Agenda:

• Welcome from WJA President
• Welcome by Rabbi Dena Bodian
• Report from current students regarding Jewish life on campus
• PANEL Discussion: Working in the Jewish Professional World
  • hosted by Debra Goldstein. Panelists: Heather Miller, Carole Balin, Miriam Berkowitz Blue
• PANEL Discussion: Jewish Life After Wellesley 
  • hosted by Ashira Greene. Panelists: Amanda Braun, Maya Dolgin, and Heather Ellenson
• Q&A/ Open Discussion

 

Summary:

The first virtual reunion of Wellesley Jewish Alumnae was a success. On Sunday, June 7, 2020, a group of more than 65 alumae gathered online, encompassing alumnae from the classes of 1960 through 2020, as well as a few current students.

Rabbi Dena Bodian shared developments related to Jewish life on campus, with a newly kitted out kosher kitchen and gathering space in Billings now accessible via elevator; and current students shared their experiences about being Jewish at Wellesley today. Many alums enquired about the campus environment related to rhetoric about Israel, and were reassured by current students that the BDS movement has not taken root at Wellesley. This evolved into a discussion of memories of Jewish representation at Wellesley over time. 

The virtual reunion also featured panels on Working in the Jewish Professional World and Jewish Life After Wellesley, moderated by Debra Goldstein [Rabbi/graduation year?] and Dr. Ashira Beutler-Greene '07. In these panels, Rabbis Carole Balin and Heather Miller '01, Miriam Berkowitz Blue '01, Hannah Ellenson '08, Maya Dolgin '10, and Amanda Braun '12 described how Wellesley prepared them for their personal and professional paths. For some of the panelists, Wellesley was their first time in a secular environment, and this also provided an opportunity for attendees to describe inroads made during their time as students, whether addressing religiously-oriented questions from peers or explaining the reasoning behind the culinary options at Pomeroy.

WJA President, Leah Kaplan '02, invited all alumnae to participate with WJA by sharing ideas, joining the board, or committees.  If you would like to get involved in WJA, feel free to reach out to WJAMembership@alum.wellesley.edu
 

A video recording of the full meeting can be found above.

There is also an audio-only version of the meeting available. 

There was a very interesting discussion taking place in the Zoom chat, and the transcript is here.

Here are panelists invitations to learn about their current work and follow up with them.