Did you ever wonder what you responsibility is as a Jew?
Our Sages answer that question based on a verse from this week’s Torah portion. The ArtScroll commentary on Parshat Emor says “it is the primary privilege and responsibility of every Jew, great or small, to sanctify Gd’s name through his behavior, whether among Jews or gentiles - by studying Torah, and performing the commandments, and by treating others kindly, considerately and honestly, so that people say of him, ‘fortunate are the parents and teachers who raised such a person’”.
The verse that is the source is teaching the commandment that one is to give up one’s life to sanctify Gd’s name. But we are also taught that one can sanctify Gd’s name by living in a proper way, while traversing the daily walkways of life.
There is a story I share annually in conjunction with this week’s Parsha because it is so inspiring.
It’s a true story and I am privileged to know the protagonists.
They are the Muroff family and they lived in Atlanta for a few years.
Once they purchased a used desk through Craig’s List. In order to get the large desk through the door of their home, Rabbi Muroff had to dismantle it. Upon doing so he was shocked to discover an envelope containing $98,000 in cash. The woman who sold him the desk had no idea it was there, and no one would have been the wiser if he pocketed the money. But the Muroffs decided to return the money. Bringing their children along for the ride, the Muroffs returned the money to a very grateful and shocked woman. The money had been an inheritance from her father and she had stashed it in the desk, but somehow it had gotten wedged in between the drawers and she had no idea of its whereabouts.
This was what the women wrote to the rabbi after he returned the money:
“ I do not think there are too many people in this world that would have done what you did by calling me. I do like to believe that there are still good people left in this crazy world we live in. You certainly are one of them," the woman wrote. "I cannot thank you enough for your honesty and integrity."
That’s called making a Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying Gd’s name.

This week we have another double Torah portion, Achrei Mot and Kedoshim.
The first portion means after the death and alludes to the time after the death of the sons of Aaron.
Kedoshim, the second portion, talks about holiness.
Kaddosh means holy.
There is a cynical statement that plays on the juxtaposition of these two portions.
After death, all is holy.
In other more understandable words, after one passes away, we remember that person as “holy”, someone who could do no wrong.
At a funeral we always laud the deceased, it seems that here lies a holy person, we will never focus on any lacking or deficiency.
The Torah portions are teaching us a deeper message.
In order to live life, one must be holy. So that after one has passed from this world they have not only become the best version of themselves, they have used their unique strengths and talents so make this world a better place.
After the death, holiness is left behind.
The portion of Kedoshim is replete with Mitzvot to help us attain holiness.
You might be surprised to learn that the 51 commandments listed are those that regulate behavior between people so that we can refine and improve ourselves to become a holy person in the image of Gd. They include giving gifts to the poor, refinement of language and behavior, honesty in business dealings and the ultimate loving one’s neighbor as oneself.
These are commandments that are intertwined in warp and woof of the tapestry of life.
The Torah teaches that holiness does not result from asceticism or distance from the physical world. Rather we are meant to be fully involved in the physical but use it as a stepping stone to spirituality.
One of the commandments is the injunction not to curse a deaf person.
At first blush, this commandment seems somewhat unnecessary.
If one curses a deaf person, they will perforce not hear it.
Why should one be commanded in such a matter?
Our Sages teach us that the injured party in this equation is actually the one who does the cursing.
The deaf person is not injured, they cannot hear.
But the one who does the cursing debases themselves, allowing themselves to sink so low as to insult a defenseless person. This takes a chunk of humanity out of the person who is slinging the insults and distances that person from Gdliness, from the essence of the portion of Gd that rests within.

This week I start my message to you with a request for prayers.
Our dear Batsheva has a nephew who was injured in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem today. His situation is critical and the need for your prayers is acute.
Please take a moment to say a chapter of Psalms, Tehillim in the merit of a total and complete recovery for
Yonah Ben Shayna Rivka.
May our prayers serve as a guard and shield for Yoni and with Gd’s help, speedy healing.

https://www.jwcatlanta.org/tehillim_psalms_chapter_130

This is a link to JWCatlanta’s website and one of the chapters of Psalms that can be recited. I will keep you updated and pray to share good news.

