“It's strange, how you go from being a person who is away from home to a person with no home at all. The place that is supposed to want you has pushed you out. No other place takes you in. You are unwanted, by everyone. You are a refugee.”
― Clemantine Wamariya, The Girl Who Smiled Beads
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NCJW Upcoming Events and Information
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And somehow it is August and in case you didn't know - midterm elections are just THREE MONTHS away.
The results of this election will shape our future.
And yet, in the last midterm election,
143 million Americans did not vote
. We have to do better. With so much at stake, every single one of us must vote. And every one of us must take responsibility to get others to the polls.
That's why in addition to our work to Save SCOTUS, end family separation and incarceration, and protect reproductive rights, we are also working fervently across the country to get out the vote.
To help all of us do this crucial work, we've prepared resources to aid your efforts, including how-to guides and webinar recordings. Need voter registration cards, voter reminder cards, sample voting plans, or sample scripts? We've got you covered.
Make your vote and your voice count this November!
Melissa Prober
Executive Director, NCJW Chicago North Shore
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Updates and Information
State Legislative Visit with Sara Feigenholtz, Illinois District #12
Do you live in District 12? Then join NCJW for a legislative visit with your Representative Sara Feigenholtz on
August 27
!. We will focus on Defending HB40, Immigration and Gun Violence Prevention, as well as thanking her for her support and seeing what we can do to support her. If you would like to attend, please contact Beth Najberg at
beth@ncjwcns.org
.
Courts Matter Event with Dahlia Lithwick and Geoffrey Stone - July 16
If you missed this wonderful event, you can watch it
here
thanks to CAN TV! We want to thank all those involved in making the event a success, especially Dahlia Lithwick, Geoffrey Stone, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, O'Malley & Madden, P.C., the American Constitution Society - Chicago Lawyer Chapter and the American Constitution Society Chicago-Kent College of Law Student Chapter.
NCJW 2018 Installation Celebration
In June, we welcomed NCJW members and supporters to a wonderful lunch at Maggianos. Board member Joan Zahnle received the Emerging Leader Award and the three CourtWatch co-chairs (Karen Zawrazky, Anita Weinstein, and Miriam Pollack) were honored for their service. Outgoing and continuing board members were thanked and we welcomed Deb Kadin and Barbara Dolinger to our board.
Gather Activism co-founders Alex Swerdlow and Marley Rosario spoke passionately about activism and their work to increase political participation.
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Strategic Visioning
In July, a large group of NCJW board members and stakeholders met to discuss what NCJW means to us and where we should be heading in this "new world." Guided by facilitator Shirley Maeir, we had a thoughtful discussion of our programs and activities and what our vision was. Stay tuned over the next year for more details on what we learned!
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Encore & More
For more than 25 years, NCJW Chicago North Shore ran Encore & More Resale in Wilmette, and even before that, NCJW CNS ran a shop in Highwood. As times change and our focus turns to other things, a board decision was made to look towards alternative sources of funding for our advocacy and community service work. Happily, we were approached by the YWCA Evanston/North Shore who wish to take Encore & More into the future both as a source of fundraising and as a way to empower women by providing job readiness training.
We are so thankful for the countless hours that the Encore Steering Committee put into the shop over the years. Please join me in showing our appreciation to Rachel Friedman, Carolee Caplan, Alison Baker Frank, Andy Amend, Evie Levin, Doris Guthman, Roberta Goldman, Karen Muskat and Barbara Adler as well as forner steering committee members Susan Pristave and Judy Schwartz. We would also like to acknowledge Encore's staff who are continuing under the YWCA's ownership: Judy Goodman, Marko Djuroviz, Sarah Lundin, and Hope Minsky.
For those interested in volunteering at the shop, YWCA is looking for help with inventory and sorting. The shop will continue to accept donations of new and gently used women’s clothing during store hours, which will remain the same.
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We have some great programs to add to your calendars. Please save-the-date(s) for the programs listed below and scroll down for further details.
