We Move Mountains, Thanks to You

Posted on Nov 23, 2020

Shalom,

My husband was a rabbinical student at The Jewish Theological Seminary in the 1970’s. While he was in school, I made my yearly donation to Torah Fund of $18 or $36. He was ordained in 1978 and was debt-free. I wanted to ensure that future rabbinical students would have a similar opportunity, and made my first pin-level donation to Torah Fund. That is the beginning of my Torah Fund story.

Today, I am in awe of the creativity of the graduates of our Conservative/Masorti seminaries. They used their knowledge of ancient and modern Jewish texts. They connected our communities using technology. We are praying and learning with our friends, our families and fellow congregants. My friends from across North America are enthusiastic describing High Holiday services. Singers recorded themselves at home and choirs sang at services. Youth services were conducted in one Zoom room while the adults prayed in a different Zoom room. Rabbis and cantors livestreamed from empty sanctuaries. They hosted Webinars and Zoom. They created spiritual and meaningful services for us. I heard about drive-through, drive-by, socially-distanced/masked live Sukkot and Simchat Torah activities and services.

I also am in awe of the Region Torah Fund Vice Presidents and Sisterhood Torah Fund Chairs. They are the leaders of the grassroots Torah Fund B’Yachad Campaign. They communicated creatively with their members. They have designed ingenious virtual Torah Fund events. They shared written and oral stories of our seminary students and graduates. Those stories have compelled us to give generously to Torah Fund. They continue to keep us informed of changes and updates to the Torah Fund Campaign. Thank you for your leadership.

B’Yachad, together, we continue our Torah Fund stories. Thank you for your donations. Thank you for supporting the students of The Jewish Theological Seminary, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano, and Zacharias Frankel College as they pursue their studies and dreams.