Welcome to Sisterhood at Adas Israel Congregation!
About Us | Special Events/Ongoing Programs | Torah Fund | Sisterhood Gift Shop | Calendar of Events
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Please scroll down to the Calendar of Events to register for programs.
About Sisterhood... Click Here to Join!
Sisterhood, affiliated with Women's League for Conservative Judaism, seeks to perpetuate the values of Conservative/Masorti Judaism through quality programs, social action, ritual and spirituality. We provide multiple avenues for women to solidify their Jewish identity in a rapidly changing world. Most importantly, we are a community---providing mutual support and bonds of friendship for our members.
We are a Community of Sisterhood, joined by the bonds of friendship.
Please join us!
For more information email Vice President of Membership, Oz Papados.
Special Events
The Jewish Perspective on Decluttering and a Judaica Swap
Saturday, September 15th at 1:30pm in Kay Hall
Do you have Judaica or other treasured Jewish-focused items that you would like to gift to a new owner? Would you like guidance on how better to organize your home or reduce belongings? Are you curious about the way that decluttering fits into Jewish tradition?
Please join us for a deep dive into a Jewish perspective on decluttering, followed by a “swap” of Judaica and other Jewish-focused items. There is no cost for this program. Everyone is welcome!
- Rabbi Penina Alexander will teach about the concept of decluttering and Jewish tradition.
- Claudia Taskier, owner of The Organizer in Washington, D.C., will provide insights on how to start decluttering and organizing your home.
You will have the opportunity to “swap” – share and acquire – Judaica and other Jewish-focused items previously cherished by Adas community members.
Begin the new year participating in this enlightening program, in the warmth of our community of sisterhood, joined by the bonds of friendship.
Click HERE to register.
Ongoing Programs
Scroll down to view the full Calendar of Events for all ongoing programs.
Weekday Torah with Sisterhood
Monthly, third Tuesday, at 10:30 am via Zoom
Weekday Torah with Sisterhood is an engaging approach to traditional text study that offers participants the opportunity to study and discuss challenging texts and ideas. Students of all levels and backgrounds are welcome. Participants can find class dates, times, and other relevant information on the Sisterhood Calendar of Events. Please contact Marilyn Cooper with questions and concerns.
Knitting and Sewing Circle
Please check the Sisterhood Calendar of Events or Lesley Frost for details about meetings.
Adas Sisterhood Knitting and Sewing Circle includes knitters of different skill levels. Some are members of Adas Israel, others are friends who love to knit. We supply hats, scarves, and similar items for the Edlavitch DCJCC Knitting for the Homeless project. Our dedicated knitters have completed as many as 130 items for donation in one week! We can supply wool, needles, and patterns and can teach the basics of knitting. We meet to share patterns, showcase our work, and socialize. Join us as we knit up a storm ready to help clothe our neighbors for the winter.
Sisterhood Cares
To mark simchas and milestones and for condolences, contact Anat Bar-Cohen (anat@bar-cohen.com).
Adas Israel Book Club
Rose Ruth Freudberg Memorial Sisterhood Library
Facilitated by Librarian Robin Jacobson, the Book Club meets periodically (in-person or via Zoom) to host authors and discuss books of Jewish interest. For further information, please contact Robin Jacobson.
If you would like to mark your calendar with the current schedule of book programs or access recordings of past programs please check the Library page.
Book Chat: The Familiar by Leigh Baradugo
Sunday, September 22, at 10:30 am in the Adas Library
Register here
Read "Robin's Review" here
Join us in the library for an in-person discussion of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, a thrilling novel blending historical fiction and fantasy, set in 16th century Spain. What happened to the Jews forced to become conversos (converts to Catholicism) who remained in Spain after the mass expulsion in 1492? The author imagined an answer to this question, provoked by her curiosity about the fate of some of her own family members.
Torah Fund
As part of Women's League for Conservative Judaism (WLCJ), Adas Israel Sisterhood raises dollars for Torah Fund, which supports five Conservative seminaries across the globe, educating clergy, cantors, scholars, and lay leaders: Jewish Theological Seminary (New York); Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (Los Angeles); Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies (Jerusalem); Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano (Buenos Aires); and Zacharias Frankel College (Potsdam, Germany).
The theme of the WLCJ 2024-25 Torah Fund Campaign is “Am Yisrael Chai: All People of Israel Live”. Am Yisrael Chai is an expression of Jewish solidarity for the Jewish nation and the continuity of the Jewish people. We help ensure the future of worldwide Jewish communities through our support of the five Conservative/Masorti institutions of higher education.
Together, our donations help provide housing, tuition scholarships, and university infrastructure for the next generation of Jewish leaders.
Individual donors to Torah Fund at the Benefactor level ($180) or higher receive the distinctive WLCJ Torah Fund pin in recognition of their gift.
