Kol Isha, the Women’s Voice of Shaarei Kodesh

Please join us on May 15, 2012, at 7:30 pm for our final meeting of the year at the home of Ellen Jadd. RSVP EJBJ32@aol.com or 716.510.7670

Mizner Country C lub

16081 Brier Creek Drive

Delray Beach, FL 33446

Our sisterhood is known as Kol Isha, the Women’s Voice of CSK. As a sisterhood, we are a nucleus of women who can secure the destiny of our future for us and our children. our membership spans a wide range of interests, ages and backgrounds, but the common bond of keeping Judaism strong for future generations and supporting our synagogue and Religious school ties us together. Join us as we plan, enjoy, and support programs,services and events throughout the year at Congregation Shaarei Kodesh.

Please download and print the below enrollment form to join.

July 2011 registration and membership letter

We hope you enjoy the following poem which was written and delivered by one of our newest members, Carol Raphan, at our Kol Isha Shabbat on January 28, 2012:

In the Bible, as in life
A woman is known as someone’s wife
Or someone’s daughter, or someone’s mother
Not as important as the father or the brother,
This really is not new
But to another point of view
We can listen and we can learn
And a place of honor these women’s lives can earn.
For they made decisions, they made choices
Above the masses we heard their voices
They were wise or they were brave
They could ruin or they could save
An entire city from attack and plunder
And how is it true, I often wonder
That their stories are not more familiar, known to all by heart
For in our people’s history, they played a major part.

Sarah, for example, one of the four most beautiful on earth
Only really wanted to one day finally give birth
She was so very lovely—her beauty was so great
That to hide her from Egyptians, Abraham put her in a crate.
But, alas, she was found and the guards took her to their king
But, Pharoah had a dream, and found it a strange thing
G-d told him she was another’s wife and this was a bad situation
So she was sent back to Abraham to help mother a great nation.
She wanted a baby badly, so in order to be a mother
She suggested Abraham, her husband, consort with another.
She had many a row with Hagar, they both spoke with spite.
It was so very long ago, who knows who was really right.
But she was kind to Ishmael, she treated him as her own
She was still to bear a son, the three men made it known.
So Hagar and Ishmael were soon sent on their way
And that is why the situation is the way it is today.

Sarah raised Isaac, he was her pride and joy.
She always enjoyed parenting and took delight in her little boy.
Then Isaac married Rebekah and the twins then came along
Jacob followed Esau, but from the start it was all wrong.
Jacob stole Esau’s birthright right out from under his nose
And then went on to further deceive, that’s how the story goes.
But he could not have committed this deceit upon his brother
Without the enormous help of Rebekah, who was his mother
She favored Jacob enormously, she could not help her heart
Esau was the earthy hunter, Jacob was sensitive and smart.
She engineered the deception—she did what she thought was right
It wasn’t really hard to do, Isaac had lost most of his sight.
She fashioned garments for Jacob, and cooked that hearty stew
And said, “Go now, Jacob, receive the blessing that should have been for you.”
Esau was quite angry, as you can imagine he might be
He cried, “I’ll kill my brother, Jacob, for what he’s done to me.”
Rebekah heard that promise and hurried to Jacob’s side
“Your brother will surely murder you—to Haran you must go and hide.”
So Jacob listened to his mother, but never saw her again in his life
And went to his Uncle Laban to work and find a wife.

Enter upon the scene two sisters who became true matriarchs
When Jacob saw Rachel, he felt those love-provoked sparks.
Her beauty intrigued him, he wanted her to be near.
But Laban said,”Jacob, that’s not how we do it here.”

Jacob believed that Rachel was to become his bride
But when he awoke, Leah was by his side!
For seven more years he had to toil to make Rachel his lovely wife
But also having Leah, complicated Jacob’s life.
The sisters vied for his affection by producing son after son
Then after Benjamin their child-producing days were done.
They, along with their maids created Jacob’s mighty crew
And from these twelve sons, the Hebrew nation grew.

There are so many other women whose stories I could tell
Like Miriam, Moses’ sister, and her legendary well
Michal’s devotion to David  did never waiver or fail
Even when he married the widow Abigail
Or how a wife’s job was to act as a protector or a buffer
Like putting up with Job’s mishegas and how he liked to suffer.
Or of Naomi and of Ruth and the story that they weave
Ruth’s loyalty to her mother-in-law is incredible to believe
But Ruth stuck with Naomi and then found a brand-new mate
And was the forebearer of a man we regard as great.
King David was her great-grandson, she may have had a few
But, still, David’s great-grandma was not born a Jew!
And let’s not forget Esther., though she assimilated into palace life
When things got bad for Persian Jews, she used her spot as  royal wife
To foil Haman’s plans and help Mordecai rise to the top
Just showing, once again, a Jewish woman’s hard to stop!
We see this in our history as well as in our daily lives
Women are not only mothers, sisters, or men’s  wives.
We can do anything we want, but most important,  make a Jewish home
I’m proud to be among the great—L’Chaim… Shabbat Shalom.

Carol Raphan