WBHC Activities

For more information contact the vice president of community and congregation, Lisa Jablon, lisajablon@comcast.net.

Community Participation

1. Weekend Backpacks for Homeless Kids. Inc. provides nutritious food to homeless children for weekends and days when schools are closed.  Along with a generous donation WBHC encourages members to volunteer to fill backpacks and/or deliver them to local schools on Thursdays.  For more information, contact Carole Wilder, wildwomen6@verizon.net.
2. Collecting Diapers and new/clean baby items for shelters.  Please leave all items in the vestibule of the EB Hirsh Early Childhood Center for WBHC to deliver them to local shelters. For more information, contact Susan Cohen, suzpt45@gmail.com.
3. Social Justice Issues especially those with impact on women, children, families and the Jewish community are monitored and acted upon when needed.
4. Gifts Cards to those in need are bought and collected to distribute to local shelters to allow women and families to purchase needed items/food.
5. Service to the Congregation
   1. Maintenance of the BHC Kitchen continues to be a WBHC responsibility to purchase needed supplies and equipment, as needed.
   2. Special projects needed by BHC
      1. have often been funded by WBHC since our founding.  More recently WBHC has provided funds for:
      2. climatization of the Ark
      3. building of the Quiet Room in the sanctuary
      4. construction of the handicap ramp outside the Adalman Lobby
      5. replacement and refurbishment of the offices and equipment and the Judaica Shop and its lobby and equipment.
      6. Cradle Roll begun in 1926, registers all newborn babies of the congregation and sends each family a prayer and message from the Rabbi.  Record books are kept in the archives. For more information, contact Ann Fishkin, annfishkin5@gmail.com.
      7. Reading to Children of the E.B. Hirsh Early Childhood Center is a new project for member participation once a week. For more information, contact Karan Engerman: karansander@comcast.net.
      8. Sukkah Decorating at Baltimore Hebrew is an annual project.  If you are interested in helping between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, contact Marcia Rosenblatt, twinmar@gmail.com.
      9. Grandparents: Schmooze and Share: Formerly Grandparents and Beyond, helps grandparents pass the love of Judaism to the younger generation , providing topics of interest that allows for interactive participation and learning from each other.  The group meets each month on the third Thursday evening at 7:30 on zoom.  If you are interested in joining the group, contact Gail Dezube gail.dezaube@gmail.com.
      10. Library revitalization will be the responsibility of WBHC to reorganize the BHC library, keeping books with Judaic content and disposing of other books. If you are interested in helping contact: womenofbhc@gmail.com.
      11. B’Nai Mitzvot Gifts of candle sticks and a kiddish cups are presented in partnership with The BHC Brotherhood to each young person who becomes a Bat or Bar Mitzvah at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation.
      12. Annual Contributions to BHC Educational Progams are given to the EB Hirsh Early Childhood Center, Religious School, Youth Programs and the Library as needed or requested.
      13. Scholarships for NFTY are available to those young people who apply to attend programs of the North American Federations of Temple Youth (NFTY).
      14. Support of WRJ: A portion of each person’s annual WBHC dues are sent to WRJ to maintain our membership, to receive resources, assistance, guidance and leadership training, to help perpetuate Reform/Progressive Judaism worldwide and to be our collective voice on national and international issues of concern.
      15. Contributions are given annually to Jewish and community organizations that the Board of Directors deems appropriate.  Such organizations have included: CHANA, Hillel Foundation, Institute for Islam, Christian and Jewish Studies (ICJS), Israeli Religious Action Center (IRAC), Jewish Museum of Maryland, Mazon, Planned Parenthood, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Women of the Wall, and others.

 Fundraising

1. Holiday Boutique
   is the annual fall fundraising event that offers products and services from vendors to be sold, a silent auction and a cafe. For more information, contact Barbara Sindler, bsindler46@gmail.com .
2. Shredding Event
   offers people the opportunity to dispose of unwanted papers by bringing them to the BHC parking for shredding for a small fee on a designated day. For more information, contact, Maria Gampel, mathmjg@gmail.com.
3. Donor Non-Event
   annually requests people, especially women of the BHC, to give a generous financial gift to WBHC to further support our many activities and projects of WBHC. For more information, contact, Suzanne Crone, dwcrone3@comcast.net.
4. Game Night
   is a fun evening to bring your friends to play your favorite games, have refreshments, enjoy each other and support WBHC.

Supporting WRJ

1. Uniongrams for the WRJ YES Fund (Youth, Education and Special Projects)
   are sold to purchase cards for congratulations to individual congregants for special occasions. The money collected contributes to the YES Fund (Youth, Education and Special projects Fund) of Women of Reform Judaism that supports such programs and projects as rabbinic scholarships both for Hebrew Union College and for overseas students, overseas rabbinic seminaries, Religious Action Center, North American Federation of Temple Youth, Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa, Israel, Israel Religious Action Center and special grants for Jewish diversity, equity and inclusion and more.
2. WRJ Greeting Cards can be purchased in the Judaica Shop and proceeds benefit the WRJ YES (Youth, Education and Special projects) Fund.
3. WRJ Lifeline Endowment Fund is the venue for individuals to personally support the WRJ YES Fund.  For more information, contact Shari Schulner at the WRJ office: sschulner@wrj.org or call 212-650-4072.