Dear Friend,
As we sat at our Pesach Seder, we relived the Exodus from Egypt. Together, as one nation, over 600,000 men, women, and children, followed Moses out of the Egyptian exile to an unknown future. Miriam, the Prophetess led the women and girls to freedom with tambourines in their hands. They prepared these tambourines in middle of all the pain and suffering in Egypt because they had unwavering faith and foresight to anticipate the miracles of redemption.
When I need strength to stay positive in the face of life’s daily challenges, I think of Miriam and the women in Egypt. They teach me the art of facing challenges with song and dance. It’s one of the strengths of our people -- we can experience hardships and bitterness and, at the same time, we can sing and dance with confidence and faith in a brighter future – because that’s what G-d promised us!
Our sages tell us, "In the merit of the righteous women, we were redeemed from Egypt". We are yearning to leave this dark exile and will once again be redeemed in the merit of the actions and faith of women and girls today.
Jewish Girls Unite cultivates and nurtures our Jewish daughters to become these future women, mothers and leaders, who will bring us to redemption.
On the 10th of Nissan, the Yahrzeit of Miriam, we celebrated Miriam’s legacy with women and girls from around the world. At our JGU monthly virtual celebration, we formed the first annual virtual dance circle and shared Miriam's inspiration to give us the strength to lead our nation to redemption.
Here are some of the timeless lessons Miriam has taught us:
"Miriam inspires me to be thankful for everything even in hard times." - Esther, JGU member
“Miriam inspires me to dance through life. She faced so many difficulties in Egypt, and it’s amazing that the first thing she did when she crossed the sea was dance! We show the highest level of trust in Hashem, when no matter what happens to us in life, we sing and dance.” - Shira Nessenoff, dance teacher at JGR 2013, founder of Shira Dance Studio.
"Miriam gives me strength even when times are hard and motivates me to prepare for the Redemption." - Chen, JGU member
“Miriam and all women like her are special because they had the willingness to believe in something that you can't see. They were all risk takers for leaving their home, comfortable beds and for following Moses without knowing what the future held." - Mrs. Dennis, JGU Mom
"Miriam encourages me to keep on smiling even when I feel sad, something good may be just around the corner." - Emmy, JGU member
"Miriam inspires me to say what I think even if no one else said it first." - Rina, JGU member
"Miriam gives me the courage and strength to be proud of my Jewish beliefs. At first I was nervous to reveal my Jewish identity in my new non-Jewish school, and when I did, they thought it was really cool." - Helena, JGU member
"Miriam inspires me to keep on dancing even when things look bleak and things are tough, to continue being strong and to not let my "Egypt" get the better of me!" - Rivka, JGU member
"Miriam motivates me to be proud of my Jewish self and to be loud and proud!" -- Sarah D, JGU member
"Miriam shows us that we can respond with grace and peace in spite of difficulties. It is in the overcoming of obstacles that we renew our faith and thank G-d for what we do have." - Susan Axelrod, JGU strategic consultant
"Miriam inspires me because she had clarity of vision to follow the path to fulfill her G-d given vision. She was not distracted by the noise of life. She gives me the strength to hear the music in all of the noise in my life." - Hollie Parker, JGR Mom & JGU Committee member
"Miriam inspires me to look past challenges and focus on a bright future, a final goal." - Leah Caras, JGU Webmaster & Graphic designer
Women & Girls, it's in our hands!
Today, you have the opportunity to become a Miriam in our times. You can hold our hands and join "Miriam's Circle", the dance of supporting our Jewish daughters who will bring unity, peace and redemption to our world.
Will you please dance with us and join "Miriam’s Circle", (a monthly giving circle), to sustain and grow JGU for only $18 per month? CLICK HERE to join.
As a THANK YOU for joining "Miriam's Circle", you will be able to access and utilize a 14 page JGU curriculum (Written by Nechama and designed by Leah Caras) called “Miriam’s Song & Dance”. Through interactive games, discussions and activities, you can create your own “Miriam’s Circle” with women and girls to commemorate Miriam's song at the sea this Pesach.
Let’s keep our faith strong, think positive, be joyous despite the challenges we face and we will bring the redemption with Miriam and all of our daughters leading the way.
With blessings and much thanks,
Nechama Laber and the JGU Family
P.S. Please visit our beautiful new interactive website and online community at www.jewishgirlsunite.com and sign up as a member. Your email will not be shared.
The painting above was given to me by the talented artist, Ron Sohn.
