We have come to the end of March which has been officially designated as Women’s History Month. You can’t write about women’s history at CBI without referring to our amazing Sisterhood. CBI Sisterhood has been a vibrant organization for the women at CBI offering educational, social, and service opportunities.
Every year Sisterhood hosts two widely attended catered dinners for our members — Kickoff (previously known as Paid Up Membership Dinner) in the fall, and Installation in the spring, where we welcome our new officers and board members and honor our retiring officers and board members.
The highlight of the Sisterhood Year is always Sisterhood Shabbat. Services, held on both Friday night and Saturday morning, are led by Sisterhood members. Almost everyone participates in this beloved event from reading Torah and leading prayers to helping in the kitchen for the very special congregational Oneg and Kiddush, which are part of the weekend.
Among the educational offerings are Rosh Chodesh dinners and two “Bookends” book club presentations each year. There are programs held both at CBI and on Zoom.
Social activities include Knit & Knosh (and other crafts) get-togethers, game and Mah Jongg evenings, and cooking classes.
Sisterhood provides for flowers to adorn the sanctuary on Shabbats and holidays. We also assist B’nai Mitzvot families in obtaining flowers, kippot, and making Oneg and Kiddush arrangements. Funds for Sisterhood are generated by these activities as well as by the annual Rosh Hashana Honey Sale and the Sisterhood Gift Shop.
Sisterhood plays a part in many CBI events such as hosting a Sukkot lunch and participating in the annual Summer Barbeque. Sisterhood presents an annual prize to a Blanche Bayer Religious School (BBRS) graduating student. Sisterhood members also provide help and assistance as needed through the CBI Caring Committee.
CBI Sisterhood is a long-standing synagogue institution that was recently honored for 80 years of membership in the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. We contribute both as a group and as individual members to Women’s League as well as Torah Fund, which supports the worldwide Conservative/Masorti institutes of higher Jewish learning.
For the last two years, I have proudly served as the President of CBI Sisterhood.
Susan Stern
Sisterhood President
