a Sisterhood Area Day for local Sisterhood groups; an introduction to The Torah: A Women’s Commentary by editor Rabbi Andrea Weiss; Girl’s Night Out with Wardrobe Wizard Julie Rome and Silpada jewelry representative Dawn O’Neill; Sisterhood Shabbat; and a movie night and dinner. We had a wonderful year in Social Action: making Blizzard Bags for homebound Jewish seniors and families, helping in the Interfaith Hospitality Shelter, collecting winter coats, participating in Daisy Day for Children’s Hospital, and hosting a benefit concert for Cease Fire PA to work towards sensible gun legislation in Philadelphia. We made hundreds of dinners for Cook for a Friend. We donated money to many causes in our Temple and beyond. Through HIAS, we helped outfit an apartment for a refugee family from Myanmar. We studied Torah with Rabbi Straus, we worked in the Gift Shop. We sang in the Sisterhood Choir. We talked, e-mailed, telephoned, we worked hard, and we had a good time being together.
Our Sisterhood Shabbat, with Cantor Sarah Sager, was very special. We had a great turn out, and we were so lucky to listen to one of the most dynamic Jewish leaders of our time.
Sisterhood Closing on May 13 was also a great success. The movie was funny and thought-provoking and the food was great. Sometimes, “girls just want to have fun,” and we did!
Thank you so much to all of you who sent congratulations in honor of the members of the 2008 Confirmation Class to support the YES fund.
June dates: Sunday, June 8 at 7 pm – Erev Shavuot and Service of Confirmation
Tuesday, June 10 at 9:30 am -Torah Study
Tuesday, June 10 at 10:00 am - Sisterhood Board Meeting and pot luck lunch. Join us to welcome the incoming board members.
Please remember to sign up for Sisterhood when you pay you yearly dues to MLRT. Even if you don’t have time to participate, your dues to Sisterhood go towards many causes.
I wish everyone a very happy, healthy, relaxing summer. See you next year!
(We will have a Rummage Sale in November, so start saving stuff!)
Yours,
Linda Finkelstein
Sisterhood President