September 9: Erev Rosh Hashanah
September 10: Rosh Hashanah
September 13: Women's Salon
September 16:
Advocacy and the Arts:
Monger
September 18: Kol Nidre
September 19: Yom Kippur
October 4: Girl Drama Lunch and Learn - Chicago
October 4: Intersection Between Immigration, Domestic Violence & Sex Trafficking
October 11: Women's Salon
October 14: North Suburban Jewish Community Candidate Forum
October 16: Raising Healthy Boys Lunch and Learn - Chicago
October 21:
Luggage for Freedom Pack and Delivery Day
October 21:
Advocacy and the Arts:
Indecent
October 24: Beth Emet Soup Kitchen
If you have a specific passion that you'd like to share with us or are interested in helping plan a program, email
melissa@ncjwcns.org. We would love to hear from you!
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Advocacy and the Arts:
Monger
Sunday, September 16, 2:00 pm
The Greenhouse Theater Center
2257 N Lincoln Avenue
MONGER follows a Chicago criminal defense attorney with a secret sex life who deals with his sensitive 16-year-old son’s legal crisis on the day he takes a deposition from the mother of a murdered teenage sex trafficked victim. Join NCJW, JCAST and Hadassah for a pre-show reception with the playwright and a post-show Q&A with the cast.
Girl Drama Lunch and Learn
Thursday, October 4, noon
Chicago Loop Synagogue
16 S. Clark St., Chicago
Fee: $25 (includes a Kosher lunch)
Raising children has always been demanding, and our current culture has its own challenges (social media, competition, culture of protecting kids from discomfort). Learn with Social Worker and Mom of 3, Tracey Lipsig Kite, LCSW and move toward being the parent you want to be. Sponsored by JCFS, Chicago Loop Synagogue, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and National Council of Jewish Women.
Intersection Between Immigration, Domestic Violence & Sex Trafficking
Thursday, October 4, 6:30 pm
Deerfield Presbyterian Church
824 Waukegan Rd., Deerfield
The Intersection Between Immigration, Domestic Violence, & Sex Trafficking
As the political climate continues to heat up. What is going on in our community and what can we do to help? The Jewish Coalition Against Sex Trafficking (JCAST) Chicago is excited to partner with the Highland Park/Highwood Legal Clinic, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), and the Links, Inc. to educate and build awareness. Representatives from area service providers will also be available.
North Suburban Jewish Community Candidate Forum
Sunday, October 14, 2:00 pm
B'Nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim
1201 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield
The 2018 elections are just around the corner, so now is the time to learn what they mean for you. As we prepare to go to the polls on November 6, NCJW Chicago North Shore is once again partnering with over 25 synagogues, Jewish communal groups, and day schools to host a candidate forum at Congregation BJBE.
Come meet and hear from the federal and state candidates in our area, including the candidates for Congress in the 9th and 10th congressional districts, as they address the hottest issues facing our country, our neighborhoods, and our Jewish community.
Reservations are not required.
Click here
for a list of partipants and more information as it becomes available.
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Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys Lunch and Learn
Tuesday, October 16, Noon
Chicago Loop Synagogue
16 S. Clark St, Chicago
Fee: $25 (includes a Kosher lunch)
You think you want to raise an “emotionally healthy boy” but what does that mean?
Raising children has always been demanding, and our current culture has its own challenges (social media, competition, culture of protecting kids from discomfort). Learn with Social Worker and Mom of 3, Tracey Lipsig Kite, LCSW and move toward being the parent you want to be. Sponsored by JCFS, Chicago Loop Synagogue, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and National Council of Jewish Women.
Luggage for Freedom
Pack and Delivery Day
Sunday, October 21
West Ridge Center
636 Ridge Road, Highland Park
Luggage for Freedom will hold their next “Pack & Delivery Day” on Sunday, October 21. Volunteers are needed to sort items and pack suitcases and backpacks and then deliver donations to local domestic violence shelters. We will NOT accept donations at this event. Ages 4 and up are welcome.
Advocacy and the Arts:
Indecent
Sunday, October 21, 3:00 pm
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater
2433 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
Join NCJW and enjoy Indecent at a special discounted group rate.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) tells the deeply moving story of the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Jewish playwright Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance, a play about a forbidden lesbian romance that enchanted and outraged audiences. Inspired by true events, Indecent, is performed by an ensemble of seven actors and three musicians portraying more than 40 roles to chart an explosive moment in theatrical history and the artists who risked their careers and lives to perform it. Award-winner Gary Griffin (Hand To God, Fun Home) returns to Victory Gardens to direct this 2017 Tony-nominated play.
