The Sisterhood is an auxiliary group interested in sharing their talents and energy, while connecting with other women in the Temple Emanu-El community through intellectual, spiritual and social activities.
Upcoming Sisterhood Events
November and early December have continued to be busy with Sisterhood get-togethers. Thank you to Pamela Kilbey-Fox for hosting our December Book Club. Thank you to Eileen Shapiro for organizing the December 30 Movie Club. 10. Many thanks to Sue Fornara for designing new Sisterhood notecards.
Thank you to all of you who helped with the Chanukah Fair Set-Up on Saturday, December 7 and the Chanukah Fair on Sunday, December 8 from 9:30 to 12:30. The event was extremely successful and raised $1,600! Many thanks and compliments to Anne Cohn for providing such a great selection of gifts and all her hard work and dedication in organizing and running this event. Thank you to Linda Barnett for donating her handmade Mahjongg tile keychains and necklaces to our Judaica Shop. The keychains were a big hit at the Chanukah Fair! Sisterhood will also be offering these for sale at the Mahjongg Tournament on June 10th.
UPCOMING JANUARY EVENTS
Tuesday, January 14 – Book Club at the home of Karen Bloustine at 6:30PM in Niantic. We are reading “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah. Contact Suzanne Crawford at crawford@outlook.com if you are interested in joining us. I have a copy of the book if anyone would like to borrow it. It is really great!
- Friday, January 17 at 6:00PM – New Sisterhood Members and their families have been invited to be the guests of Sisterhood and the Temple at the Shabbat Dinner.
- Thursday, January 23 at 7:00PM – TRIVIA NIGHT ON ZOOM – This is an added event from the original calendar! Please RSVP to me at professeur38@me.com no later than Sunday, January 19.
- Thursday, January 30 – Rosh Chodesh with Hazzan Sherry at 1:00PM. Please RSVP to me at professeur38@me.com no later than Monday, January 27.
- Date to be Determined – Movie Club
FEBRUARY EVENTS
- Thursday, February 27 – Rosh Chodesh at 1:00PM
- Friday, February 28 at 6:30 at Temple – Annual Sisterhood Service. Thank you to Eileen Shapiro for volunteering once again to organize this spiritual event. Please RSVP to Eileen at esfinallyhasemail@comcast.net no later than Friday, February 14. Please indicate if you would prefer a Hebrew, English or non-speaking part.
- Date To be Determined – Movie Club
SAVE THE DATE
- Sunday, March 16 at 1:00PM at the Temple – Presentation by Yahav, our wonderful Israeli Emissary. She will speak to us about the many aspects of Israel’s colorful culture and answer questions posed to her about life in Israel. Stay tuned for more info. We are investigating babysitting services for those of you with young children.
Looking forward to seeing all of you at upcoming events! If you’d like a copy of our events calendar for the year, email me at professeur38@me.com.
Happy New Year! May 2025 bring peace to the world!
– Barbara
The Sisterhood Membership Drive for 2024-25 is ongoing.
Click the link below for the membership letter.
24 25 TE Sisterhood Membership Letter Final
Our Sisterhood Membership continues to grow. As of October 1, 2024 our membership roster has 95 women! It is never too late to join us. I know that many of you are very busy with your families and other organizations and volunteer work. Some of you I have spoken with express the concern that “you will be asked to do something if you become a member”. Please know that membership in Sisterhood provides you the opportunity to join together and meet other Temple women and participate in any or all of Sisterhood activities. Volunteering to help out with something is not a requirement.
Join Some Fun Groups!
Weekly Walking Group
Our Walking Group continues to walk (weather permitting), usually on Wednesday and Thursday at 10 am. We often walk at the Niantic Boardwalk, and sometimes places such as the Connecticut College Arboretum, and Harkness. If you are interested, please let Debra know by emailing debrawool@gmail.com.
Sisterhood Book Club
The Sisterhood Book Club continues to grow. Everyone enjoys meeting in the homes of members. We have worked out the “technical” problems of Zoom if you can not make it in person.
For upcoming Book Club meetings please see the Upcoming Events listing in Barbara’s note above. If you are interested in being added to the Book Club list, please email Suzanne Crawford at suzm.crawford@outlook.com. Don’t forget to email Barbara at professeur38@me.com, if you would like the Zoom link.
Temple Emanu-El Gift Shop
We continue to expand offerings at the gift shop which are available by appointment. You can contact Anne to schedule an appointment at Judaicashop@tewaterford.org, or contact the Temple Office. Come in and look at our wide array of Judaica items. There is no sales tax, and our prices are cheaper than retail stores. Profits go to support your congregation and community. Anne is also willing to special order items for you, and has a wide array of items that can be ordered from a variety of vendors. If it’s jewelry you are looking for, she have a catalog full of beautiful items to order. This small Judaica company ships right out and the items are gorgeous and very well priced. Also, lots of wonderful new products will be coming in soon!
Thanks to everyone for continuing to support our shop!
– Anne
Mah Jongg
DEADLINE FOR ORDERING 2025 MAHJONGG CARDS IS COMING SOON!
Orders and payment for 2025 NMJL Cards must be in by January 31st. These are the cards that will be mailed to you April 1st, for use during the following 12 months. We receive a donation from the League for all cards that are part of this pre-order. This is a significant fundraiser for Sisterhood, allowing us to contribute to many activities in the community and temple.
Cost for cards is $15 for large size and $14 for standard size. (This is the same cost from any reputable vendor. If you see them for less, then they are counterfeit and not part of the NMJL charitable non-profit organization.)