Any mitzvot we do can also be accrued for the merit of someone who is sick or struggling in any way.
One of the most powerful tools we have are our mouths. We can use our speech for prayer and good words, or we can sully our lips with gossip and slander.
In Biblical times the reaction to This week we have a double Torah portion Tazria -Metzora which focus on laws of purity and impurity as well as laws regarding speech. Loshon Hara or evil speech would result in a physical manifestation which looked like leprosy. This is a unique case of spiritual malady presenting with physical symptoms.
Nowadays we do not see a physical reaction to our negative speech. Although perhaps the pit in the stomach or the feeling of personal shame that one feels after demeaning another, is akin to that physical reality.

I just returned from Israel.
It was a very special time.
We were blessed to spend the Passover holiday with my Mother.
I’m in that sandwich generation.
Wherever I am, I’m missing someone.
So while I was blessed with the privilege of spending time with my beloved Mom, I really missed the children and grandkids.
It was really quiet.
It’s funny though.
Sometimes in the quietest of places, sounds take on such a profound meaning.
The times I made my Mother laugh were precious. The laughter was all the more resonant as it rang out on its own. There was no competition with other sounds.
As things were so quiet, somehow certain sounds became very impactful.
There were some ominous sounds that had a very different effect.
During the holiday there was a “red alert” the siren that indicates incoming missiles.
That sound propelled me to move my very elderly Mother from her chair out into a protected stairwell. She laboriously made her way down to a landing and sat as the building’s intercom system noisily blasted warnings to take cover.
That noise was jarring and frightening. My Mom was stoic throughout but I know she thinks of the bombs that fell during WW2. She often told me about the “doodlebug” bomb which would enter the area with much noise but would fall eerily silent just before it would explode. How awful that all these years later she has to suffer through those terrible sounds again.
Walking towards the Kotel, the Wailing Wall, I heard another sound that chilled me to the bone. We passed a long line of priests marching as part of a religious ritual. They walked with staffs in hand and knocked the sticks on the ground in a methodical beat.
The reverberations of the staff beating on the cobblestones made a bone chilling sound.
I felt as if I was hearing the call that heralded pogroms of centuries past.
We stopped respectfully to allow the priests to pass, but I shivered inside from that stark sound echoing through the passage of time.
Silence is challenging.

This week’s Torah portion is called VaYikra which is a funny way to start because VaYikra means he called.
Ok maybe not so funny, but I’m very tired.
I’m sure I’m not alone.
Scores of Jewish women around the globe are experiencing various levels of exhaustion as they plow forward in their preparation for the upcoming Passover holiday.
For some this may entail some stressful wardrobe choices as they prepare to jet off to an exotic location, while for others the stress might be building as they have to curate menus and make food for the masses.
Either way it makes us all a bit looopy.
I was talking on the phone with to a friend today and she was looking for something on her desk while we spoke. She said - let me just move away my nonexistent menu and I’m sure I’ll find the paper I need.
Like I said, stress does funny things to people.
May as well inject a bit of humor.
But these are serious times and cleaning and prepping food for the multitudes is no joke.
So you might think this would not be the optimal time for a woman to decide to become Jewish.
That really sounds like someone gone a bit mad, black humor even.
At least if a woman would decide to take such a step it might be wise to wait till after Passover, right?
I am so enamored with a true story of a young woman who happens to be a social media influencer.
Her moniker - nonJewishnanny.
She is a non Jewish young woman, a budding opera singer named Adriana, who took a job as a nanny to a Jewish family to make some extra money. She had never been exposed to a Torah lifestyle at all so she started to share her perspectives on this foreign culture on instagram and her posts went viral. While many of the posts were quite funny and showed how interesting things can look from a different perspective, the underlying premise was one of great respect. Adriana was extremely inspired by the closeness she witnessed in the family dynamic and she was very taken by the children. She found the kids to be warm, loving and accepting. They were so anxious to teach her everything they could about Jewish life and customs, and they did so in a loving way. She felt closer and closer to these children and their family.
The outcome?
Right before Passover:
Her new handle @nowjewishnanny
The power and love of young children is incalculable.
They can literally change the world.

