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1185 Sheridan Road, Glencoe, IL 60022847.835.0724
Home > Our Community > Women of NSCI

Women of NSCI

Women of NSCI

WNSCI is an active group of committed women working together to help enrich our NSCI community and connect with others beyond the NSCI walls. The programs and services we provide benefit all members of the NSCI community!

 

When you become a member of WNSCI, you can help support and engage in:

• WNSCI annual retreat

• Book club

• Mah jongg and canasta

• Museum field trips

• Holiday events

• The finest Judaica shop on the North Shore

• Interfaith activities

• Gifts to our religious school children

• Supporting our sister community of Zviahel in Ukraine

• Senior programs

• Membership in Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) (See more below)

 

Whatever your area of interest, we welcome and encourage you to attend any WNSCI events and meetings. All WNSCI events are open to those who are female-identifying, non-binary, and gender fluid. Additionally, some events are open to all members of the congregation. Click here to contact us for more information and feel free to reach out with questions. Also, please make sure to like us on Facebook.

 

Our annual dues are $60 for the 2025–2026 membership year.

If you have paid in the past, the charge should be on your NSCI ledger.

If you know that you are not already a member, please click the button above to join.

Not sure if you’re a WNSCI member? Email WNSCI here to check.

 

 

WNSCI Board Meetings

Our board meetings are open to all. Our next board meeting is Sunday, March 1st. If you'd like to attend, RSVP to wnsci@nsci.org.

 

WNSCI Newsletter

The newsletter comes out monthly, with lots of news about upcoming programs. If you'd like to be added to our email list, please contact us here. To view the February 2026 newsletter, click here.

 

WNSCI’s Judaica Shop

Our selection of talitot, ritual items, and the full line of Michael Aram Judaica & Tabletop is the best on the North Shore! Click here for more information and hours of operation.

 

Annual Non-Event Fundraiser 2026

 

We invite you to participate in our Annual Non-Event Fundraiser: Winter Reading Warms us All! The fundraiser will begin on February 1, 2026, and run through March 1, 2026. Any and all contributions are welcome and will go towards the support and growth of educational, cultural, and social programs at NSCI. Please call the synagogue at 847-835-0724 with questions or email wnsci@nsci.org. Click here to participate and make an online contribution. Click here to download a digital copy of the response card.


 

WNSCI Leadership

Upcoming EventS

Women of NSCI Reproductive Rights Shabbat

Saturday, February 14th, 11:00 am – 1:30 pm at NSCI (after NSCI Shabbat Minyan)

Please note that NSCI Saturday morning Torah study begins at 9:30 am; Saturday morning Minyan begins at 10:15 am. WNSCI Reproductive Rights Shabbat Program and Luncheon begins at approximately 11:00  am.

 

Note: if you choose to join us for the luncheon and program, you must register in advance.

This program is for NSCI congregants only. The cost of the luncheon and program is $18; Advance registration required.

Please register for the luncheon by Monday, February 9th.

 

Reproductive health and freedom is a topic of current concern in the United States. Join us for the Women of NSCI Reproductive Rights Shabbat after our congregational Torah study and Minyan service.  We’ll gather for study, lunch, and advocacy for women’s health and freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. Our weekly Torah portion is Mishpatim, which contains the verses regarded as a foundation of Judaism's understanding of when life begins, which underlies the conversation about abortion.

 

We hope you'll join us first for our congregational Shabbat morning Torah study and Minyan service, during which WNSCI members will have a special aliyah for the Torah reading. Join us after the service for a delicious lunch, during which Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) Board Vice President of Social Justice and WNSCI Past President Michelle Scheinkopf will share some of the many ways in which we as Jews can advocate for reproductive health and freedom, and Rabbi Leizman will lead us in text study to further explore what Judaism has to say about abortion. And for those of you who attended the 20th Annual WNSCI Retreat, this is a great opportunity to reconnect!

We’ll be collecting feminine products and diapers for The Ark.  Please bring pads, Poise bladder pads, and/or diapers (any size).

