Women of Reform Judaism Pacific District
1st Vice President
The WRJ Pacific District 1st Vice President reports directly to the Pacific District President and has supervisory contact with the WRJ 1st Vice President and the WRJ Executive Director to ensure that the district is the liaison between local sisterhoods and WRJ.
The 1st Vice President is available as a resource to district leadership and to sisterhoods in the district and is familiar with WRJ and district resources, materials, and opportunities.
She assists the district president in a variety of ways. Upon request of the district president or should the district president be unavailable, she fulfills the obligations of the district president.
The 1st VP directly supervises the three Area Vice Presidents, the Affiliations Committee, and the District Convention Committee. She is responsible for area directors’ reports and required reporting to WRJ and to the district. She will work with the Area VPs and the President to set up Assist teams as needed, to further help individual sisterhoods. She also ensures training opportunities for area directors.
She attends WRJ Board meetings and District Presidents’ Council, district events, is active in her own sisterhood and ensures that required reports are submitted to Pacific District and WRJ.
The 1st Vice President is available as a resource to district leadership and to sisterhoods in the district and is familiar with WRJ and district resources, materials, and opportunities.
She assists the district president in a variety of ways. Upon request of the district president or should the district president be unavailable, she fulfills the obligations of the district president.
The 1st VP directly supervises the three Area Vice Presidents, the Affiliations Committee, and the District Convention Committee. She is responsible for area directors’ reports and required reporting to WRJ and to the district. She will work with the Area VPs and the President to set up Assist teams as needed, to further help individual sisterhoods. She also ensures training opportunities for area directors.
She attends WRJ Board meetings and District Presidents’ Council, district events, is active in her own sisterhood and ensures that required reports are submitted to Pacific District and WRJ.
Pacific District Area Vice Presidents
The Pacific District has three Area Vice Presidents: Judie Shor Ning, Ann Sullivan, and Honey Barman.
Each Area VP supervises and coordinates the efforts of a group of area directors. Working with the First Vice President, the Area VPs will collaborate with the Area Directors to serve local sisterhoods and facilitate referral and dialogue with District leadership and WRJ Experts, as needed. They maintain regular contact with the Area Directors and make a best effort to visit those assigned sisterhoods during their terms in office. The Area Vice Presidents will bring another level of expertise and support to our directors and sisterhood presidents.
The Area VPs will be a part of the planning committee for the regional area days with area directors, district officers, and sisterhood presidents.
Additionally, each Area VP has an extra area of responsibility. Judie Shor Ning oversees the Speakers’ Bureau; Ann Sullivan oversees the Social Action Committee; and Honey Barman assists in planning district board meetings and the training component of those meetings.
Each Area VP supervises and coordinates the efforts of a group of area directors. Working with the First Vice President, the Area VPs will collaborate with the Area Directors to serve local sisterhoods and facilitate referral and dialogue with District leadership and WRJ Experts, as needed. They maintain regular contact with the Area Directors and make a best effort to visit those assigned sisterhoods during their terms in office. The Area Vice Presidents will bring another level of expertise and support to our directors and sisterhood presidents.
The Area VPs will be a part of the planning committee for the regional area days with area directors, district officers, and sisterhood presidents.
Additionally, each Area VP has an extra area of responsibility. Judie Shor Ning oversees the Speakers’ Bureau; Ann Sullivan oversees the Social Action Committee; and Honey Barman assists in planning district board meetings and the training component of those meetings.
Affiliations
Sisterhood is a gateway to membership in your congregation, a sacred partner of your clergy and board, and an effective means of involving women in congregational life. And, just as the support from the connection to women within a congregation reaps wonderful benefits, affiliation with Women of Reform Judaism creates productive and satisfying connections too. WRJ women know that we are stronger congregations through our affiliation with sisterhoods across the country and around the world.
Of the 160 congregations in the Pacific District affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, only 59 have sisterhoods affiliated with Women of Reform Judaism. That presents a great opportunity for outreach and education. The newly constituted Pacific District Affiliations Committee is using a regional model to contact congregations that have expressed interest in affiliating with WRJ as well as congregations that should know more about the benefits of affiliation.
