When Sara (Gerstenfeld)
Strobel, founder of the girls’ performance program Ratzon, was growing up,
large groups of unaffiliated Jews often experienced Shabbos for the first time
at the Gerstenfeld home. Sara describes her musically talented family to be “an
under the radar family of creative and giving parents.” She adds, “Growing up
in my parents’ home showed me that there is something in everyone I can
appreciate and that created a larger openness in me to all kinds of people.” It
was this home that inspired Sara to identify community needs and attend to them,
leading to her latest endeavor, Elevate, a new organization for women.
Elevate was born
in 2018, when Sara and her husband, key supporter of all she undertakes, had a
conversation about the soaring divorce rate among young marrieds. Sara saw a
problem: the lack of community for young mothers, who often cannot attend shul
and do not develop a relationship with a rav or rebbetzin unless very motivated
to do so. Boom! Sara got to work. “My goals have been to provide hadracha, guidance, and develop
community for these women,” explains Sara. “I met with a marketing group,
created a logo, received written endorsement from Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, and
began approaching pulpit rabbis for their participation as well.
Then Sara’s son
was born with severe allergies. For two years, the program was stalled until
his health improved. When that happened, Sara’s old friend and community
organizer, Mrs. Bracha Poliakoff, “put the flame on.” Bracha and Sara created a
25-woman think tank, or board, bringing in Mrs. Chami Haber, rebbetzin of
Norfolk, Virginia, who is also a staff member of Aliza Bulow’s monumental
organization, CORE. Bulow’s organization guides mentors of female leaders
internationally in areas such as kallah
classes, limudei kodesh teachers,
rebbetzins, and more. In fact, Aliza Bulow called Sara to discuss Sara’s work
and to support her. Mrs. Haber was thrilled with Elevate: “Gatherings, warmth, and
camaraderie are so important – it’s perfect!”
Bracha prepared a
questionnaire to investigate community interest for the think tank.
Surprisingly, when asked about meeting on Zoom, there was a resounding “No!”
Women were tired of isolation during Covid. They wanted a sense of real, not
virtual, community. Sara thought to start with monthly chaburas; the women reported an interest in weekly ones.
* * *
And so it was.
Last year, Elevate began with several star chabura
leaders. Sara and her programming team – Zahava Gerstenfeld, Tali Moss, and
Chaya Feldman – now present several offerings in six-week sessions on topics
related to personal growth, self-discovery, family, and marriage. At the end of
a series, all the chaburas meet for a
melave malka, fostering a sense of
real community. Several times a year, Sara offers unique programs that the women
want. Just through WhatsApp’s status,
in December alone, Elevate saw over 80 women attend an evening of learning with
guest speaker Rabbi Nissel, where they bonded through the camaraderie of
creating gorgeous, textured, abstract art.
Those attending
the chaburas responded with a
resounding sense of gratitude for these opportunities, all of which are infused
with Torah insights. Mrs. Chana Grove, whose chabura applies Sefer Bereishis to the participants’ lives, says
that her group members cheer each other on and often express the sentiment: “It
is so good to know it is not just me!”
A participant in
Mrs. Chanita Felder’s “Empowered Wives/Shalom Bayis” presentation expressed
enthusiastically, “I cannot even explain how grateful I am for this chabura. I am relatively newlywed.
Marriage is such an important part of life, so it makes sense to look for help
and support. It is so helpful to hear easy, applicable, and practical insights
to improve my marital connection!”
Participants
“develop an understanding of eye-opening tools that enhance their marriage,”
explains Mrs. Felder, who uses “group coaching” once these tools have been
introduced. Mrs. Felder adds, “This is a lot of fun. Women feel supported and
cheer each other on as each brings a ‘win’ experience from the previous week to
the discussion table.”
Similarly, Mrs.
Naomi Frankel’s “A Woman’s Role in a Changing World” focuses on “putting all
the parts together” to be an effective wife and mother. Mrs. Frankel treasures an
“ah-ha moment” that occurred when the chabura
realized they all were involved in
the process of building a marriage. “It’s a process where built-in frustration is
normal,” she explains. “Through validating and examining the challenges of
marriage, we grow!”
A member of Mrs.
Naomi Goldman’s chabura, which uses
Rabbi Noach Weinberg’s 48 Ways to Wisdom as a basis for character
improvement, echoes this thought: “My chabura
is the highlight of my week. I give myself Torah spiritual enhancement that
fulfills me, centers me, and focuses me. Women do not have female role models
these days. We often rely on our seminary learning to get through our lives. I
hope to build a relationship with my chabura
leader, for her to be there to guide me as I raise my kids. I want to build
that.”
This, in essence,
is the goal of Elevate. In all the chaburas,
the social aspect is treasured. “It is not easy today to come by opportunities
to strengthen each other through validation and friendship,” comments Mrs.
Frankel. “Peer support is a vital part of our lives!”
Tamar Livingstone,
who runs a chabura using Link Up,
a guidebook for life in the technological age, adds, “Elevate has hit it spot
on! It is thrilling to see women from different neighborhoods come together to
connect and open up to each other deeply and meaningfully.” Tamar feels that
“the proof is in the pudding”; the responses from participants confirm the need
for Elevate. According to a participant of this chabura, “The level of consistency here fosters motivation and
accountability. I have set limits on my phone use, am more present with my
family, and function with a greater sensitivity and awareness of my technology
choices. There is a real sense of openness and vulnerability here because we
feel safe and supported. We all want to see each other do better!” This
participant concludes that she had looked for something like this for 15 years.
Her chabura is her learning group,
and her daughters are proud to see Mommy study Torah regularly. When Elevate
brings in a speaker, she says, “I will definitely be there; I trust that it
will be an important, good use of my time.”
It is hard to know
who is more excited about these chaburas,
the leaders or the participants. Both are passionate about the friendships,
openness, and growth. Mrs. Grove expressed her commitment to Elevate
eloquently: “The women are so very busy, yet they keep the fuel burning with
their pride and excitement to give over Torah to the next generation. I am
excited about seeing busy women today taking care of themselves. Elevate is
filling in this gap of self-care. We all benefit from sharing ideas. Elevate
has made this a reality for more people. Sara Strobel and her dedicated team
have created something beautiful.”
* * *
Sara’s childhood
made it a natural choice to express her creativity – through music and,
ultimately, through helping others. She plays piano, completed an MA
Certificate in music production and engineering, and studied voice. “I learned
that I could apply my musical training to community service. I also saw that I
gain strength and energy through filling a need in others. When I saw how the
Ratzon classes gave over 70 girls in the first year a place to shine outside
academics and how 200 to 400 people attended the recitals, I realized that the
fun was contagious!” Ratzon continued to grow and service Baltimore’s girls for
10 years.
It makes sense,
then, that Sara – whose childhood was filled with experiences of elevating
others, of respecting those different from herself – has so unassumingly given
of herself to build Elevate. It began with a conversation and a meeting of 25
women. It has swiftly elevated hundreds of Baltimore women and hopes to serve
other demographics of women in the future. We gratefully await even more
elevated levels of learning, support, friendship, and mentoring from this
important component of the Baltimore community.
For more information or to donate to Elevate, contact
Sara Strobel at elevate2connect@gmail.com. Elevate is a non-profit
501c3.elevate2connect@gmail.com.
