|
NCJW Advocacy Wrap-Up:
Friday, January 19, 2023
| |
|
In this issue...
Volunteers and Donations Needed for Shining a Light:
a Long Beach Summit on Antisemitism and Hate
NCJW Collaborates with Project Shema for Training
BEYOND ROE: Intersection of Abortion Access, Economic Justice, and Religious Liberty
Ask Your Members of Congress to Pass the Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act
Save the Date: Repro Shabbat at Temple Israel
Forward Friday: NCJW Abortion Access Campaign Newsletter
Apply to Join the City of Long Beach Equity and Human Relations Commission
| |
Volunteers and Donations Needed for
Shining a Light: a Long Beach Summit on Antisemitism and Hate
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Cal State University, Long Beach
| |
|
NCJW Greater Long Beach & West Orange County has joined with ADL Orange County/Long Beach, Jewish Long Beach, CCEJ (California Conference for Equality and Justice) and CSULB to present an all-day conference at California State University, Long Beach.
Shining A Light is a one-day, immersive learning day experience for leaders across all sectors of the greater Long Beach community, including civic, government, non-profit, faith-based, education, media, and law enforcement.
The summit will bring together national and local leaders in order to:
- Educate the community about the history of antisemitism and its current and complex manifestations.
- Explore ways to educate Long Beach citizens about these issues and develop strategies to combat anti-Jewish and other forms of hate.
- Engage with stakeholders to leverage our collective resources to foster lasting partnerships and collaborations.
We expect at least 200 community leaders to attend. You can support the conference by volunteering:
- work on registration
- introduce speakers
- summarize sessions that can lead to future collaborations, a key part of the goals of the conference
Or by donating to NCJW - GLB & WOC’s Addressing Antisemitism/Hate Advocacy Fund. Our Section has made a commitment to support the conference with $1,500 and we need your help. You can donate here https://www.ncjwlongbeach.org/donate and select the fund.
To volunteer, email advocacy@ncjwlongbeach.org.
This event is made possible by a grant from Jewish Long Beach and contributions and planning from NCJW Greater Long Beach & W. Orange County, ADL, CSULB, & CCEJ
| |
|
Training: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Jewish Ideas: Analysis and Strategy,
a Briefing on the Current Situation
January 23 on Zoom
| |
 | |
National Council of Jewish Women is collaborating with Project Shema to offer a specialized training focused on addressing contemporary antisemitism, particularly as it relates to discourse around Israel and Palestine.
Title: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Jewish Ideas: Analysis and Strategy, a Briefing on the Current Situation
Project Shema is a training and support organization built by progressives to help the Jewish community and allies understand and address contemporary antisemitism. They focus their efforts on the unique ways anti-Jewish ideas can emerge in discourse around Israel and Palestine. Project Shema will provide our community with analysis, resources, and strategies to address anti-Jewish language and sentiment. Participants will receive an extensive resource guide with actionable next steps and messaging guidance, including ways to effectively navigate the use of terminology like colonialism and genocide.
Project Shema will offer training at three separate times to accommodate each time zone.
The Training
In addition to this webinar style session, Project Shema will also offer an
In addition to this webinar style session, Project Shema will also offer an ‘Office Hours’ session for Q&A, reflection and dialogue on Thursday, Jan 25 @ 4:30 pm PT/ 6:30 pm CT/ 7:30 pm ET. You must also register for that session if you'd like to attend. Many thanks, and please let us know if you have any further questions: action@ncjw.org.
About Project Shema
Project Shema comes highly recommended based on the work they have done with many NCJW sections. As an organization, they are committed to helping participants challenge anti-Jewish ideas and nurture compassion for Jews, especially within Israel-Palestine discourse. Project Shema does not engage in, or educate about, Israeli policy or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather, they work to deepen understanding and empathy for the Jewish people's history, trauma, and lived experiences. While they are an antisemitism education and Jewish organization, they do all of their work in an intersectional way that explicitly names anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian harm in these conversations.
| |
|
BEYOND ROE: Intersection of Abortion Access,
Economic Justice, and Religious Liberty
Sunday, January 28, 2024, at 5 pm via Zoom
| |
|
Beyond Roe 2024
Join the Conversation
Discover the intersectionality of abortion access, economic justice, and religious liberty at our event on Sunday, January 28, at 5 pm PST!