Soup Kitchen at Beth Emet
Wednesday, October 24, 4:00pm
Beth Emet Synagogue
1224 Dempster, Evanston.
Volunteers and Groceries Needed! Help shop, prepare and serve dinner and bag lunches. The evening is part of an ongoing collaboration between NCJW and Project Hamotzi to provide free meals to the area’s homeless and working poor. NCJW members and a limited number of children, ages six & older, may volunteer. Contact Lauren at
labsler@att.net
.
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NCJW “Evening Salon Series”, 2018-‘19
NCJW’s Salon Series is a monthly, evening discussion group (7:30-9:00 pm), meeting at Salon members’ homes or private rooms in restaurants (northern suburbs and Old Orchard) and facilitated by Salon members. Every month features a new current events topic with educational source material links emailed directly to participants. Topics include a wide variety of progressive, feminist and social justice issues. There is no fee to attend your first two sessions. Join NCJW at your third session and you become a member of the Salon! Our upcoming two Salon dates are September 13 and October 11.
Click here
for the complete 2018 – 2019 Salon Series calendar and an NCJW membership link.
For more Salon information contact either Donna Fishman or Robbie Schreiber at
salon@ncjwcns.org
.
NCJW Salon calendar:
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2018
September 13
October 11
November 8
December 13
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2019
January 10
February 14
March 14
April 11
May 9
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NCJW Member News and Tributes
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We Need Your News!
Whether you are celebrating a simcha or sharing your sorrow, your NCJW friends want to know!
Keep NCJW informed of your life events: weddings, babys, graduations, b'nai mitzvahs as well as illnesses and grief. We are here to share with you.
New and Returning Members
* Lauren Harper
* Elaine Soloway
* Evelyn Hoffman
* Debbie Haback
* Jan Schwartz
For A Blessing
We mourn the loss of section member
Maxine Kane
We mourn the loss of section member
Pamela Lichtenstein
* We send our condolences to section member
Joan Gold
on the loss of her sister Maxine Kane
May their memories be for a blessing.
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Tributes
An NCJW Chicago North Shore Tribute is a thoughtful way to acknowledge a life event while supporting NCJW’s many valuable projects. You may purchase an individual tribute or packages of tribute cards.
To purchase Tributes visit
To: Jackie Kopp
Message: Our deepest sympathies on the loss of your husband David
From: the NCJW Board
To: Pam Zlotnik
Message: A donation has been made to the NCJW Luggage for Freedom Project in honor of the Zlotnik Family
From: Marlene and Marshall Hirshman
To: Jackie Kopp
A donation has been made to the Dorothy Cohen Fund. My deepest condolences on the loss of your husband David
From: Cindy Wolfson
To: Andy Amend
In honor of your being named Humanitarian of the Year for Highland Park
From: Cindy Wolfson
To: Jackie Kopp
A donation has been made to the Dorothy Cohen Fund in memory of your husband David
From: Barbara and Gordon Cohen
To: Sheryl Kabak
In honor of her 70th Birthday
From: Marlene and Marshall Hirschman
To: Kayla Platt Crotty
In honor of Sequoia's First Birthday
From: Ilana & Marc Platt
To: Lauren Yaffe Kalish
Happy Birthday! Love, Sara
From: Sara Kalish
To: Bari Kreiter and Family
In memory of Harry Kreiter
From: Barbara & Gordon Cohen
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Silent Witness Stories
The Silent Witness Exhibit of Illinois honors those who have died from acts of intimate partner violence. The Exhibit consists of life-size female figures, each bearing a shield telling the true story of an Illinois woman killed as a result of domestic violence. The figures provide a powerful visual impact to raise awareness of the tragedy and loss we all suffer when lives are taken senselessly through domestic violence. Groups may use the Exhibit for outreach, education and fundraising programs.
The Silent Witness Exhibit has been viewed in Illinois by thousands of people in dozens of venues since it was launched in 1997 by the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) Chicago North Shore Section. The Silent Witness Exhibit of Illinois is part of the National Silent Witness Initiative, start
ed in 1990 in Minneapolis.
Click here
for more information about hosting the Silent Witness Exhibit.
