Missed a session at our 2021 All District Area Event?
Check the Chai Line for a link to see all the recordings and presentation slides.
2021 All District Area Event
July 31 - August 1, 2021
Our Super Powers: Faith, Kindness and Community
This year we hosted our first ever All District Area Event on July 31 and August 1, 2021. We incorporated all four of our Pacific District Areas into this one event, and it was terrific! While we met virtually on Zoom, this was a truly immersive event - we engaged hundreds of women in workshops on leadership, online programming, and spirituality. We came together to have fun, connect with old friends, and create new friendships.
We are pleased to report that 230 people attended area day, with the vast majority of those attendees also participating in our Saturday leadership workshops. Interestingly, most people attended the workshops they initially expressed interest in, which worked out really well for planning purposes, so thank you! Also, the workshops offered were well attended across the board, so it appears that the topics covered were interesting and relevant to our attendees.
Some interesting attendance statistics to share:
Total number of sisterhoods represented: 46
States represented:
Canadian provinces represented:
First-time attendees to a Pacific District event: 38
Presidents/Co-Presidents/Leaders in attendance: 72
WRJ North American Board members in attendance: 22
While numbers don’t tell the whole story, they do help to paint a picture. We are so pleased that so many of our PD (and non-PD) sisters chose to spend the weekend with us.
Here are some of the highlights. On Saturday, July 31, there was an exciting and educational Leadership Development Session, followed by a Special Havdalah With Your PD Sisters, and then a Saturday Evening Salon. There was a special district wide Social Action Project, which will be ongoing so stay tuned for more information.
Then on Sunday, August 1st, we enjoyed a day of learning, personal enrichment, professional development, and more. A highlight of the day was the Virtual YES Fund Lunch where we raised significant funds for WRJ's YES Fund and honored many recent Lifelines, including a new Lifeline started during the lunch!
Take a look at the full Area Event Schedule or download it below.
Our Area Event 2021 theme was: Our Super Powers: Faith, Kindness and Community. It’s been a long year and it hasn’t been easy but we worked together as a community with consistent faith and kindness and we decided to honor those powers with our theme.
Our special WRJ guest speaker was WRJ’s Immediate Past President Susan Bass. Susan is well known to many of us here in the Pacific District, and has been a mentor, friend, and inspiration to all. We are thrilled to have her join us this August. Susan has done a wonderful job of recruiting and mentoring rising leaders, many of whom are in leadership positions today. Passing the torch of leadership to those who will follow has always been her passion. Her vast achievements and experience shows us just how much she will have to share. We were delighted to welcome Susan to our Area Event, a woman who exemplifies commitment, inspiration, and Reform Jewish values, where her “Super Powers” truly inspired us all!
We are pleased to report that 230 people attended area day, with the vast majority of those attendees also participating in our Saturday leadership workshops. Interestingly, most people attended the workshops they initially expressed interest in, which worked out really well for planning purposes, so thank you! Also, the workshops offered were well attended across the board, so it appears that the topics covered were interesting and relevant to our attendees.
Some interesting attendance statistics to share:
Total number of sisterhoods represented: 46
States represented:
- Seven in the Pacific District: CA, OR, WA, NM, AZ, NV, TX
- Five outside the district: OH, PA, IL, VA, NY
Canadian provinces represented:
- British Columbia (in our Pacific District)
- Ontario (outside of Pacific District)
First-time attendees to a Pacific District event: 38
Presidents/Co-Presidents/Leaders in attendance: 72
WRJ North American Board members in attendance: 22
While numbers don’t tell the whole story, they do help to paint a picture. We are so pleased that so many of our PD (and non-PD) sisters chose to spend the weekend with us.
Here are some of the highlights. On Saturday, July 31, there was an exciting and educational Leadership Development Session, followed by a Special Havdalah With Your PD Sisters, and then a Saturday Evening Salon. There was a special district wide Social Action Project, which will be ongoing so stay tuned for more information.
Then on Sunday, August 1st, we enjoyed a day of learning, personal enrichment, professional development, and more. A highlight of the day was the Virtual YES Fund Lunch where we raised significant funds for WRJ's YES Fund and honored many recent Lifelines, including a new Lifeline started during the lunch!
Take a look at the full Area Event Schedule or download it below.
Our Area Event 2021 theme was: Our Super Powers: Faith, Kindness and Community. It’s been a long year and it hasn’t been easy but we worked together as a community with consistent faith and kindness and we decided to honor those powers with our theme.
Our special WRJ guest speaker was WRJ’s Immediate Past President Susan Bass. Susan is well known to many of us here in the Pacific District, and has been a mentor, friend, and inspiration to all. We are thrilled to have her join us this August. Susan has done a wonderful job of recruiting and mentoring rising leaders, many of whom are in leadership positions today. Passing the torch of leadership to those who will follow has always been her passion. Her vast achievements and experience shows us just how much she will have to share. We were delighted to welcome Susan to our Area Event, a woman who exemplifies commitment, inspiration, and Reform Jewish values, where her “Super Powers” truly inspired us all!