Event Highlights:
🎤 Emcee: Gabrielle Brown, Black Women for Wellness
🌟 Keynote Speaker Rabbi Mira Rivera
🤝 Intimate conversations in smaller groups
🔗 Learn More and Register: Discover the details and secure your spot at Beyond Roe 2024.
If interested, email advocacy@ncjwlongbeach.org for the location; this may become a pot luck if enough people are interested!
| |
|
Ask Your Member of Congress
to Pass the Holocaust Education
and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act
| |
|
TAKE ACTION TODAY
Make your voice heard by calling on your Members of Congress to Pass the Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act. An ADL report found that individuals who participate in Holocaust education are less likely to believe anti-Jewish tropes. At this time of increased antisemitic incidents and antisemitic attitudes, we must make sure effective Holocaust education is being offered to every student across the United States. Click here to join ADL in urging your Members of Congress to cosponsor the HEAL Act, to ensure the maximum reach and impact of Holocaust education.
| |
|
SAVE THE DATE
Kol HaNeshama –
Musical Shabbat Evening Service
Repro Shabbat with NCJW at Temple Israel
Friday, March 8, 7 pm
| |
|
Rabbi Fox will include several readings and likely Courageous Conversation stories during the service.
| |
Forward Friday: NCJW Abortion Access Campaign Newsletter | |
|
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dear Advocates,
We are happy to begin 2024 with good news of justice prevailing. Yesterday an Ohio grand jury declined to indict Brittany Watts, the black Ohio woman who had been criminalized for her miscarriage. The case should never have made it as far as it did and points to the new dangers pregnant people face — of being criminalized for the outcomes of their pregnancies in a post- Dobbs landscape. These dangers are magnified for already vulnerable populations. Fortunately, Brittany prevailed. We are so grateful for the support she received and for the organized public pressure that rallied around her.
We shared last month that the mifepristone case is headed to the Supreme Court. This case will greatly impact the availability of this critical medication used in self-managed abortion and miscarriage care. We continue to closely track this case (keep up on the latest here). Bottom line, mifepristone is safe, effective, and has been FDA-approved for 23 years. As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments this spring, you can help tell the world that mifepristone is safe, effective, and belongs in our communities!
This past Friday, we learned about a second abortion case the Supreme Court will hear this term, Idaho v. United States. This case threatens federal protections for abortion care in cases of medical emergency. Idaho’s highly restrictive abortion ban went into effect when the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022. Idaho’s law includes criminal penalties for anyone who performs, or attempts to perform, an abortion — even when the pregnant person’s health is in danger. In 2022, the Biden Administration sued because the Idaho law conflicts with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which ensures public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay. Two different lower federal courts blocked the Idaho law from going into effect, but last week the Court stepped in, and in an unusual move, allowed Idaho to enforce its abortion ban, including in medical emergencies, and agreed to hear the case this term.
The issue in Idaho v. United States goes directly to the heart of our Jewish case for abortion access: In Judaism, the life of the pregnant person is paramount. Laws that impede us from carrying out our beliefs directly infringe on our religious freedom. Abortion bans violate our religious freedom.
Between these two cases before the Supreme Court, the remaining vestiges of federal abortion protections hang in the balance. Our Jewish movement for abortion access is more important than ever. As these challenges mount, and we head into this weekend honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are counting on you to use your voice as we seek justice and dignity for those seeking reproductive care. Read this edition of Forward Friday for ways to channel all of your feelings into action.
Onward,
Shira and Glenn
Shira Zemel and Glenn Northern
NCJW Abortion Access Campaign Co-Directors
National Council of Jewish Women
| |
|
Apply to Join the City of Long Beach
Equity and Human Relations Commission
| |
|
The City of Long Beach has many city commissions. NCJW is hoping that several members might be interested in serving on a commission.
For example: There are three openings for the Equity and Human Relations Commissions. The commissioners are paid $200 per meeting; up to $7,000 a year
There are other commission with openings. Click here for information on the various commissions and the application.
| |
Want to stay connected? Like us and follow us! | | | | |