You can make donations online at the "Donate" button below, or send a check payable to:
"Torah Fund"
c/o Susie Sorrells, Torah Fund Chair
4508 Sunflower Drive
Rockville, MD 20853
PLEASE NOTE: If you make an on-line donation, please insert Adas Israel and Washington, DC on the lines that ask for the name and location of your affiliate. Otherwise, our Sisterhood will not receive credit for the donation. If you make a donation at the Benefactor or Guardian level, please forward your receipt to susiejs23@gmail.com, so Susie can make arrangements to deliver your Torah Fund pin in a timely manner.
Help strengthen Jewish education and ensure the vibrancy of the Jewish people for decades to come with your gift to Torah Fund. Thank you!
Donations may not be charged to your Adas Israel account.
You can also send a greeting with e-cards to support Torah Fund. Cards can be purchased on the JTS Torah Fund website (click here), and customized for any occasion. The Torah Fund e-cards benefit the general campaign.
RUTH & SIMON ALBERT SISTERHOOD GIFT SHOP
The High Holy Days are late this year, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from shopping for holiday-related items today. We have a lot of great items - many of which you can see in our shop the window. In addition to honey dishes, adult and children’s shofars, and children’s books for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are also offering items for Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Among these are children’s books, stuffed lulav and etrog toys, sukkah decorations, and full-size lulav bags for those buying lulavim this year.
In addition, we received a number of new tallitot from Israel and from our Israeli vendor in California. Be sure to stop by and check them out for your son or daughter whose b’nai mitzvah are coming up this fall.
And now that fall is on the horizon, we have re-established our regular hours for the shop. Beginning September 8, we will be open:
Sunday-Monday, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
Tuesday, 9:30 am-3:00 pm
Wednesday through Friday, 9:30 am-12:30 pm.
As is our habit, we endeavor to serve customers for whom these hours are not convenient. Please email adasgiftshop@gmail.com, and we’ll pick a time that will better meet your needs.
Ruth & Simon Albert Sisterhood Gift Shop
2850 Quebec Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-364-2888
adasgiftshop@gmail.com
Special Past Events
Joyce Stern was the Honored Speaker for Sisterhood Shabbat 5784, February 15-17, 2024
Joyce Stern, an active member of Adas Israel Congregation for over 55 years and a longtime leader of Sisterhood Shabbat, was our honored speaker for 2024. With the theme “Building a Sanctuary Then and Now,” Joyce explored the Parashat Terumah with three stimulating presentations: Furnishing God’s Sanctuary (Thursday morning minyan February 15); Angels in the Mishkan (Friday night service February 16); and Inviting the Divine Presence into a Structure and into our Hearts (after Kiddush lunch February 17). The text of each presentation is found here.
Joyce has served on the governing board of Sisterhood for many years, taking on numerous roles. As Vice President for Communications (2011-2015), she created Sisterhood’s first ever e-newsletter, the Adas Israel Sisterhood Source. In 2013, Joyce was recognized with an Eishet Hayil award from the Seaboard Region of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism and at Adas was a Simchat Torah honoree. Over the years, she has been on the synagogue’s bereavement and adult education committees, the Beit Midrash advisory group, and the Rabbinic Planning Task Force. She also served for six years as a member of the synagogue’s Board of Directors. Joyce and her late husband Michael were among the founding families of the Adas Israel Havurah where they held leadership roles and where they raised their children, Lisë and Avidan. Joyce notes that in addition to being blessed with six grandchildren, she is now happily a great grandmother.
The Way We Were and Here We Are
On Sunday November 19, 2023, Sisterhood presented a program that explored Sisterhood History with a “Campy” Show and Fun Gathering. Bringing comfort in the post-October 7 tension-filled time, we spent an afternoon in the warmth of the company of women. The event included a show presented by current Sisterhood members with songs and narratives created 40 years ago by Estelle Jacobs, a famously creative former Sisterhood President, and with new songs created by Estelle’s daughter, Susie Sorrells. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon sharing memories and meeting new friends in a community of sisterhood. A recording of the show is found here.
2023 Garden of the Righteous Honoree: José Ignacio Burbano, Grandfather of Past Sisterhood President Betty Adler. Click here for more information.
2024-25 Executive Committee
President: Elissa Barpal
Co-VP for Communications: Wendy Kates
Co-VP for Communications: Tara Leystra Ackerman
Treasurer: Ellen Snyder
Co-VP for Education/Programming: Rona Walters
Co-VP for Education/Programming: Patricia Manasevit
VP for Membership: Ozana Papados
Parliamentarian: June Kress
Corresponding Secretary: Anat Bar-Cohen
Recording Secretary: Helen Kramer
Immediate Past President: Margie Corwin
Gift Shop Co-Managers: Jean Bernard, Marian Fox, Susan Winberg
Torah Fund Chair: Susie Sorrells