We also welcomed Rabbi Devorah Marcus as our Keynote Speaker at our Area Event Kick-Off Session. Rabbi Marcus grew up in Orange County, CA and graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., with a degree in Speech Communications and minors in music and Religious Studies. Before receiving her Rabbinic Ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2008, she served as a youth coordinator in northern California and a music teacher in Milan, Italy. Since 2013, she has served as the rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of San Diego. Rabbi Marcus is deeply committed to building community, deepening the ties between congregants, and encouraging everyone to be life-long learners and pursuers of peace and justice in the world.
Over the course of our first All District Area Event, the focus of our time together was on building and strengthening our sisterhood communities with continued faith and kindness. Thank you to all who joined us!
Area Event Steering Committee
Shari Carruthers, Tracey Poirier, Deawn Herrmann
Pacific District Area Vice Presidents
Over the course of our first All District Area Event, the focus of our time together was on building and strengthening our sisterhood communities with continued faith and kindness. Thank you to all who joined us!
Area Event Steering Committee
Shari Carruthers, Tracey Poirier, Deawn Herrmann
Pacific District Area Vice Presidents
If you missed the 2021 Area Event, check the Chai Line and Yammer for the recordings.
Follow us on Social Media at #WRJPDSuperpowers
AREA EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
If you missed any of the sessions below, check the Chai Line and Yammer for the recordings.
Pacific Northwest:
Savor the Senses of Havdalah - July 24
What comes to your mind when you smell spices? What do you think about when you watch a candle’s flame? We explored how closely tied our memories are to our senses as we experienced the end of Shabbat through sharing stories, songs, and participating in a lovely Havdalah service.
Getting-to-Know-Each-Other Mixer - July 29
Have you ever seen a page full of faces on Zoom and wondered "Who are these people?” Through various activities such as games, a mini scavenger hunt and even a special cocktail, we had fun meeting others and mixing it up.
Northern California:
Meet and Greet - July 22
At this community building event, we spent the evening chatting and building our WRJ PD connections. It is with these connections through of kindness and faith that our power does grows.
Welcome in Shabbat - July 30
We opened our event by lighting our collective Shabbat candles with prayers. Our Jewish memories are a compilation of our experiences. It is those memories and experiences that help create our Jewish identity. On that night, we asked you to bring a cherished object(s), a memory, or a story to share with our sisters, objects that touched us deep in our Jewish identities.
Southern California:
The G!d Gap - July 26
Distinguished guest, Eliana Light, led us in thinking about our concept of the Divine that we embraced as children, versus the one we experience as adults when we navigate the joys and challenges of life. We learned how to get closer to a concept that makes sense to us now. Eliana shared with us a special energy developed through her background both in education and music. Learn more through her Eli Talk.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - July 29
This was a fun evening of getting to know our sisters, while we engaged in some creative and competitive games. We’ve had a blast beta-testing some games so that we can bring the best to you or you can take them home to your sisterhood for a program of skill testing, team building, and just plain fun!
Pacific Southwest:
Getting to Know You - July 28
We introduced ourselves to each other, played some ice breaker games, asked probing questions and even played a little Trivia. And most definitely made new friends.
Southwest Spiritual Songfest - July 31
Our Southwest Spiritual Songfest was led by our talented musical PD women under the leadership of Cantor Janece Cohen.
Savor the Senses of Havdalah - July 24
What comes to your mind when you smell spices? What do you think about when you watch a candle’s flame? We explored how closely tied our memories are to our senses as we experienced the end of Shabbat through sharing stories, songs, and participating in a lovely Havdalah service.
Getting-to-Know-Each-Other Mixer - July 29
Have you ever seen a page full of faces on Zoom and wondered "Who are these people?” Through various activities such as games, a mini scavenger hunt and even a special cocktail, we had fun meeting others and mixing it up.
Northern California:
Meet and Greet - July 22
At this community building event, we spent the evening chatting and building our WRJ PD connections. It is with these connections through of kindness and faith that our power does grows.
Welcome in Shabbat - July 30
We opened our event by lighting our collective Shabbat candles with prayers. Our Jewish memories are a compilation of our experiences. It is those memories and experiences that help create our Jewish identity. On that night, we asked you to bring a cherished object(s), a memory, or a story to share with our sisters, objects that touched us deep in our Jewish identities.
Southern California:
The G!d Gap - July 26
Distinguished guest, Eliana Light, led us in thinking about our concept of the Divine that we embraced as children, versus the one we experience as adults when we navigate the joys and challenges of life. We learned how to get closer to a concept that makes sense to us now. Eliana shared with us a special energy developed through her background both in education and music. Learn more through her Eli Talk.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - July 29
This was a fun evening of getting to know our sisters, while we engaged in some creative and competitive games. We’ve had a blast beta-testing some games so that we can bring the best to you or you can take them home to your sisterhood for a program of skill testing, team building, and just plain fun!
