SE DISTRICT KALLAH 2024: "Roughing It" at Camp Coleman!

For one glorious weekend in October, over 60 women from Southeast District WRJ walked the hills of North Georgia, talking and singing and praying and laughing together in sisterhood! We came from all over the district - Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama. And our special guest, WRJ North America CEO Rabbi Liz PG Hirsch, traveled down from Cincinnati to be with us, as well. What a special time was in store for us all!

Sherry Schwimmer set the tone from the start with a bit of mindful chair yoga. That was followed by a very brief District Board meeting with Faith and Amy. Then we scattered to our rooms to prepare for Shabbat.

You have never experienced anything that equals the serenity of Shabbat spent gazing at the dazzling fall colors of the trees reflected in the lake at sundown. There is NO more perfect setting for reflecting on the glory of God and the love of each other. Lori Corley's service was perfect for the mood, especially as it highlighted the voices of Lori and Lauren Alexander. In her d'var Torah, Blair Marks challenged us "l'av'da ul'shom'ra" - to work and to care for - the land and resources God has given us here on earth; and we talked about ways to conserve and recycle and repurpose. We ended the service feeling refreshed and renewed, as one should feel on Shabbat.

The Friday evening time was spent quietly - or as quietly as multiple tables of women chattering as they played mah jongg and Rummikub and other games can be, anyway. Then it was off to bed so we could get an early start on the day.

Saturday morning was cool and, again, beautiful. Following breakfast, Denise Jacobs and Donna Binn took the group through an interactive Torah study focused on discovering our creative side, complete with a craft project. Then it was back to the lakeside chapel for another moving service written and led by Lori - that included FIVE women being called to the Torah as b'not mitzvah! Warmest mazal tov to Gayle Geagan, Cas Lisko, Janet Paul, Ellen Potter and Kristen Sostrom! Rabbi Liz served as officiant during the Torah service, assisted by gabbai-in-residence Addie Schneider. Incredibly inspiring!

After lunch many of the women, who had not been to Camp Coleman before, took a tour of the facilities; those of us who know Coleman were equally impressed with the new buildings and activity areas that have been added recently. Then Diane Porat presented our service project for the weekend, which included the collection of pajamas and toiletries for women's shelters in the area. Rabbi Liz finished our afternoon with table discussions about our most vivid holiday memories - a great way to go deeper with women we might not yet know well.

Our havdalah ceremony on the large porch outside the dining hall was abruptly shortened by the arrival of unexpected rain. (Would that cancel the after-dinner s'mores by the campfire, we worried??! Never fear...just a slight cancellation!) Then it was time to PAR-TAY!!

We were whisked back to the days of DISCO with DJ Nan Cohen and all her '70's hits! There was dancing and singing along to the music and even a costume contest! Check out the photos in Andi Parker's collages here and in the e-newsletter. Can you recognize Sonny and Cher?! 

Sunday seemed, in many ways, like it came too quickly. A YES Fund breakfast brought a flurry of donations and pledges, as always happens in our District. Rabbi Liz updated us on happenings and plans on the WRJ North America level. She especially enthused about the Social Justice Conference that will take place in Washington, DC, at the start of April and encouraged all of us to attend, if possible. Our "Committee on Thanks," represented by Amanda Hamilton, gave their usual tongue-in-cheek summaries of the weekend's highlights, bringing laughs and smiles as always. There was a flurry of one-word descriptions of feelings and take-aways...and then it was time to climb aboard the golf carts one last time to return to our rooms to collect our belongings and prepare to head home.

What a weekend! Never will there be another to compare to it!