The Bibas family set the tombstone for their beloved family. Shiri and her two red headed sons, were interred in one coffin. Today, the orange hued slab which covers their grave was set.
In the Haftorah for our portion Pekudei, ( the Haftorah is a portion from the prophets we read in conjunction with the weekly Torah portion) it is written Hashem has said he would dwell in the thick cloud.
In this week’s Torah portion, the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary was completed, and a Cloud rested upon it. The cloud signifies the resting of Gds presence.
So too in the Haftorah there is a similar account of the conclusion of the building of the Temple and King Solomon said Gd would dwell in the thick cloud that would descend on the Tenple.
Rabbi Yaakov Bender explains the meaning of the thick cloud.
Such a cloud descended also when the Torah was given, a time of great joy and clarity. But there are many times when it is not easy to feel Gd’s presence.
The cloud is a symbol of those times when things feel very dark and “cloudy”. We do not feel Gd’s presence, but even though we may not feel it, we know Gd is with us.
Rabbi Bender shares a family story his mother often told of her Aunt Leah. When Leah was 12 years old, she was walking at the outskirts of her town in Belarus, when she heard crying. She saw a young peasant boy weeping. When she asked him why he was so distraught, the boy said he dreamed of learning and attending university, but his father was dead set against it, feeling he was reaching above his station. The father would not consider such a request. Little Leah wanted to help and she ran home to her father who was a very wealthy man. She shared the story with her father who was touched by his daughter’s compassion. He handed her a significant sum and told her to bring it to the young man so he could follow his dream to study.
When Leah handed the money to the peasant boy he was shocked by his good fortune. He thanked Leah from the bottom of his heart and left to follow his dream.
Years passed.
Leah married and had a family.
One Friday night, the people in her town heard terrible noises as a brigade of Russian soldiers descended.on their Shtetl.
The goal was to grab young boys who would be inducted against their will into the Czar’s army. This was unfortunately not an uncommon practice in those days as young boys would be spirited away, often for many years, or never to be heard from again. They were lost to their families. The soldiers announced they would be taking the boys after Shabbat.
That night the members of the community turned to a rabbi for guidance. He told them to appoint Leah as their ambassador. She was to travel to the governor of the region and attempt to free the boys from their decree.
Leah left at once in her fashionable clothing and elaborate buggy.
After a few hours travel Leah arrived at the Governor’s mansion. As she was well dressed and well appointed, she was granted immediate access.
When she entered the governor’s office, she was surprised as he stood for her with great respect.

