This month's Family Feature Highlight is Ruth Siegel, who is this year's Woman of Valor!
How long have you been a member of the CBI Sisterhood community?
Sisterhood 16 years+, since [my daughter] Adina was just a kid!
What do you cherish most about being a member of the Sisterhood?
Organizing is my hobby and with Sisterhood, I can do that and make friends and support my community. I realized one Rosh Hashanah after being involved in Sisterhood for a while that all these people were greeting me, that I had become part of the community. Having moved to Austin knowing no one, that felt pretty great.
What's one thing you wish more people knew about our community?
That you don't need to be a member to participate or help. You might just do the one thing or get involved more and decide to financially support this great institution.
Are there any projects or initiatives you're particularly passionate about within the Sisterhood?
I've worked on many aspects of Sisterhood. As I said, I like organizing, and I'm good at it, so it gives me a great sense of accomplishment to make things happen for Sisterhood and CBI. And its fun to work and schmooze with wonderful women. With hamantaschen, I helped realize Nancy Stewart's great notion to do baking with the Sunday School kids. I had fun organizing and helping our chef, Susan Kerman, on our now retired monthly Shabbat dinners. I also loved adding to the momentousness of bar/bat mitzvahs for families by organizing the Sisterhood kick off luncheon. We had incredibly successful Sisterhood garage sales that still gave such a deal to buyers. As a worker and as an organizer, it was a joy to make finds when sorting with others (and setting aside items to buy!). I will always remember the appreciative remarks for my mother's fabulous china that I used for my Chai Tea table. Now, I have returned to organizing internet café, which is a great way to have a limited commitment yet getting to meet folks. Recently, I had a great time talking to a discovered fellow St. Louisan. Through much of this, I was on the Sisterhood board where I could put in my two cents about the direction of Sisterhood. All this culminated in the joy and challenges of being Sisterhood president a few years ago.
How do you envision the future of the CBI Sisterhood?
Post-Covid there is the opportunity to create new celebrations of our community and to fundraise for our CBI community. I have mentioned activity ideas I have to Sisterhood board members. And knowing it takes people to make things happen, I offer my willingness to help. I encourage everyone to shape Sisterhood's future with your ideas.
What advice would you give to someone considering joining the Sisterhood?
Do it today! When the kids are young, or if you are a single woman working too much, or you are isolated, its a great treat to have a built in network of women ready to be compassionate and supportive. And a bonus of my participation over time is that my only child knows that a synagogue can be a home for her in her life.
Could you tell us about the women (or individuals) who have significantly influenced your life and explain their impact?
My hero since I did a report on her in third grade is Harriet Tubman. She is known for her heroics guiding slaves on the Underground Railroad. What fewer people know is that in later life she was always helping former slaves despite her modest circumstances. She did not rest on her laurels but lived for tikkun olam.
Bonus: Two comedy movies: "Crossing Delancy" with Amy Irving, is a story about a nice, single, Jewish girl getting set up by a matchmaker. The backdrop is a celebration of the diversity of New York City, set to the music of the female trio, The Roches (buy on Amazon). And "The Dunera Boys", with Bob Hoskins, based on the real story of a London cockney worker caught up in the deportation of Jewish WWII Austrian refugees to the Australian outback (free on youtube).
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