HONORING RABBI DARCIE CRYSTAL & Celebrating 20 years of Moving Traditions FOR JUST SUCH A TIME AS THIS: Cultivating Bold Leadership
APRIL 28, 2025 • 1 IYYAR, 5785
7 p.m.
Program
Light Dinner
Gallery tour of the Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt exhibition
8 p.m.
Welcome
Shuli Karkowsky • CEO of Moving Traditions
Interactive Experience
Pamela Barkley • Chief Growth Officer
Rabbi Daniel Brenner • VP of Education
Rabbi Tamara Cohen • Chief of Program & Strategy
Moving Traditions Participants
Celebrating Rabbi Darcie Crystal
Elyse Everett • Moving Traditions Board Chair
Rabbi Darcie Crystal
Closing Ritual
Rabbi Tamara Cohen • Chief of Program & Strategy
Rabbi Wendi Geffen
9 p.m.
Joined by a Circle of Women Dessert
Since its founding 20 years ago, Moving Traditions has reached more than 40,000 Jewish teens through impact-focused programs at the intersection of Judaism, wellbeing, and gender.
Moving Traditions has trained more than 2,650 adults to implement Moving Traditions programs, including:
B-MITZVAH FAMILY
EDUCATION PROGRAM for preteens and their families
Teen Groups: ROSH HODESH for girls, SHEVET for boys, and TZELEM for LGBTQ+ teens
KULAM for Hebrew High Schools, counselors-intraining, or teaching assistants
Teen trips and fellowships, including JGIRLS+ MAGAZINE, the MEYER-GOTTESMAN
KOL KOLEINU TEEN
FEMINIST FELLOWSHIP, and KUMI: FOUNDATION
CULTURESHIFT training for those who work with Jewish youth at camp and beyond
Moving Traditions emboldens Jewish youth to thrive through the pursuit of personal wellbeing (shleimut), caring relationships (hesed), and a Jewish and feminist vision of equity and justice (tzedek).
Learn more at MovingTraditions.org.
Rabbi Darcie Crystal
Rabbi Darcie Crystal embodies the essence of bold leadership, perfectly poised for just such a time as this.
As Board Chair from 2020-2023, Darcie steered Moving Traditions through a pivotal period with her intelligence, compassion and strength. Darcie is driven by the belief that Judaism can be both a relevant and powerful force for our youth. She ensured that Moving Traditions persisted as a much-needed support system for our teens throughout and beyond the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic while simultaneously shepherding the transition from founding CEO Deborah Meyer to Shuli Karkowsky in 2021.
Darcie’s connection to Moving Traditions is deeply personal. Early in her rabbinical career, she saw the power of Moving Traditions’ Rosh Hodesh program for teen girls at her congregation. Many years later, all three of her children have participated in Moving Traditions’ programs, experiencing firsthand the transformative power of the organization’s approach to Jewish education and youth engagement. Darcie appreciates how Moving Traditions creates safe and supportive spaces for teens to explore their Jewish identity, develop meaningful relationships, and cultivate the skills and values needed to become active and engaged citizens.
Currently, at Central Synagogue, Darcie provides guidance and support for those becoming Jewish, teaching Exploring Judaism and studying with students individually. Darcie also teaches various Adult Education classes for the Central Synagogue community on topics including ethics, Midrash and Jewish history. Prior, Darcie was a faculty member at HUC-JIR, where for over a decade she taught rabbinical students about leadership and social responsibility.
As a rabbi, educator, and parent, Darcie believes that Judaism has the power to inspire and guide individuals in navigating the complexities of the modern world. She is passionate about ensuring that Jewish teens have access to deeply impactful experiences that connect them to their heritage, empowering them to make a positive difference in our world.
Shuli Karkowsky & Elyse Everett
Dear Darcie,
At Moving Traditions, we speak a lot about what it means to be a good parent: how to make sure a child feels supported, loved, and guided, while also giving a child space to explore the autonomy and skills that will train them for an independent adulthood. This balance is the gold standard for parenting; it is also really hard to get right.
As we sat down to write this letter, we couldn’t help but think of all the ways that hitting this balance—of unwavering support, coupled with trust and belief in our skills—serves as a perfect metaphor for how you led Moving Traditions through every dramatic transition we faced.