I have a large family in Israel.
Many of my cousins are very talented artists.
As one of the younger of the bunch, and unfortunately not one gifted with the same talents, I often enjoyed watching my cousins as they exercised their gifts.
One of my cousins became an expert weaver.
She bought a loom and made the most beautiful fabrics.
I was enthralled as I watched her hands gracefully pass the shuttle from hand to hand all the while coordinating with foot pedals. This elaborate dance resulted in a beautiful fabric which seemed to appear as if out of nowhere.
This week’s Torah portion is called VaYakhel, and it’s a bit of an enigma. It seems to be a repeat of the portion Teruma which was read three weeks ago.
Our Sages teach that the first rendition is Gd commanding Moses to build the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary.
This portion is the instruction coming to life and the Mishkan actually being built.
In this portion there are a number of references made regarding the women.
Rabbi Tzvi Teichman shares some deep insights regarding the unique characteristics of women that are brought to light in the portion.
There is one particular verse which specifically describes the women and their contributions to the Mishkan.
“All the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom, spun the goats”.
This is a strange turn of a phrase indeed.
It seems that the women were spinning the goats.
Rashi, the super commentary, teaches that this alludes to a special talent these women had that they could actually spin the goats wool while it was still attached to the goat.
That seems like quite the balancing act.
What message is meant to be derived from this information?
Each element of the creation of the Mishkan has many esoteric meanings.
The goat wool was woven into curtains, or coverings, that were draped over the whole edifice of the Tabernacle.
The Talmud teaches that the goat is the most stubborn and brazen of small animals.
The women had to have a high level of patience and dedication to coral those mischievous and jumpy goats in order to weave the goats wool into magnificent curtains or spreads for the Tabernacle.
(Sounds like Parenting 101)
The wiry wool and the never ending movements of the goats represent the harshness of the world and the ongoing challenges which keep us on our toes. The jumping goats represent the goals and aspirations that keep shifting and moving.
The women were focused on the end goal of creating the drapery for the Tabernacle, no matter how difficult the challenge.
Who taught them this skill?

Tonight is Purim.
The story seems more relevant than ever.
The Jews are in peril as the powers that be conspire to annihilate the Jewish nation forever.
The story is riveting and frightening.
The tragic ending seems inevitable.
Then, when all seems lost, the entire tale is turned on its head.
Those who wished to destroy the Jews are themselves destroyed, the little orphan girl becomes the Queen of Persia.
The Purim story is complicated and messy.
But if you listen to the Megillah being read, the whole story is concluded in a nice,neat bow in about 45 minutes.
Sure, it’s a cliffhanger, but a few grogger turns and before you know it, Mordechai who had been mourning over the fate of his people dressed in sackcloth and ashes, is, instead appearing in a position of authority, arrayed in royal garb.
Forty Five minutes of nail biting suspense we can stand.
But the Purim saga actually took place over the course of nine years.
That’s a long time to wait for a happy ending.
I had the opportunity to listen to Hadas Loewensturn share some insights on Purim.
Hadas is the widow of Elisha.
Elisha Loewenstern was killed in Gaza on December 13 by an anti-tank missile fired by Hamas. He was on a mission to rescue wounded soldiers. Though exempt from reserve army service, Elisha felt that it was his duty to defend the State of Israel and volunteered for service.
Elisha was a high-level Torah scholar, successful software engineer and a devoted father and husband. He is described by friends and family as a pure soul, who never raised his voice and always strove to become a better person. As an ordained rabbi committed to helping others, Elisha was a pillar of the community in Harish, teaching extensively.
He made Aliyah with his family from Highland Park, New Jersey at the age of eight.
He was 38 when he was killed.
Hadas, his widow, is an inspiration. She has a positive view on life despite the challenging reality she lives.
She is a modern day Queen Esther.

As some of you may know, I actually have two part time jobs.
I am very privileged to be a member of the JWCAtlanta team, and I am also part of the administrative cohort at a girls high school called Temima.
We just successfully concluded our annual fundraising effort.
In the euphoric moments after we reached our goal I had two interactions.
The first was with someone who thanked me for my efforts but immediately launched into an analysis of the average gift that was given. To his point, many of the gifts were small, and even though their were many small gifts and we did reach our goal, we needed to research this phenomenon and work on raising the size of each gift.
That conversation, while well meaning, left me depleted and strangely depressed.
Fortunately, there was another interaction amongst the team members who have been in the trenches together. This team of women and students, banded together to create energy and support.
When done, we all complimented one another, said job well done, and heaved a collective sigh of relief as we celebrated the amazing students who all pulled together and made our campaign a success.
That conversation left me elated, proud and grateful, with an emphasis on hope for the future - these young women will change the world.
This evening I also had an opportunity to hear from four women who shared their thoughts about Jewish philanthropy and legacy.
As matriarchs, they are keepers of the family wisdom, and by sharing their stories, they have the opportunity to nurture future generations.
Each of the four panelists, Raya Zalik, Etta Raye Hirsch, Cathy Selig and Candy Berman, shared their unique story of philanthropic endeavors. They focused on the lessons they learned from the past and the hopes of the impact they will leave on the future.
Tzedaka, charity or philanthropy, are clearly an important driver in their lives, and the desire to pass that passion their children, is the ultimate focus.