Each Month in the NCJW E-News, we will highlight a Silent Witness Story, so that the victims of domestic violence will never be forgotten.
Angela Bonds
Age 48
Riverside
November 25, 2011
Angela worked as a housekeeper at UIC Medical Center. On Thanksgiving night, she walked toward the parking lot after work with her boyfriend and another man. Earl Roberts, 47, ran up behind them toting a .357-caliber handgun. The three started running toward the building. Roberts shot Angela in the back and head. Then he chased the two men into the parking lot but did not shoot at them. A university police officer saw him enter a van. After a chase, he was arrested by the officer and an FBI agent on the way to work. Angela had divorced Roberts and had separated from him seven years prior to her death.
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#CourtsMatter to Gun Violence Prevention
Voting is essential to our democracy –– but it's denied to too many.
This Monday, August 6, is the 53rd anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Let's commemorate this landmark piece of legislation by taking action to expand voter access.
In Florida, 1.4 million people are barred for life from voting because they have been convicted of a felony. Let that number sink in. Given the racial disparity and discrimination within the criminal justice system, this ban results in 1 in 5 African American Floridians being ineligible to vote.
But there’s hope — in November, Floridians will vote on a ballot amendment (Amendment 4) to restore the vote to everyone who has completed their sentences.
You can help
. Take part in a remote phone bank (you can participate from anywhere!) on August 6 to talk with Florida voters on the issues at stake and encourage them to vote yes on this crucial ballot issue.
Reauthorize the
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
On July 26, NCJW joined Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and our partners in the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, at a press conference in the US Capitol to introduce a measure to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). From an increased investment in sexual violence prevention programs to provisions to hold offenders accountable on tribal lands to efforts to make our criminal justice system more responsive to survivors to updated definitions to protections for incarcerated survivors, the legislation includes the realistic enhancements survivors need and advocates have asked for. VAWA is set to expire on September 30. NCJW helped draft VAWA and its subsequent reauthorizations.
Take Action! Call your representative (Capitol Switchboard #202-224-3121) to urge them to cosponsor this critical legislation
. Let them know we need VAWA reauthorized now before it expires — survivors can’t wait for lifesaving responses to sexual violence and communities can’t wait for prevention programs.
Fight the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh
As a reminder, if confirmed Kavanaugh would roll back our hard-won rights, including our right to abortion care, and our access to essential reproductive and other health services. He is unfit to serve on our nation’s highest court. Here is where you come in: if you haven’t already,
sign our petition
to urge Senate leaders to reject the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court.
This September, NCJW, Inc. begins a new chapter in our 125-year history when we relocate our National headquarters from New York to Washington, D.C., the epicenter of national policy and where we belong.
Combining our New York operations staff with our Washington policy and government relations staff in D.C. will enhance our power to make change happen on the most urgent social and economic challenges facing women, children and families. Now more than ever, we must speak out to ensure justice and dignity for all human beings. From our new home, NCJW’s winning team of strategists, working together with our sections and thousands of NCJW members across the country, will be uniquely positioned to advance progressive social change.
As we begin this new chapter in NCJW history, Nancy Kaufman, who has boldly and passionately led the organization over the past seven years, will begin a new chapter in her own story. After overseeing our transition, Nancy will step down as CEO in June of 2019, welcoming the next generation of women to take on the mantle of progressive Jewish leadership. During her tenure, Nancy significantly increased NCJW’s visibility, stability, and effectiveness in communities around the country, with our coalition partners, at the highest levels of government, and with feminists and NGOs in Israel. We are grateful for her visionary leadership of NCJW and look forward to celebrating her in the year to come.
Click here
for the full press re
lease.
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Other Events and Items of Interest
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Get out the Vote!
Are you interested in volunteering to register first-time voters? Are you interested in helping our newest American citizens fulfill their first privilege of citizenship immediately after their official Oath Ceremony? Here’s your opportunity to do both!
The “Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Right” (ICIRR) organization needs volunteers to offer one hour of time to help register these newest U.S. citizens at downtown Chicago locations. Shifts are available any of five days a week, either 10:00 am or 1:00 pm. No formal registrar training needed, just an interview with ICIRR’s Volunteer Coordinator downtown. For more information, email
info@ncjwcns.org
.
