Temple Israel’s Gift Shop, operated by Women of Reform Judaism, is available online to make your shopping experience more convenient. In addition, the online Judaica store carries thousands of the finest Judaica available from the best artists in the United States, Israel, and the rest of the world, according to Judaica Beautiful, an online fundraising webstore with which Temple Israel is planning to affiliate.  Shop from home whenever it is convenient for you – 24/7/365!

Visit with Rose Blumkin Residents

Fridays, 1:30 - 3 p.m.

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, 323 S 132nd Street
Temple Israel’s Caring Committee makes weekly visits to our congregants at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Our visits are a community effort, and you will be joined by an experienced volunteer as we visit 30-35 residents each week. Please join us, we are looking for volunteers. If you are able to volunteer, please contact Program Director Wendy Goldberg, 402-556-6536 or wgoldberg@templeisraelomaha.com. 

E-Cards
WRJ
WRJ Resolutions
YES Fund

Temple Israel’s sisterhood, the Women of Reform Judaism, Omaha chapter, has been a significant source of leadership, support and spirit for the congregation since its founding in 1886.  With over 285 members, it continues to be a vibrant facet of the Temple Israel community.

Women of all ages come together to:

• involve young families in the life of the congregation by hosting Tot Shabbat
• learn about sacred Jewish texts, Jewish books, Jewish cooking and more
• reach out to our college kids with High Holy Day and Passover care packages
• make congregational life more fun with Pancake Man breakfasts and holiday craft projects
• provide camperships for Jewish summer campers
• build friendships over lunch, meetings and a good game of poker

WRJ is part of the national organization of Women of Reform Judaism with lobbying power that works to protect the rights of women and Jews, and lends support of Israel.  Your dues of $40 per year, provides financial support to all of WRJ projects.  We also have donor levels of membership:

• $40 - WRJ Member
• $50 - Leah
• $75 - Rachel
• $100 - Rebecca
• $100+ - Sarah

WRJ welcomes new members at any time.  Please contact WRJ President Mimi Silverman to get involved.  

The Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) Fund promotes fellowship among women and supports Temple Israel’s actitivities that enrich our connections to each other, to the broader community and to Judaism. The proceeds will benefit the new WRJ Fund and a portion of the proceeds is devoted to the national WRJ Youth, Education and Special Service (YES) Fund that aids eligible students enrolled at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, development of the WRJ programs, and youth activities of the Union of Reform Judaism.  Formerly called uniongrams, the newly designed WRJ tribute cards will give congregants an opportunity to add their names to congregational holiday greetings to the clergy as well as mazel tov to others who are celebrating special occasions in their lives such as B’nai Mitzvah, weddings, engagements and births.  Tribute Cards cost $3 each.  Please contact Administrative Assistant Lachisha Sherrod for more information.

Temple Israel’s Gift Shop, operated by Women of Reform Judaism, is available online to make your shopping experience more convenient. In addition, the online Judaica store carries thousands of the finest Judaica available from the best artists in the United States, Israel, and the rest of the world, according to Judaica Beautiful, an online fundraising webstore with which Temple Israel is planning to affiliate.  Shop from home whenever it is convenient for you – 24/7/365!

Click here to submit a form for the WRJ Cook Book.

At the top of the web page in the middle is a Login button. Click it.
You will be asked to login, fill in the following information:

     Contributor:  (type your name)
     Group Login:  wrjcookbook
     Password:  WRJ

From Jews, Food and Contemporary Issues

"Blessed are You
Creator of the world
Who brings forth fruit from the Earth.

Blessed are You,
Who gives us knowledge of cooking, and time to cook
And who has blessed us with the need for nourishment
so that we can fully understand Your gifts.

May it be Your will
That the food that I cook
Bring nourishment, fulfillment, and happiness
to those who eat it
And bring honor to the land and all the people that make this meal possible

Jewish tradition loves to bless food.  We bless bread, we bless wine - we bless snacks as well as meals.  We have different blessings for fruit grown on trees vs. fruit grown in the ground and, remarkably, when we're done eating and feeling satisfied, we bless again!  But for some reason, despite all this food blessing, there is no Jewish blessing for cooking.

How odd. The act of standing in a kitchen - coaxing raw ingredients into a nourishing meal through heat, patience and wisdom, seems pretty holy.  The mere fact that the ingredients are there to cook is, in itself, no small miracle!  So a couple of years ago, Jews, food, and contemporary life, we wrote a cooking bracha.  It's a blessing to be said just before: before turning the stove on under a pot of water, before dipping one's hands into the flour, before the flurry of activity that, God willing, will create a delicious meal worthy of its own blessing.

Download recipes from Temple Israel congregants.