What does a hero look like to you?
For many, heroes are depicted as stereotypical characters, complete with capes and impressive physiques.
What does a Jewish hero look like to you?
Does it look like a man with an orange Kippa?
Does it look like a woman cradling two children in her arms?
Does it look like a young woman with a pony tail?
Does it look like an emaciated man with fire in his eyes?
Does it look like a diminutive woman in black robes?
There are so many Jewish heroes to emulate.
I have referenced just a few-there are so, so many more we need to learn about, to learn from.
Yarden Bibas shared that his captors promised him better treatment if he would convert to Islam.
His response?
“I was born a Jew, I will die a Jew”
The image of Shiri Bibas HYD, may Gd avenge her blood, holding her children as they are being taken in to captivity is seared in our consciousness forever. We can only imagine the strength she needed in those horrific hours.
But her heroism began well before.
Shiri is a woman that most of us would never have had the opportunity to encounter. But through the stories and the eulogies we learn about a strong, loving, protective wife and mother, professional who embraced her students and nurtured an exceptional family dynamic.
That is heroism.
Daniella Gilboa is a recently released hostage. She taught herself to sing Shalom Aleichem in Arabic so she could defy her captors and continue to sing the ritual prayers of Friday night.
Eli Sharabi, another recently freed hostage, shared that from the first day of his captivity he said the Shma prayer daily.
He said “the power of faith is incredible”.
This from a person who returned to a decimated family.
A lone survivor.
That is heroism.
And our own Stacey Hydrick, Dekalb County Superior Court Judge, who articulated her horror over the October 7 massacre and faced a public backlash.
Standing up for the truth is true heroism.

In 1933 the Nazis opened up
the concentration camp called Dachau in Germany.
The Jews who were arrested and interrogated there were killed. Their bodies were sent in sealed coffins to the nearby Munich Jewish community accompanied by strict instructions that the coffins were to remain sealed.
My Grandfather, Tzvi Landau ztzl was on the Chevra Kaddisha, the burial society, in Munich. He ignored the instructions and opened the coffins in order to ritually purify the bodies before burial, doing a process called Tahara.
When he opened the coffins, he was horrified by what he saw.
The people had been tortured and their bodies mutilated.
This moved by grandfather to speak to a Rabbi who was his mentor. The Rabbi told him to go to Palestine (as Israel was known then) as terrible things were on the horizon.
My Grandfather listened to this unlikely suggestion.
He saved his wife and children by doing so.
I thought a lot about my Grandfather today when we saw the hideous scene of the return of the coffins.
Suddenly 1933 did not seem so far away.
We are all reeling from the tragic news.
And the story is still not resolved, the beasts have put an unidentified body in one of those coffins.
Just like my Grandfather, we are horrified by what was seen when the coffin was unsealed.
The weather in Israel matched the mood.
Raining
Gloomy
Dark skies
But the Jewish people is indestructible.