You were always there for us –providing wise guidance as we navigated the early stages of Covid, stewarding your peers through a CEO succession process, and helping the organization pass a strategic plan that allowed us to double in size. And yet, you also gave us space to grow into our next evolution, staying out of operational questions and remaining focused on strategy, having the poise and confidence to let us stumble and learn on our own.
As we reach our 20th anniversary —
"no longer a teen!” as we keep joking — we could not be more grateful for your ability to guide the organization toward “adulthood” with that deft touch.
We are celebrating your leadership at the Jewish Museum, during its special exhibition celebrating the feminist leadership icon Queen Esther. Again, the connection could not be more apt.
In the second chapter of the Megillah, we meet Esther for the first time, but she is mentioned only as the beautiful, adopted niece of Mordechai. The text repeats—twice— how she listened to her uncle on all matters, including in not revealing her Jewish identity.
By the end of the story, however, Esther has transformed. She is cunning, courageous, bold, and the architect of her own future and the future of the entire Jewish people.
This evolution – from reliant child to learning pupil to a fully-fledged leader who is ready to raise her voice —is the perfect metaphor for how Moving Traditions helps teens learn confidence, build community, and ultimately make the world a better place. These are also all qualities that you brought to your own leadership journey, as you established yourself as a revered Rabbi, confidant, counselor, and friend.
We are so grateful to you, Darcie, for showing us over and over again how we can grow, evolve, and raise our voice. It is, indeed, for this moment that you came to leadership, and we could not be more grateful.
With love,
Shuli and Elyse
Eli, Hannah, & Abram Crystal
Dear Mom,
We are gathered here tonight to celebrate all of your accomplishments at Moving Traditions, and we want to let you know how proud we are of you!
We have seen all the hard work you have put in through countless hours behind the scenes, and watched you put your all into the development of Moving Traditions. Moving Traditions and everyone here is so lucky to have benefited from your wisdom, so it is only fitting we get to honor you tonight!
Your involvement in Moving Traditions has affected our Jewish lives for the better—in Shevet, Rosh Hodesh, and the Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship, and we know so many people have benefited in similar ways. However, beyond our involvement in Moving Traditions we will continue to carry the Jewish values you have instilled in us, and we know that we have grown into the people we are today because of you and your dedication.
We admire your ability to find something you believe in and stick with it, and we all hope to make at least the impact you have made.
We love you so, so much and we are so proud of you!
Love,
Eli,
Hannah, and Abram
Rabbi Wendi Geffen
Dear Darcie,
It is with immense joy and deep admiration that I write to celebrate you and your extraordinary contributions to Moving Traditions and the Jewish people. Your rabbinate has been a beacon of inclusion, wisdom, and unwavering commitment, enriching the lives of so many and strengthening the very fabric of Jewish living for people of all ages and backgrounds.
North Shore Congregation Israel, the synagogue I serve in Chicago, has centered our junior high and high school engagement around the Moving Traditions curricula and programs for over a decade. Throughout this time, I have witnessed firsthand the powerful and empowering impact of this work on our students. Through these initiatives, our young people have found confidence, connection, and a deeper understanding of their Jewish identities, and it is clear that your championing of Moving Traditions has been instrumental in making this transformation possible. Your dedication to seeing people for who they truly are and ensuring that every individual feels welcomed and valued is a testament to your profound commitment to inclusion in both word and deed.
As a colleague, I have watched you create and hone a rabbinate that is both far-reaching and deeply meaningful. Your influence extends beyond any single institution or community, touching countless lives with your wisdom, guidance, and
ability to create sacred spaces of belonging. Your work in nurturing and guiding Jews by choice into the larger Jewish family is a profound testament to your generosity of spirit and your dedication to the ever-expanding tapestry of the Jewish people.
Most personally, as I have been lucky enough to call you my best friend since we were nine years old, our lives have been interwoven across the years, and I have been continually inspired and amazed by your loyalty, conviction and sense of purpose, intelligence, humor, and boundless spirit. Your leadership and heart have made an indelible mark on countless many, me included, and I
am honored to celebrate all that you have accomplished and all that you continue to do.
May you go from strength to strength, and may your work continue to illuminate and uplift all who are fortunate enough to learn from and walk alongside you.