Click here to register

 

ONGOING EVENTS

WNSCI Book Club

Contact us at wnsci@nsci.org to be added to the book club email contact list. Click here to see the full book list for the 2026 year. 

 

  • Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

    Tuesday, February 10th, 1:00–3:00 pm at NSCI

    Led by Jeffrey Liss

    Infidel shows the coming of age of this distinguished political superstar and champion of free speech as well as the development of her beliefs, iron will, and extraordinary determination to fight injustice. Ultimately a celebration of triumph over adversity, Hirsi Ali’s story tells how a bright little girl evolves out of dutiful obedience to become an outspoken, pioneering freedom fighter.

  • The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
    Tuesday, March 10th, 1:00–3:00 pm at NSCI
    Led by Karen Dillon
     

    The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah, is a bestselling historical fiction novel about two sisters in France during World War II, Vianne and Isabelle, who take different paths to survive and resist the German occupation, highlighting the often overlooked stories of women during wartime. The book explores themes of love, survival, and the resilience of the human spirit through the sisters’ separate, dangerous journeys, and became a major motion picture and a multi-million copy bestseller. 

  • The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

    Tuesday, April 14th, 1:00–3:00 pm at NSCI
    Led by Judy Soep

    The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is an epistolary novel about a retired law clerk named Sybil, who reflects on her life through letters she writes to various people, including family, friends, and even authors, revealing her regrets, joys, and a painful past she must confront to find forgiveness. The book is praised for its memorable, cantankerous, yet endearing main character and its exploration of themes like aging, family, and the power of connection through writing.

Mah Jongg Games

Thursdays, 1:00–3:00 pm in the Rosenthal Family Gathering Place

 

Join us for fun and friendly games of Mah Jongg. Beginners and the “just curious” are welcome. There’s no betting allowed, just a voluntary contribution to our Tzedakah Box!

Canasta

Wednesdays, 1:00–3:00 pm at Makom Solel Lakeside, 1301 Clavey Road in Highland Park

 

Join members of Makom Solel Lakeside and NSCI for weekly play.  There is no fee.  We only ask that you bring canasta supplies (cards, trays, and shuffler) if you have them.  Janet Buckstein from Makom Solel Lakeside will provide written rules and teach those who are interested.  Please email her at jfbuckstein@gmail.com and let her know if you plan to attend and if you would like lessons.

Knitting Hearts Together for Good
Glencoe Union Church is starting an interfaith knitting group to make hand-crafted items for those in need. The group will meet twice a month at various North Shore congregations. Beginners welcome. Learn more here.

WNSCI is part of the Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), a network of Jewish women working together to empower women and communities through the bonds of sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice.  WRJ members come from congregation sisterhoods, women’s groups, and individual members from all over North America. Our sisterhood belongs to the WRJ Heartland District. Click the links below to learn more about WRJ as a whole or the WRJ Heartland District.

 

Hundreds of WRJ-affiliated sisterhoods like WNSCI gain access to a vast network of membership, programming, and leadership resources as well as the opportunity to network with thousands of other women and make a difference around the world.  Two of our most active WNSCI members serve major roles in WRJ:

Michelle Scheinkopf is Vice President for Social Justice, and Judy Wexler is 1st Vice President and will serve as President of WRJ in 3 years. 

Learn more about WRJ.  

Learn more about the WRJ Heartland District.  

 

WNSCI at the WRJ Fried Women's Conference 2024 in New Orleans
Pictured L to R:  Michelle Scheinkopf, Judy Wexler, Blythe Trilling, Karen Dillon, and Debra Cohen

The History of WNSCI with Merle Branner

The Ruthie & Bill Katz Archives Archivist, Merle Branner, presented the History of Sisterhood/Women of NSCI.

Click here to view the recording and enter the password "G6kA6^vE". To learn more about the archives, click here.

Thu, February 12 2026 25 Sh'vat 5786