Sisterhood, Stronger Together: The Women of Washington Hebrew Congregation

BY SEVERAL DEVOTED AND ENTHUSIASTIC BOARD MEMBERS

Established in 1905 by Rabbi Abram Simon’s feisty, forward-looking wife Carrie, who recognized the importance of supporting the congregation’s women as well as the city’s needy, our auxiliary continues as an integral part of WHC and a source of meaningful engagement, friendship and support for its members and the greater community.

While our name has changed over time, we continue as a sisterhood of dedicated, dynamic, compassionate, and creative women of diverse ages, backgrounds, and life experiences: some single, some raising children; some working “9-5,” others retired. Through the years, we’ve enjoyed lifelong learning with our rabbis, museum tours, book and author events, and meetings with notable speakers. We have fun socializing over wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, flower arranging, art projects, mah jongg, and more.
We experience the joys of feeling good while doing good together.

You’ll find us happily swinging from ladders and hoisting heavy pumpkins, while decorating the Temple bimahs for Sukkot. We bond delivering food and cheer through Jewish Social Services Agency’s Meals on Wheels program and preparing food for children and their families at The Children’s Inn at National Institutes of Health. We experience a sense of camaraderie standing shoulder to shoulder in our hair nets, filling meal kits for the Hunger Project. You’ll find us sharing laughter and life stories while sitting around crowded tables, assembling blankets for those experiencing homelessness, and packaging pretty panties for needy preteens and teens. We put together holiday packages for our college students and deliver Shalom baskets to new parents. We’re always open to new volunteer initiatives.
We are accomplished fundraisers.

Through dues and proceeds from our fabulous yearly November Holiday Boutique and Online Auction (planned and operated by a large cadre of dedicated women of diverse ages), we fill important needs at WHC as well as local, national, and international charities.

Torahs and playground equipment are among the high-ticket items we’ve funded for WHC in the past. We support staff training and appreciation initiatives, provide beautiful flowers for the High Holy Days bimah, and present prayer books to b’nei mitzvah students and confirmands, to name just a few examples of our philanthropy within WHC. We also support many charities in the DMV community.
This year, we made significant donations to the Rabbi Susan N. Shankman Clergy Endowment Fund and the WHC Israel Hesed Fund in the wake of the October 7 assault on Israel.

Our award-winning Judaica Shop at the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center, with occasional pop-ups at Temple, rivals any in the area and is a source of gifts for all occasions.

Perhaps of even greater importance to all of the above, is what our members say they’ve gained by joining the WWHC: namely, a genuinely supportive community, camaraderie, friendships, and a new-found sense of purpose and activity during changes in life circumstances.

Please consider joining us. Already a member? Be sure to renew and add your dues to your WHC bill. For more information about joining WWHC or to receive our newsletter, please email Ellen Barth or visit whctemple.org/wwhc.

---