With admiration and gratitude, Rabbi Wendi Geffen
Senior Rabbi, North Shore Congregation Israel
Close friend from HUC-JIR
We deeply appreciate the generous support from the many individuals honoring Rabbi Darcie Crystal and Moving Traditions.
VISIONARY
Rabbi Darcie• &
Jonathan Crystal
Sally Gottesman•
LEADER
Elyse• & Scott Everett
• Current or former Moving Traditions board member
List current as of April 17
EVENT CHAIRS
Jonathan Crystal
Elyse Everett
Rabbi Wendi Geffen
BENEFACTOR
Shari & Jeff Aronson
James W. & Jean C. Crystal
Barbara & Dennis DuBois
Paula Gottesman
Hope • & Adam Suttin
Tony & Nanar Yoselof
BUILDER
Lisa• & Doug Schoenberg
Rabbi Lori Koffman•
Suzanne• & Richard Feld
Sheryl• & Chip Kaye
CHANGEMAKER
Lilly Claar•
Jamie & Denise Crystal
Sandy & Jennifer Crystal
Bruce Ellman• &
Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh
Judd & Meredith Grossman
Beth• & David Joseph
Julie & Jonathan Karen
Shuli Karkowsky• &
Avi (Alan) Rabinowitz
Brian & Kristin Kaufmann
Sara• & Andrew Levine
INNOVATOR
Andrea & Philip Schlakman
Adam & Pamela Sohn
Michelle Toll & William
O’Flanagan Foundation
Susanna Lachs & Dean Adler
Offit Capital
Bethany• & Garett Shiner
Jill & Erik Maschler
Joshua Nash & Beth Goldberg
Abigail Pogrebin & David Shapiro
Mary & Nathan Relles
Sarah & Dan Rueven
Renée G. H. Sackey•
Eric• & Lauren Schlezinger
Shonni Silverberg & John Shapiro
Julie Sissman & Phil Richter
Jane & Mark Wilf
Central Synagogue
Rabbi Wendi Geffen & Scott Duby
Lisa Messinger
SUPPORTER
Madelyn Bucksbaum Adamson• & Allen Adamson
Rabbi Noah• & Tammy Arnow
Tami• & David Astorino
Rabbi Carole Balin•
David & Cindy Edelson
Sean Hecker & Mari Hinojosa
Kara Jesella & Marc Ellenbogen
Beth & Jonathan Kern
Jonathan Krasner• & Frank Tipton
Stephanie & Stephen Levey
City Council Member Julie Menin
Miraldina & Anthony Meyer
Emilie & Paul Salama-Caro
Mackenzie & Ian Sandler
Rabbi Sara & Dan Sapadin
Alissa & Alex Schmelkin
Jasmine• & Rob Tarkoff
Robert• & Molly Zuker
TRAILBLAZER
Anonymous
Janelle & Greg Berger
Michael & Amy DuBois
Darci & Mike Hirschberg
David & Sarah Kleinhandler
Ali & Dan London
Deborah Meyer•
Jonathan, Svetlana & Susan Samuels
Alexis & David Sorkenn
Emily & Steven Steinman
Tricia & Stanley Ting
FRIEND
Anonymous
Rabbi Renni Altman & Richard Wender
Robert Bank, American Jewish World Service
Ellen Banner
Eve Biddle & Joshua Frankel
Mark & Wendy Biderman
Marni & Neil Blitz
Roxanne Donovan & Tom Scarangello
Macki & Paul Ellenbogen
Tara & Teddy Frischling
Joanie Geffen
Julie Goran & Doug Burns
Elizabeth & James Hale
Rabbi Dena Klein• & Jonathan Harris
Lynn & Jules Kroll
David & Judi Locke
Adam Magerman•
Rebecca Raphael & Eric Feuerstein
Adrienne Rosen
Laurie & David Rosenblatt
Jodie & Jonathan Sorkenn
Aviva Tilles•
HONORING RABBI DARCIE CRYSTAL & tingaCelebr 20 rseay of Moving aditionsrT FOR JUST SUCH A TIME AS THIS: tingaCultiv ldBo adershipeL
APRIL 28, 2025 • 1 IYYAR, 5785
Perhaps you have come to your position for just such a time as this.
— Esther 4:14