Pacific Southwest:
Getting to Know You - July 28
We introduced ourselves to each other, played some ice breaker games, asked probing questions and even played a little Trivia. And most definitely made new friends.
Southwest Spiritual Songfest - July 31
Our Southwest Spiritual Songfest was led by our talented musical PD women under the leadership of Cantor Janece Cohen.
SATURDAY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
“Are You Listening”? The 2021 WRJ PD Area Day Team hosted an exciting and educational Leadership Development session on Saturday, July 31.
We began with two of our own WRJ super heroes – special guest speaker Susan Bass, WRJ Immediate Past President and Cher Krichmar, current WRJ Pacific District President. Susan and Cher shared with us how to really listen to our sisters using an amazing tool called the listening campaign.
What’s that you say? Sometimes it’s difficult for your sisters to listen to each other? Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? These two incredible women helped us understand how to manage conflict. Our WRJ PD Area Day welcomes Alison Auerbach, WRJ Central District Past President, and Jo Stamler Thompson, WRJ Southeast District Past President, taught us what we can do when communication falters and how to manage conflict with compassion.
We began with two of our own WRJ super heroes – special guest speaker Susan Bass, WRJ Immediate Past President and Cher Krichmar, current WRJ Pacific District President. Susan and Cher shared with us how to really listen to our sisters using an amazing tool called the listening campaign.
What’s that you say? Sometimes it’s difficult for your sisters to listen to each other? Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? These two incredible women helped us understand how to manage conflict. Our WRJ PD Area Day welcomes Alison Auerbach, WRJ Central District Past President, and Jo Stamler Thompson, WRJ Southeast District Past President, taught us what we can do when communication falters and how to manage conflict with compassion.
A SPECIAL HAVDALAH WITH YOUR PD SISTERS
During our Area Event on July 31, we shared a special virtual Havdalah ceremony, led by the Sisterhood of Temple Emanuel in Tempe, Arizona, that encompassed our convention theme -- Our Super Powers: Faith, Kindness and Community. We enjoyed beautiful music, readings, and prayers as we welcomed the new week together.
SATURDAY EVENING LILITH SALON
On Saturday, July 31, we engaged in a lively and fun discussion of My Secretly Jewish Italian Grandmother by Carolyn Ariella Sofia, led by Gail Spivack. This short story has something for everyone: curious daughters, mothers in denial, grandmothers who knit, and one young woman’s journey to find meaning in her life, and finding her Judaism.
SMALL STEPS MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE
"The Reform Movement is committed to protecting the environment and ensuring a just, healthy, and safe future for generations to come. The science is clear: global climate change and pollution threaten our planet and endanger our communities."
Read more from the Religious Action Center here.
Read more from the Religious Action Center here.
Email information and images on your Sisterhood Environment Projects to [email protected].
For ideas on what you and your sisterhood can do, check out this Area Event Action & Advocacy YouTube playlist!
For ideas on what you and your sisterhood can do, check out this Area Event Action & Advocacy YouTube playlist!
YES FUND VIRTUAL LUNCH
A highlight of the August 2021 Pacific District Area Event was the YES Fund Virtual Lunch with special guest, WRJ Immediate Past President Susan Bass.
Susan is well known to many of us here in the Pacific District, and has been a mentor, friend, and inspiration to all. Through every phase of her life, Susan has been affiliated with institutions of the Reform Jewish movement. She has demonstrated a commitment to the values of progressive Judaism in every arena.
She showed us how we all can leverage our collective giving to support social good, empower future leaders of tomorrow, and strengthen our community. Donating to the YES Fund is a great way for us as individuals to not only help WRJ fund Reform and Progressive Jewish causes, but also to ensure that our values will live on in future generations.
Our YES Fund lunch was informative, inspiring, and also fun. Susan, a woman who exemplifies commitment, inspiration, and Reform Jewish values, where her “Super Powers” truly inspired us all to support the YES Fund!
Learn more about the YES Fund here.
Susan is well known to many of us here in the Pacific District, and has been a mentor, friend, and inspiration to all. Through every phase of her life, Susan has been affiliated with institutions of the Reform Jewish movement. She has demonstrated a commitment to the values of progressive Judaism in every arena.
She showed us how we all can leverage our collective giving to support social good, empower future leaders of tomorrow, and strengthen our community. Donating to the YES Fund is a great way for us as individuals to not only help WRJ fund Reform and Progressive Jewish causes, but also to ensure that our values will live on in future generations.
Our YES Fund lunch was informative, inspiring, and also fun. Susan, a woman who exemplifies commitment, inspiration, and Reform Jewish values, where her “Super Powers” truly inspired us all to support the YES Fund!
Learn more about the YES Fund here.