There is a Talmudic story of an elderly man who was planting a carob tree. A young person passed by and scoffed.
“Old man, it takes 70 years for this tree to blossom, you will never see its fruit.”
To which the old man replied, “just as others planted for me, so too will I plant for others.”Today was TuBShvat.
The birthday of the trees.
Tu stands for the numerical value of 15, so literally the birthday of the trees is the 15th day of the month of Shvat.
Much is made of the fact that at this time of year there doesn’t seem to be much to celebrate.
The weather is cold and gloomy, and the trees themselves bare and looking dead.
But the reality is different.
What meets the eye is not the whole picture.
Because miraculously, in that very tree that seems devoid of life, something is stirring.
The sap is starting to rise within the tree.
Rebirth is taking place.
This message of hope is so vital to us now.
In the time of greatness darkness when hope seems out of our grasp, the trees provide us with the ultimate inspiration.
It may look dark, there is not even a glimmer of change, but deep beneath the surface, far from the seeing eye, there is movement.
That movement will bring growth and change.
Ella Blumenthal survived 3 concentration camps. At one point she was actually in a gas chamber waiting to be gassed. The Nazis had an order to murder 500 women and there were 700 in her group. As the orders were for 500 her group was led out and saved. In Auschwitz, Ella was determined to survive. Her only remaining relative, a niece named Roma, begged Ella to allow them both to end the suffering by touching the electrified fence. Ella convinced her to hang on just one more day. Each day she delayed the darkness just for one more day.
When asked about her gestalt in the face of such despair, Ella said she never gave up hope.
In 2022 she was quoted as saying “there is always sunshine tomorrow”.

Rena Quint is a Holocaust survivor.
Rena was a young girl during the War and has limited memories of what she experienced.
She barely remembers her own mother.
She does remember that the family was rounded up at the synagogue and there was a moment where she had a window to escape. She thinks her mother pushed her out the door. She can’t imagine what strength that required.
Many years later, Rena learned that all those who had been captured that day, were taken to Treblinka, where they perished.
In her book, A Daughter of Many Mothers, Rena chronicles her incredible journey of survival. She credits that survival to many women, mothers as she calls them, who protected her along her way.
Being a mother is a difficult job.
It is not defined or limited to being a biological mother, certainly as seen by Rena Quints experience.
Part of being a mother is having faith, often in the most trying of circumstances.
A mother has faith that the child will…survive…thrive…achieve excellence…transcend…she believes in her child, she sees the possibilities.
In Hebrew the word for mother is Em, or Ima.
The letters EM are the first two letters of the word EMUNA, which means faith.
Mothers give birth with faith, they give birth to faith, and their steadfast faith in Gd carries them through.
These Torah portions chronicle the journey of the Jewish nation through the exile of Egypt and to ultimate redemption.
The Talmud states that it was in the merit of the righteous women of that generation that the redemption took place.
This week’s Torah portion, Beshalach, gives us a glimpse of the stalwart nature of those women.
The portion narrates the Jews departure from Egypt and the remorse Pharaoh feels after their leaving.
He exhorts his army to take off in pursuit and can only convince them to do so by giving them great wealth which they carry in their chariots.
The Jews arrive at the shores of the Red Sea, where they find themselves at an impossible impasse.
The Egyptian army is closing in and before them and there is no hope, no road to be taken, only the Sea before them.
One of the Princes of the 12 Tribes begins to walk into the water and when the water reaches his nostrils and he is about to drown, the Sea miraculously splits and the Jews walk through to the other side.
The Midrash shares a conversation between two Jews as they traversed the Sea. One said to the other “it was muddy in Egypt and now it’s muddy here”
This proverbial conversation reflects an attitude.

We are reading the Torah portions in Shmot, Exodus.
The first letters of each of the names of the portions
SHmot , Vaera, Bo, Beshalach, Yitro, Mishpatim spells out the word Shovavim.
(It works when you use the Hebrew letters)
During the weeks of Shovavim we focus on the Jewish family and the roots that support it.
We focus on the Jewish women and their faith.
In Hebrew faith is Emunah.
The two first letters of Emunah are EM, which translates to mother.
The basis of faith in the family stems from the mother.
The basis of faith in the Jewish people stems from the women.
The Talmud famously teaches us that it was in the merit of Jewish women that we were redeemed from Egypt.
There is a Midrash that says that the women took it upon themselves to support the men during the time of exile. They did this from a place of trust and faith in Hashem, Gd. Without their support, continues the Midrash, it is questionable if the men would have survived.
The Talmud goes on to say that it is in the merit of righteous women that we will ultimately be redeemed.
We are in a long dark exile that seems hopeless.
Yet, we are tasked to bring it to an end.
The famous poem of Aishet Chayil, the paean of praise to the Jewish woman, penned by King Solomon in Proverbs 31 says “she arises when it is still night”.
This refers to the strength the Jewish woman who stands up against adversity even in the darkest of times.
It doesn’t seem that times can become darker.
If we are waiting for the inspiration that will bring us out of these times, we need only look around the room.
It is our responsibility to step up and bring redemption.
Time is of the essence.