If a member of any of our affiliated sisterhoods knows women or clergy in an unaffiliated congregation or learns of potential interest in affiliation or creating a sisterhood in a URJ affiliated congregation, she should send correct and current contact information to info@wrjpacific.org to the attention of Affiliations Committee Chair or the Vice-Chair in the appropriate area.
Affiliations Committee
Chair:
Jane Marcus, Beth Am Women - Los Altos Hills, CA
Regional Vice-Chairs:
Northern California: Sue Bachman, Women of Temple Sinai - Oakland, CA
Southern California: Ellen A. Pollack, Women of Temple Ahavat Shalom - Northridge, CA
Southwest: Diana Paul, Congregation Albert Sisterhood - Albuquerque, NM
Pacific Northwest: Gayda Coblin, Temple Sholom Sisterhood - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Of the 160 congregations in the Pacific District affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, only 59 have sisterhoods affiliated with Women of Reform Judaism. That presents a great opportunity for outreach and education. The newly constituted Pacific District Affiliations Committee is using a regional model to contact congregations that have expressed interest in affiliating with WRJ as well as congregations that should know more about the benefits of affiliation.
If a member of any of our affiliated sisterhoods knows women or clergy in an unaffiliated congregation or learns of potential interest in affiliation or creating a sisterhood in a URJ affiliated congregation, she should send correct and current contact information to info@wrjpacific.org to the attention of Affiliations Committee Chair or the Vice-Chair in the appropriate area.
Affiliations Committee
Chair:
Jane Marcus, Beth Am Women - Los Altos Hills, CA
Regional Vice-Chairs:
Northern California: Sue Bachman, Women of Temple Sinai - Oakland, CA
Southern California: Ellen A. Pollack, Women of Temple Ahavat Shalom - Northridge, CA
Southwest: Diana Paul, Congregation Albert Sisterhood - Albuquerque, NM
Pacific Northwest: Gayda Coblin, Temple Sholom Sisterhood - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Development
YES we can! Sound familiar? Now, let's apply this to all of us!
Last year, with all of our help, Women of Reform Judaism, (WRJ), all of us, raised over $580,000 for the YES fund. (Youth, Education, Special Projects) Together, we were able to achieve what no individual or sisterhood alone could do. Everyone has a special place in their heart, whether it be youth, clergy or a special project locally or internationally to see where funds are being donated.
Please join thousands of women who continually support YES Fund, either through individual contributions through Circle of Service, individual Lifelines, or sisterhood contributions and Lifelines.
Perhaps consider doing a YES Fund tea with other area sisterhoods or lunch or anything you may think that would bring women together to support WRJ. Let's continue tomorrow's future of Reform Judaism today. YES WE CAN!
Cher Krichmar
VP Development
Last year, with all of our help, Women of Reform Judaism, (WRJ), all of us, raised over $580,000 for the YES fund. (Youth, Education, Special Projects) Together, we were able to achieve what no individual or sisterhood alone could do. Everyone has a special place in their heart, whether it be youth, clergy or a special project locally or internationally to see where funds are being donated.
Please join thousands of women who continually support YES Fund, either through individual contributions through Circle of Service, individual Lifelines, or sisterhood contributions and Lifelines.
Perhaps consider doing a YES Fund tea with other area sisterhoods or lunch or anything you may think that would bring women together to support WRJ. Let's continue tomorrow's future of Reform Judaism today. YES WE CAN!
Cher Krichmar
VP Development
Marketing & Communication
The area of marketing and communications was established to help sisterhoods learn more about what WRJ has to offer and to help local sisterhoods connect with each other and with the Pacific District. Each local sisterhood has the support and resources of the WRJ together with a very dedicated Pacific District board.
To begin, the WRJ website www.wrj.org has a wealth of materials, logos, and guides to help officers and committees. You will find information on constitutions and bylaws, a president's guide, and fund raising, programming, and membership guides. There are scripts and services ready for your use and wonderful methods for achieving your goals in the Strategies for Success series. Ask your president for her login in order to access most of these aids.
