Eleanor Kretzer Kavod Awards 2026
Applications Are Open April 21, 2025!
Questions? Please email [email protected].
The Eleanor Kretzer Kavod Award will be presented at the 2026 WRJ Pacific District Convention to be held on March 12-15, 2026 in Pasedena, CA.
Eleanor Kretzer was an extraordinary woman with a great sense of humor who served both her Sisterhood, the Pacific District and what is now the Women of Reform Judaism. The Kavod Award was developed in her honor. This award recognizes and honors innovative programs and projects.
Submitting a program or project for a Kavod Award is an excellent way to share all the good things your Sisterhood has been doing since our last District Convention and to be recognized for your creativity, dedication, and hard work. You can start now by considering all of your popular and successful programs or projects that were initiated after the WRJ Pacific District’s last convention held online in October of 2020. Programs may be virtual, in person, or hybrid.
As in 2023, there are three award categories. These categories are Programs for Our Sisterhoods, Programs for Our Congregations, and Programs for Our Communities. Winning programs will be highlighted and honored at the 2026 Convention and there will be opportunities to learn more about these programs during and after our conference. After Convention, the winning programs will be posted on the WRJ Pacific District website.
The 2026 award categories are:
Programs for Our Sisterhoods – These are the programs that we plan for our own Sisterhoods and our prospective Sisterhood members. The programs may also include WRJ Individual Members, and members of other Sisterhoods as well. Program examples include:
Programs for Our Congregations – These are Sisterhood-sponsored or co-sponsored programs that benefit other groups within our congregational communities. Program examples include:
Programs for Our Communities – These programs may be Tikkun Olam, social justice, or civic engagement programs or fundraisers to benefit underserved groups in our communities. Program examples include:
We plan to select three or more programs to receive awards. There will be at least one award in each category. If one or more category receives many submissions for excellent programs, the committee may choose more than one winning program from that category.
Mady Plumer and Debbie Bramer, Kavod Committee Co-Chairs
Questions? Please email [email protected].
Eleanor Kretzer was an extraordinary woman with a great sense of humor who served both her Sisterhood, the Pacific District and what is now the Women of Reform Judaism. The Kavod Award was developed in her honor. This award recognizes and honors innovative programs and projects.
Submitting a program or project for a Kavod Award is an excellent way to share all the good things your Sisterhood has been doing since our last District Convention and to be recognized for your creativity, dedication, and hard work. You can start now by considering all of your popular and successful programs or projects that were initiated after the WRJ Pacific District’s last convention held online in October of 2020. Programs may be virtual, in person, or hybrid.
As in 2023, there are three award categories. These categories are Programs for Our Sisterhoods, Programs for Our Congregations, and Programs for Our Communities. Winning programs will be highlighted and honored at the 2026 Convention and there will be opportunities to learn more about these programs during and after our conference. After Convention, the winning programs will be posted on the WRJ Pacific District website.
The 2026 award categories are:
Programs for Our Sisterhoods – These are the programs that we plan for our own Sisterhoods and our prospective Sisterhood members. The programs may also include WRJ Individual Members, and members of other Sisterhoods as well. Program examples include:
- Religious or spiritual programs such as Rosh Chodesh celebrations
- Torah study with leaders in our sisterhood or invited guest scholars
- Social programs
- Leadership training
Programs for Our Congregations – These are Sisterhood-sponsored or co-sponsored programs that benefit other groups within our congregational communities. Program examples include:
- Programs in collaboration with other congregational committees such as your men’s organization
- Special activities for preschool or religious school parents
- Fundraisers with proceeds benefitting the congregation
Programs for Our Communities – These programs may be Tikkun Olam, social justice, or civic engagement programs or fundraisers to benefit underserved groups in our communities. Program examples include:
- Sponsored forums on key issues such as racial justice, immigration reform, educational inequity, housing, and homelessness
- Social action and advocacy to address local critical needs for housing, food, healthcare, educational assistance, and violence prevention
- Fundraising to benefit groups such as immigrant families, school children needing meals and supplies, victims of domestic abuse
- Civic engagement programs to encourage widespread voting
We plan to select three or more programs to receive awards. There will be at least one award in each category. If one or more category receives many submissions for excellent programs, the committee may choose more than one winning program from that category.
Mady Plumer and Debbie Bramer, Kavod Committee Co-Chairs
Questions? Please email [email protected].