No Shame On U 4th Annual event featuring Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison
Sunday, October 28, 2018, 6:00 PM 9:00 PM, Holiday Inn Skokie, 5300 West Touhy
Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison is the author of An Unquiet Mind and Professor of Psychiatry at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Kay Redfield Jamison is an international authority and researcher on mood disorders. Named a “Hero of Medicine" by TIME, she has unique insight into the world of mental illness.
Click here
for more information.
Family Separation
Family separation, detention, and deportation fall far short of the Jewish and American values we strive to live by. This is a moral catastrophe. The Religious Action Center offers that the
core of our faith is choice. Each day, we choose to live out the teachings and traditions of our faith that give meaning and purpose to our lives. What is happening at our border is also a choice. It is a choice to separate parents from children when one could choose to keep families together. As a Movement, we have also made a choice. We choose to stand with families fleeing violence and persecution.
NCJW New York Section Launches #ProTruth Campaign
Fake clinics operate all over this country, including New York City. They make themselves look and sound like real women’s health clinics, but they are often unlicensed and volunteer run, with no doctors or medical professionals on site. We believe it is unacceptable for any person to be manipulated or lied to about their body. Everyone has a right to know the truth about their health. In this spirit, NCJW NY Section has launched #ProTruth!
#protruth is a campaign and a movement to fight the deceptive tactics of fake clinics, also known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” in New York City.
Visit their new website
www.protruthny.org
to find out more about fake clinics and their deceptive tactics to stay up to date with the campaign.
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Chicago North Shore has several new ways to support our section. As always, you can make a one time donation or purchase a tribute (links are below), but we now also have a lovely, hand-crafted necklace you can purchase for yourself or for a gift. Net proceeds from the sale of each
necklace
supports NCJW's mission.
You can also support NCJW as a Sustaining Advocate.
Complete and print this form
and mail it to our office, 5 Revere Drive, Suite 200, Northbrook, IL 60062 and your scheduled monthly donation will ensure the viability of Chicago North Shore for generations to come. Your support makes it possible for NCJW to create meaningful social change for women, children, and families in the US and Israel. Make a difference for women, children, and families by giving a generous gift to NCJW through a variety of options:
Put your dollars to work immediately by making a fast, secure online donation. Become a Major Donor by making a donation of $360 or more.
Honor a family member, colleague, friend, or loved one by giving a gift to NCJW. A handwritten NCJW tribute card with a message of support, celebration, or sympathy will be sent to the honoree or the family of the person you wish to remember.
Canadian jewelry artist Hilary Druxman has handcrafted a beautifully designed necklace and has partnered with NCJW Chicago North Shore to bring her design to our members and supporters. Overlapping triangles come together to form a star, reflecting our belief in advocacy and action. Each necklace costs $44 ($40 + $4 sales tax) and can be shipped anywhere in the US. Net proceeds from the sale of each handcrafted sterling silver necklace support our mission.
NCJW is recognized as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Contributions to it are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
Create a Legacy!
Want to ensure NCJW's legacy for years to come? Are you a life member and want to extend your support in perpetuity? Have you thought out a bequest to NCJW?
Already have a bequest to NCJW? Please let us know that you put us in your will so we can acknowledge you!! Email
melissa@ncjwcns.org
.
Support NCJW with your Purchases
Save Gas. Save Time. Raise Money!
Through iGive, Amazon smile and others, you can raise money for NCJW while you shop online. Use the links below and select NCJW Chicago North Shore as your charity of choice.
Every time you shop at any of the 1,000+ online stores in the iGive network, a portion of the money you spend benefits NCJW Chicago North Shore Section. It's a free service, and you'll never pay more when you reach a store through iGive. In fact, smart shoppers will enjoy iGive's repository of coupons, free shipping deals, and sales. To get started, just create your free iGive account at igive.com.
You shop. Amazon gives. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support NCJW every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at
smile.amazon.com
and select National Council of Jewish Women Wilmette, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to directly to NCJW.
You shop; you save; they give
Here is a simple way to make a difference -- each time you search the web (Goodsearch) or shop online (Goodshop), Goodsearch will make a donation to your favorite cause. Just visit Goodshop and select NCJW Chicago North Shore as your charity of choice.
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