The Northern California branch of the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism marks its annual spring conference this week with multiple anniversaries and at least one communal worry.
As Israel turns 50, local Women’s Leaguers, representing the sisterhoods of eight area congregations, will be celebrating their 51st year. The national organization — a network of chapters across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Cuba — at the same time is turning 80.
But while the lineup of birthdays this year calls for self-congratulations all around, the league also hits a less popular benchmark — record-low membership.
National rosters appear to have bottomed out at 150,000 from a peak of 200,000, according to league leaders. California Leaguers say they are feeling the slow decline more than other regions of the country.
Elinor DeKoven of San Leandro attributes waning membership here to the rapid rate of assimilation in the West. “It’s not going from generation to generation as it used to,” she said. “For the Jews who came to California, it was more important to lose their identity and leave [affiliation] behind.”
Said longtime member Leona Goldberg of Walnut Creek, “We used to get big crowds, but it has dwindled. Women didn’t work in those days. Now, it’s hard for them to get away” from the obligations of career and family.
DeKoven added that she’s ready for fresh blood to take over — “I’ve been president of my temple. I’ve been president of Women’s League. I’m also involved with ORT and Hadassah. And I’m tired.
“It’s someone else’s turn” to lead.
But few young women are rushing to take over the synagogue fund-raising or shul-shop operations. And as aging congregations disappear, the possibility of attracting past or unaffiliated members is even slimmer.
Those statistics do not bode well for the overall health of congregations, who depend financially on their sisterhoods. The women also provide a regular cadre of volunteers for communal events and needs.
Begun in 1918 to further the goals of the Conservative Movement, the Women’s League also supports the movement’s main rabbinical school, the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
As Northern California Leaguers approach their annual conference Sunday at Congregation B’nai Shalom in Walnut Creek, and as national leaders plan for a national convention this fall, they will grapple with the idea of reinventing themselves, according to Edya Arzt, national education director.
“We know that women in their 30s and 40s want to learn and study,” Arzt said.
She acknowledged that there are still some congregations that have not evolved from “the stone age, when sisterhood cooked and baked and set fancy tables.” Yet, she said she knew of women who would commit to a 10-week semester to study seriously with a scholar.
After years of downplaying the traditional female trappings, Arzt says members have “gotten over the notion that sisterhood is a dirty word, and that women have to be equal to men and do everything that they do.”
They now realize “it’s good for women to get together only with other women,” she added.
With that in mind, national leaders are designing a women’s study program to emphasize Jewish scholarship and spiritual practice.
The organization already publishes a wide variety of pamphlets and study materials on topics that range from adult b’nai mitzvah to establishing a Judaica shop.
Both Arzt and DeKoven say they are hopeful of attracting more younger members. And while recovering former membership levels may not be realistic in the immediate future, they are determined to at least survive.
For reservations and information about Sunday’s conference in Walnut Creek, call (408) 255-6729 or (925) 680-1062.