My dear friend Dr. Julie Zweig forwarded me an astonishing article.
Entitled “From the ashes of a Pasadena synagogue, a powerful discovery is made” the
LA Times shares an incredible story.
As we are all aware, there have been terrible wildfires in California which have wreaked much havoc and destruction.
One of the many buildings that were burned in the fire was a synagogue in Pasadena. The whole edifice came down.
Except for one wall.
To the shock and surprise of all, the wall that remained had been hidden behind years of construction which now had been removed to reveal a mural.
The mural depicted a Biblical scene which seems to show the Jews walking in the desert; men, women and children. Some of those portrayed are playing instruments, and in the midst of it all, a towering and majestic palm tree takes center stage.
The reveal of this mural gave much hope and inspiration to the congregation.
During such a dark time, they felt the message that hope is hiding behind the destruction.
All is not lost.
The timing of this find could not be more appropriate.
This week’s Torah portion is called VaErah and it depicts one of the lowest periods in Jewish history.
The Jewish people are enslaved in Egypt and are subjected to the worst brutality imaginable.
They are tortured and terrorized.
All of a sudden, a man named Moshe, Moses, appears on the scene and announces he has been sent to redeem them and take them out of this horrible slavery.
We can imagine the response.
Dancing in the streets.
Fireworks.
Euphoria.
Strangely enough - none of the above.

What kind of hotels will we be staying in?

Clean, modern four-star hotels.

What flights should I buy? Where should I fly into and out of and what time?

Should I buy trip insurance? 

Yes, the tour company requires that you purchase trip insurance.

What is the maximum number of women on this experience? 

45

Are meals included?

Yes, the trip provides full room and board, wholesome, delicious kosher meals and snacks are included.  We do our best to accommodate food allergies, however, we can not guarantee a completely allergy free environment in Poland.  

What is a shabbat JWCA experience?

Shabbat with JWC Atlanta is always meaningful, uplifting, soul nourishing and connecting.  Shabbat in Poland amplifies all of the above.

Are there gatherings before or after the trip?

Yes, there will be pre and post trip meaningful learning experiences.

Can I talk with someone who has been on this trip previously?

Yes, please reach out to Bonnie Fitch, Tracey Grant, Leslie Lipson, Wendy Klein or Simone Levingston.  Their numbers will be shared by contacting [email protected]

How many women are in a room?

Rooms are double occupancy, single occupancy is available for an additional fee.  JWC Atlanta is a warm and welcoming environment.  You will be sent a roommate questionnaire after you register for the trip.  Please do not worry if you don't have a roommate, we will pair you with one of our incredible JWC Atlanta women.

How do I sign up for this trip? 

A non-refundable $500 deposit is due upon registration to guarantee your seat.  Payments may be made monthly, balance must by received by April 1st.  

How active is the trip? How much walking should I expect?

This is an active trip which requires mobility. Please reach out to us with any concerns.

Who is eligible to go on this trip?

Any Jewish woman from Atlanta.  First timers are welcome!