On a district level, we publish a 3 times/year e-newsletter called the Chai Line, highlighting the news of the district. We welcome your contributions to this newsletter. Please send your articles and pictures to our editor, Julia Feldman, at chai@wrjpacific.org.
A new addition to help you in your work and to keep you connected is this website: www.wrjpacific.org. Make this website your first place to check for the information you need, whether it is looking for a program idea, contacting a board member, reading the district bylaws, or accessing an application for a convention, All Sisterhood Day, or Kavod Award. We also encourage all sisterhoods to post your special events in our calendar section, whether it is a shabbaton, sisterhood Shabbat, fundraiser, or special program. These events should be those that you would want to invite other sisterhoods to attend. This will create a greater sense of community, better attendance, and a more fulfilling special event.
Also, you can become a fan of WRJ Pacific District, by clicking on the Facebook link on our website homepage.
We welcome your involvement, your ideas, and your input.
Please let me know of your suggestions.
Myra Feiger, VP Marketing & Communications
myra@feiger.com
To begin, the WRJ website www.wrj.org has a wealth of materials, logos, and guides to help officers and committees. You will find information on constitutions and bylaws, a president's guide, and fund raising, programming, and membership guides. There are scripts and services ready for your use and wonderful methods for achieving your goals in the Strategies for Success series. Ask your president for her login in order to access most of these aids.
On a district level, we publish a 3 times/year e-newsletter called the Chai Line, highlighting the news of the district. We welcome your contributions to this newsletter. Please send your articles and pictures to our editor, Julia Feldman, at chai@wrjpacific.org.
A new addition to help you in your work and to keep you connected is this website: www.wrjpacific.org. Make this website your first place to check for the information you need, whether it is looking for a program idea, contacting a board member, reading the district bylaws, or accessing an application for a convention, All Sisterhood Day, or Kavod Award. We also encourage all sisterhoods to post your special events in our calendar section, whether it is a shabbaton, sisterhood Shabbat, fundraiser, or special program. These events should be those that you would want to invite other sisterhoods to attend. This will create a greater sense of community, better attendance, and a more fulfilling special event.
Also, you can become a fan of WRJ Pacific District, by clicking on the Facebook link on our website homepage.
We welcome your involvement, your ideas, and your input.
Please let me know of your suggestions.
Myra Feiger, VP Marketing & Communications
myra@feiger.com
Pacific District Speakers’ Bureau
Every WRJ Sisterhood is entitled to a WRJ speaker every two years and each year as needed from the Pacific District. These benefits of membership can be invaluable to your organization and leadership.
Consider these opportunities that a District or WRJ speaker can provide: board training, membership support, a D'Var Torah at Sisterhood Shabbat. Perhaps you would like the chance to develop a closer relationship with your board members, gain suggestions for programs, moderate a discussion, learn more about the YES Fund, celebrate a special occasion. The Speakers Bureau offers a wide variety of expertise for workshops, problem-solving, leadership development - you name your need.
To request a Pacific District visitor, complete the form online: www.wrjpacific.org/wrj-pacific-district-speaker-request.html. Judie Ning is available for questions or details. We can also help you contact WRJ's Speaker's Bureau.
We urge you to take advantage of these wonderful opportunities.
Consider these opportunities that a District or WRJ speaker can provide: board training, membership support, a D'Var Torah at Sisterhood Shabbat. Perhaps you would like the chance to develop a closer relationship with your board members, gain suggestions for programs, moderate a discussion, learn more about the YES Fund, celebrate a special occasion. The Speakers Bureau offers a wide variety of expertise for workshops, problem-solving, leadership development - you name your need.
To request a Pacific District visitor, complete the form online: www.wrjpacific.org/wrj-pacific-district-speaker-request.html. Judie Ning is available for questions or details. We can also help you contact WRJ's Speaker's Bureau.
We urge you to take advantage of these wonderful opportunities.
