| WELCOME TO KKBE SISTERHOOD |
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| SISTERHOOD CHADASHOTE March 16, 2025 16 Adar, 5785 ט״ז בַּאֲדָר תשפ״ה |
Your Sisterhood Board is working for you!
 Sisterhood’s Co-Presidents Marilyn Geiger & Sheila Winett | With the arrival of longer days and the return of blooming flowers, spring is unmistakably here. Along with the season’s beauty comes the familiar presence of pollen and humidity, but there’s much more to look forward to! One of the highlights of spring is Sisterhood’s annual Women’s Seder on April 2nd. Registration is now open for this special evening filled with music, dance, and togetherness. Our menu will feature a Ukrainian theme, and Klezmer music will transport us back to our roots in Eastern Europe. Rabbi Alexander will lead the service. It’s always an uplifting evening, and we hope you’ll join us. This event is professionally catered, so registration closes on March 28th without exception, and payment must be made in advance--no payment can be made at the door. Thank you for your understanding. Mark your calendars for two more events:
As Passover approaches, let Chosen Treasures help you set a beautiful table. Visit our gift shop for a thoughtfully curated selection of elegant and meaningful items. Can’t visit in person? Call us at 843-723-7324 for a personalized virtual shopping experience. We look forward to celebrating this vibrant season with you! Love, Marilyn & Sheila |
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PROGRAMMING NEWS
The Havdalah event with Brotherhood, which was held in January, was a huge success. Entertainment was provided by a jazz quartet and the potluck dishes were enjoyed by all. Thanks to Rabbi Rosen for leading us in prayer. There was a general consensus to repeat this program next year. We held our YES event with Cantor Lisa Levine, on February 2nd, along with Bates O'Neal, Koleinu Katan and Koleinu. It was a great concert and Cantor Lisa had us all standing and singing for two hours of ruach. On March 2nd, we held an author event with Tamar Meyers who spoke about being raised in the Belgian Congo by a headhunter tribe. She was sixteen years old when she came to the states and converted to Judaism at the age of eighteen. It was fascinating to learn about her journey. Our next program is our Women's Seder on April 2nd. There will be a catered dinner featuring Ukrainian food with live Klezmer music. The Seder will be officiated by Rabbi Alexander. Please come join in celebrating this special Seder with your Sisters. Future events include our Sisterhood Shabbat in May and our closing annual meeting and new board installation in June. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Jacki Stevens at programs@kkbesisterhood.org |
Co-Vice Presidents Programming Jacki Stevens |
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Vice President Membership Sharon Alexander | KKBE Sisterhood has sponsored many wonderful activities so far this year, and there are more to come! We hope that you will join us at the Annual Women’s Seder on April 2nd. It will be a wonderful event – praying, singing and enjoying the company of your fellow KKBE Sisterhood members. Please come and bring a friend. We are always excited to welcome new members to Sisterhood. Currently, we are 214 members strong! Please contact me if you know anyone who may be interested in joining our Sisterhood. New KKBE members are offered complimentary Sisterhood membership through the end of the fiscal year they join. That will be June 30, 2025 this year. You can contact me at: membership@kkbesisterhood.org. If you need assistance with payment, please contact Sherrie Feinstein, Sisterhood Treasurer, at sisterhoodtreas@gmail.com. |
VP Chosen Treasures Margie Grossman Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JudaicaShopping/ CHOSEN TREASURES GIFT SHOP Business hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10:00 am - 3:30 pm Sunday 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm Sisterhood members receive a 10% discount on items over $10 (exclusive of books & kosher scrolls and a small number of other items.) Are you ready for Passover and your Seder? Chosen Treasures Gift Shop is! The gift shop has an extensive selection of Seder plates, matzah plates, matzah covers, Haggadahs, Elijah’s cups, children’s Passover gifts and much more! Come see the new Passover merchandise and giftware. In addition, we recently received a large selection of beautiful Michael Aram Judaica merchandise. We will let you know as soon as the 2025 MahJong cards arrive at the gift shop and are available for purchase.
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Chosen Treasures Margie Grossman |
Vice PresidentHISTORICAL NEWS
Sisterhood Historian Lois Sugarman | In Sickness and in Health I was struck by a storyline I saw on a TV show recently, in which a character observes the agony of patients dependent on medical devices. Believing that these ill individuals need to be saved, he puts them out of their misery. Although this storyline might be dismissed as shocking and silly, it did get to me to think about how differently Judaism treats the topics of illness. After turning off the TV, I found some particularly perceptive articles on the Jewish approach to sickness and health. These pieces were published on Interfaithfamily.com in 2009, and they were written by Marielle James and Rabbi Daniel Isaacson. James and Isaacson write that the Jewish tradition does not view illness as a form of divine retribution or a consequence of sin. Illness is something we cannot relate to an individual’s moral scoresheet. Instead, Judaism views illness as part of a natural order that God sets into motion but doesn’t control. Some of the most moving prayers in the Jewish liturgy are prayers for healing. Perhaps the most well-known is the spontaneous cry of Moses for his sister Miriam— “El Na Refah Na Lah”—translated as “please God, heal her.” Other prayers for healing include Psalms 6, 30, 41, 88, and 103, and of course, the Mi Shebeirach. By singing and reciting these prayers, we are not asking for a miracle cure. Rather, as James and Isaacson note, the prayers are expressions of hope for whatever form healing may take. This statement from the authors echoes one thought that is very close to my heart. I believe that we are acting as God’s agents in this world, and it is our responsibility to join God in the act of healing. As Sisterhood members, we must visit the sick and pray for healing. When we visit the sick, we take away a small part of their illness, and when we pray for healing, we hope a person’s journey to wellness will soon be complete. |
COMMUNICATIONS NEWS
Vice President Communications Susan Lipsey | In Hebrew, the month of Adar is related to the word “adir,” which denotes strength and power. The Talmud says. “When Adar enters, joy increases.” Purim is celebrated on the 14th of the month which should all bring us much joy as we remember when Mordechai and Esther triumphed over the wicked Haman. The spirit of Purim permeates the entire month, making it a time of unparalleled rejoicing and good mazal (fortune). We are told to give gifts of money to at least two poor people and gifts of two kinds of food to at least one person. What a mitzvah to help those in need. When we meet each other on this joyous holiday of Purim, let's remember to greet each other with wishes of “Happy Purim.” As always, if you need assistance with navigating our website, registering for an event or anything at all, please contact me at: communications@kkbesisterhood.org |
Please consider donating to one of our Sisterhood funds: The Mildred Bernstein Kitchen Fund and the Marian Birlant Slotin Bereavement Fund. When you click on the “Donate” link on our website, you can read about the origins of each of our funds and the wonderful women whose lives inspired their creation. Scroll down the page to make your donation to the fund of your choice.
You can also donate by mailing a check to KKBE, Attn: Sherrie Feinstein, Sisterhood Treasurer, 90 Hasell St, Charleston, SC 29401 Please include which fund you are donating on the check.
Women of Reform Judaism SE District has it going on! CLICK HERE to read about what other Sisterhoods in our region are doing.