Make checks payable to: Temple EmanuEl Sisterhood, and provide recipients’ mailing address and email.
These will be sent directly from the NMJL anywhere in the country, so feel free to order for friends and relatives.
Please contact Iris Freeman at ifreegang@aol.com for additional information or questions.
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Save the date: Spring MahJongg Tournament –
Tuesday, June 10th, 2025
Full Day, Breakfast, Home-made Lunch, Cash Prizes, Beginner to Advanced – we have a place for you all!
Sisterhood Board – Our Officers:
President: Barbara Senges
Treasurer: Jennifer Zettler
Corresponding Secretary: Gail Schor
Recording Secretary: Debra Wool
Membership: Nancy Trostler and Linda Barnett
Book Club: Suzanne Crawford
Movie Club: Eileen Shapiro
Judaica Shop: Anne Cohn
Publicity: Sue Fornara & Susan Rosen
Social Justice Moira Ross
Do you have any ideas for a Sisterhood program? Maybe you have a skill you would like to share. We are always looking for suggestions! Some other programs we discussed were a drawing class on Zoom, as well as a program in person at Smith Acres in Niantic in the spring. If you have any suggestions or special talents, please let us know. It’s always fun to try something new.
WRJ Programs
We have mentioned all of the on-line programming available through our umbrella organization, WRJ. If you check their website, wrj.org, you will see their calendar filled with speakers, tours, etc. Hope you can take advantage of some of their programs.
RECENT ACTIVITIES & EVENTS INCLUDE:
What a great year we have had!
- Book Club (seven) – Thanks to our new Book Club Chair, Suzanne Crawford, for organizing and encouraging our return to in-home/hybrid book clubs.
- Walking Group – Thanks to Debra Wool for coordinating each week.
- Membership Kick–Off Event, Membership Drive, End of Year Dinner– Many, Many, Thanks to Jennifer Zettler!
- Safe Futures 4K, Dignity Grows, Learn Decoupage and Do a Mitzvah and Panel Discussion on Book Banning – Thanks to Moira Ross, Social Justice Chair.
- Two successful Mahjongg Tournaments – Thanks to Iris Freeman and Robbin Alpert for making these all-day events happen. Iris also sells Mahjongg cards for the benefit of Sisterhood each year, which adds around 1,500 dollars to our coffers. Also thanks to Iris and Robbin for offering a series of “How To Play” lessons and a twice monthly Mahjongg group at the Temple.
- Judaica Shop Chanukah Fair – Thanks to Anne Cohn
- Trivia Night, Evening at Smith’s Acres,Steel Magnolias at Niantic Playhouse, South Pacific at the Goodspeed, Movie Club, Trip to Audubon Society and Griswold Museum – Barbara Senges, Debra Wool and Merrill Mazzella.
- Assembly and Distribution of Holiday Bags for “Friendly Visitors Program” – Thanks to Eileen Shapiro for organizing and all our members who assisted.
- Designing and Planting Gardens at Safe Futures – Thanks to Cecile Feldman and her crew.
- Sisterhood Service – Thanks to Eileen Shapiro for organizing
Friendly Visitor Program Bags
On Monday, March 18 at 10:00AM, we once again gathered in the Social Hall to assemble Purim bags for the Friendly Visitor Program. On Monday, April 15 we assembled Passover Bags.
Thank you to Eileen Shapiro for helping to coordinate the Friendly Visitor Program along with JFEC. Sisterhood helped to assemble and distribute Chanukah, Purim, Passover & Rosh Hashanah bags to residents in our community who are in nursing homes and independent living facilities.
Trivia Night
We have had some great trivia nights! Our last Trivia Event was on Zoom in January 2024, and was a fun evening! Thanks to Barbara for coming up with great questions! Next up – Riddle Night – scroll back up the page for more information!
MAH JONGG Tournaments
We had a great mah-jongg tournament on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. We had relaxed tables (for newer players and those that may not want to play a full day), as well as 6 round tournament play. Breakfast, lunch and snacks were included along with cash prizes for our high scorers.
In April we made our yearly visit to Smith’s Acres in Niantic. Thank you to Merrill for once again organizing this fun outing. This year we filled an oval planter with herbs and pansies.
In March at the Temple, we learned the art of decoupage while performing an important mitzvah. Alaina Roberge from Alaina’s Arts in Waterford guided us through the decoupage of a vase. We donated these vases, filled with spring flowers to the Friendly Visitor Program for the residents of local care facilities.
On October 18 we again hosted a Mah Jongg Tournament. We had also held a tournament in June, and hosted players from all across the northeast for a fun-filled day of Mahj. Thanks to all who participated and all who helped make these events happen. A special thank you to Iris and Robbin!
The Kick-Off Dinner on October 12, 2024 was a huge success! We had forty-eight women attending and a great time was had by all. Thanks to our Membership Chair, Jennifer Zettler, for planning and implementing this incredible evening. The food was delicious and plentiful. In fact, we had so much left over that we sold “doggy bags” for $18 and we will be donating $225 to help Israel. The twelve women who stayed to play “Bunco” really enjoyed it. Hopefully, later in the year, we can hold a Bunco Night or Afternoon where more of you can participate.
Above: End-of-Year Sisterhood Dinner – May 18, 2023
Planting at Safe Futures!
Smith’s Acres Greenhouse
We made a Succulent Cocktail Glass and enjoyed pizza and wine!
Contact the Sisterhood
Related Pages:
Get Involved
Brotherhood
Social Action News