This week we begin the book of Shmot.
Our Sages give a name to each of the Five Books of Moses.
For example, the book of Genesis is called the book of Creation.
That makes sense.
Genesis is about the creation of the world and the creation of the family that will birth the Jewish nation.
The Book of Shmot is given the appellation of the Book of Redemption.
That is a little more difficult to comprehend.
Shmot begins with the challenging story of the family of Jacob becoming enslaved, of a Pharaoh who no longer knew Joseph, and the story of a very dark and tragic time for the Jewish people.
The beginning of the book of Shmot actually seems to reflect the opposite of Redemption entirely.
Our Sages teach us that what looks very dark and dangerous, the slavery, is actually the beginning of Redemption.
Redemption emerges from exile. The descent into exile was a necessary step to rise to be able to go back to the Land of Israel. The exile is the crucible of fire from which the Jewish people emerge as a nation.
We would not be able to arrive at the point of salvation without first undergoing the process of slavery.
This idea is borne out in a detail mentioned in the Torah portion.
Moses is rescued from the Nile by the daughter of Pharaoh and is raised in the royal household. Nonetheless he knows of his Jewish roots and never forsakes them. He leaves the palace to seek the welfare of his brethren and at one point he sees an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Jew. Moses intervenes to save the Jewish slave and kills the Egyptian. This act turns Moses into a fugitive and he must run for his life or he will be executed for killing the Egyptian. As the story unfolds, Moses runs to the land of Midian. He arrives at the town well, the local meeting place and he is in the right time and place to come to the aid of the daughters of Yitro who have gone to the well to water their flock. They are being harassed by the local shepherds and Moses comes to their defense. When they return home, unusually early, due to Moses assistance from their daily harassment, their father asks how they have returned so quickly.
The daughters answer their father saying, an Egyptian man saved us.
Some of the commentators take the practical approach and say although Moses was not Egyptian, he dressed the part and sounded like an Egyptian, so the conclusion that he was in fact Egyptian is logical.

Do your kids make fun of you?
Hopefully the teasing is lighthearted and gentle in nature.
The jokes usually tend to tease out deeper family dynamics.
When the children are younger it may reflect the embarrassment they feel due to our behavior (teens anyone).
When they are older the trading may reflect that they secretly appreciate the family quirks but are not quite ready to embrace it.
Hence the teasing is hopefully in good fun.
One of the areas that’s gotten a great deal of response in our family is what has become known as the “bless-fest”.
When we part from our children or grandchildren we give them a blessing.
We learned this custom from our Rabbi and mentor.
We saw that when he was saying goodbye to his offspring, he would always send them off with a blessing.
It’s really a powerful idea.
Our children go out into the world and encounter all types of challenges. We have the opportunity to arm them as best as we can with positive upbringing, instilling good values, teaching them to look both ways before they cross…and also with a blessing.
Can’t hurt.
Certainly makes them feel like we love them.
But sometimes it’s annoying.
Especially when many of them are leaving at the same time, or if they are in a hurry.
Hence the “light hearted” teasing.
But they’ve come to expect it.
And hopefully like it.

It’s the last night of Chanukah.
I want to give you a gift.
The gift is one that is handed down to us from the first Chanukah and it is relevant to each and everyone of us.
Our Sages actually instituted the holiday of Chanukah a year after the events that occurred.
Why did they wait a year?
In our long Jewish story there are many miracles that have taken place.
Yet we don’t have a holiday commemorating each one.
How did the Sages pick the ones that got memorialized?
Each holiday has a special energy that is created. If that spiritual energy becomes palpable and part and parcel of that time, the Sages understood it was to become a holiday.
Therefore, a year later, one year after the holiday of miracles, the Sages understood that the quality of the miraculous was still present and so Chanukah was established.
Every year at this time we feel
the power of the miraculous and we need to tap into it.
There was a story that went viral last year on Chanukah.
A young man by the name of Tamir Hershkowitz returned to his parent’s home in Kibbutz Beeri. Tamir’s parents were brutally murdered in the attack on October 7 and their house set aflame. It burned and smoldered for three days. When the fire was finally extinguished, Tamir went looking among the ruins to see if there was any items to salvage. Remarkably enough, there was a Menora which survived. So, on Chanukah, Tamir went back to the remnants of his home and lit the Menora.
He said it was very important that the light emanating from the house should not be one of destruction, but one of hope and promise.