Achot - UMJC Sisterhood

Imagine the possibilities! If you were at the conference in Chicago, you know that this was the byline on our Achot buttons.  It was wonderful to see so many women come to the reception and the sessions that Achot sponsored. We also want to thank all of you who joined Achot, your membership will help to establish Achot. We hope that you will endeavor with us to make the Sisterhood of The UMJC a place were the women can connect,  knowing that each and everyone of us has a place where we can have true friendship and be a part of Tikkun Olam.   We hope that you will also encourage other women to become a part of Achot.

It is exciting to see some of the doors that Hashem is opening for our adventure together.  Together, we have the opportunity to send $250 scholarships to Israel for dental care for the Ethiopians that are in need.  This is such a feasible amount! How exciting if the sisterhoods and women's groups of every congregation would commit to sending at least one, if not two or more scholarships for this tzedakah project.  What a blessing it would be to show how much we can accomplish together.

Even though we may be starting small, the potential exists for a much greater project.  Think of the possibility of raising enough for a mobile dental unit that could go to different parts of the land, offering dental care for those in need.  You and I could be a part of this blessing.  Imagining the possibilities and knowing that we serve an awesome G-d -  who knows what we could do together.

At the conference we were hoping to be able to have a business meeting where we could have vote on guidelines and also officers.  Unfortunately, time did not permit us to accomplish this.  It was suggested that we post the guidelines on the Achot webpage.  If you go to www.umjc.net/achot you can see the webpage and also look at the guidelines under the menu item "Member Guidelines".  You may post your comments at the bottom of the guidelines.  It was further suggested that we could vote on-line.  Unfortunately, this has not happened.  I think we were a little to optimistic in trying to accomplish this by the end of August.  We might have to postpone the elections until 2008, with the conference in Israel next year this might be the best time to do so. (Please, no, I reallllllly don't want to do this  - Jerusalem will be difficult to do this).  In the meantime the planning committee will continue to work together in building a dynamic UMJC sisterhood.   Any ideas, etc. are welcome.

In the meantime, we are hopeful and prayerful to see great things happen.  We would love to hear from you and know that you will be helping to raise funds for the Achot Smile project.  If you haven't become a member already, consider joining Achot .  Membership dues are $18 for individuals.  We also are asking for the sisterhoods and women's groups of the congregations to join for $54.  You can go to the webpage under "Become A Member" to join or send a check to the UMJC office at:

UMJC

529 Jefferson St. N. E.

Albuqerque, New Mexico, 87108. 

Please make a notation on the check for Achot. 

May the L-rd richly bless each and every one!

Shalom sisters, 

Sisterhood refers to a community of sisters; a solidarity of women based on shared conditions, experience and concerns. Why is the term so prevalent within Jewish circles? Because Jewish women have had a very strong need to stick together, especially in the Diaspora.

The UMJC Sisterhood is now named Achot, Hebrew for sister. Achot will emphasize caring, loving, and being connected. The singular form-"sister" rather than "sisters"-was chosen to show that every sister is vital to the makeup of the sisterhood. We hope that you find this concept to be something that you can be a part of. 

The annual UMJC conference is coming soon, July 25th-28th, in Chicago. We invite you to a reception for all the women at the conference, after the opening night service on Wednesday, July 25th.

During the conference we will offer a seminar on Tikkun Olam called "Restoration of the Soul", presented by Merryl Eaton, on Thursday, July 26th at 2 p.m.  Malkah Forbes will be presenting a session on Friday, July 27th at 9 a.m called "Tikkun Olam, Mandlebrot and You - The Smallest Piece of the Puzzle is the Greatest." The sessions will be uplifting and informative, so plan on being there! 

At Thursday's session we will give an update on our S.M.I.L.E. Project, which is helping provide dental care for the Ethiopian community in Israel. Not only does this project fulfill the mitzvah of reaching out to those in need, but it is also a great way to inspire your congregational sisterhood.

Achot is your sisterhood and you are invited to take an active role in its leadership and direction. Hope to see you in Chicago! 

Looking forward to the great things that we can accomplish together, 

Linda Lieber, Merryl Eaton, Sherry Moore, and Malkah Forbes