April / May 2024

Participate in person or remotely for Lobby Day:

May 8, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, virtual

• Learn from the Experts - Join a Zoom convening to hear about our priority bills and budget asks. If you can’t go to Sacramento, there will be opportunities to advocate remotely!

May 15, Advocacy at the Capitol with your NCJW CA sisters

• Meet your district legislators in Sacramento.
• Advocate for issues that reflect the heart of NCJW: Reducing homelessness, expanding childcare, fighting antisemitism, ending poverty, and protecting abortion access.
• Advocacy training will be provided.
• If your travel and lobby visit schedules allow, please attend the rally held by our partner, End Childhood Poverty Coalition, from 10:30 to 12:00.
• Lunch will be served. Let Chana know if you want to be included.

And an invitation: May 14, Reception, Dinner and Hotel Rooms

• JPAC has invited NCJW members to attend their Capitol Summit reception and dinner to meet and strategize with state legislators, folks from Jewish Federations and others from around California.
• Register for the dinner at https://whova.com/portal/registration/jpacc1_202405/ and enter discount code NCJW.Tuesday.Only at the bottom of page 1; you will see the price decrease to $95.
• JPAC is extending their negotiated rate at the Sheraton Hotel for May 14 as long as the supply lasts. Once you register, you’ll get an email with a link to the room block.

We need your voice more than ever at this critical time when the budget deficit threatens some of our hard-won gains. The faith-based perspective we bring is VITAL.

Funds are available to support several travelers! Contact our VP Advocacy Chana Ham-Rosebrock at advocacy@ncjwlongbeach.org to learn more.

Download or print copies of the above info here and here.

Click here to register: NCJW California Lobby Day, May 8 and 15, 2024

Contact our state leaders at ncjwcaclaire@gmail.com or our local leaders at advocacy@ncjwlongbeach.org for questions.

Enjoy a great meal at California Pizza Kitchen in Rossmoor, get take-out there, or order online at CPK.com, all for a great cause!

Your local NCJW section will get 20% of all food and beverage sales Tuesday, April 16! Download this flyer to your phone or print it out, or mention NCJW on your visit. Be sure to enter "BACK20%" at checkout.

Support us on Tuesday at CPK's location in Rossmoor Center, 12171 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach. Thanks so much!

Many helping hands are needed, so join us in giving a "hug" to vulnerable children entering the foster care system (this time, packing for high school age youth!) Register HERE or email communityservice@ncjwlongbeach.org. We need to submit names to the front desk, so please RSVP by Tuesday, April 16.

Our upcoming membership / advocacy event is going to ROCK! Come hear a few minutes from several activists making a difference in our community:

• Katy Hickman from Reclaim Our Vote will speak about today's challenges and solutions regarding voting in this year's elections.
• Pam Rima, an active member of Friends of Jewish Long Beach on What's App, will talk about what that group is doing to address LBUSD curriculum regarding antisemitism.  
• Anna Salusky, an NCJW member and a leader of the JLB Advocacy Committee, will give a brief update on what they're doing.
• And more from our own Advocacy leaders!

You''ll also get time to talk to friends, have a Pesadika snack, and elect next year's NCJW Board! Register HERE.

For those of you who did go or could not go to Sacramento to lobby for bills related to our mission -- Women, Children and Families -- come meet your most important State Senator in person: Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez!

A former Long Beach City Council member, Senator Gonzalez was first elected to the state Senate in June 2019. She represents nearly 1 million residents in Southeast LA, Signal Hill, and parts of Lakewood and her hometown of Long Beach. She still lives here!

In the Senate, Senator Gonzalez is a strong voice for working families. She prioritizes and fights for a clean environment, digital inclusion, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights and the economic vitality of small businesses, among other policy areas. In February 2021, Senator Gonzalez was appointed Majority Whip, and in 2024, she was promoted to Majority Leader of the Senate.

Come hear about what's happening in our California government, what battles she's dealing with, and what solutions she's fighting for!

Please RSVP HERE or leave a message at (657) 235-2511. Because of added security at the JCC, we need your RSVP ahead of time to give your name to the front desk.

We look forward to seeing you!

Scholarship applications are now being accepted until the May 1 deadline. Awards this year will range from $1,000 to $2,000.

Recipients will be selected based on

❖ Jewish involvement,

❖ personal motivation,

❖ past achievements and

❖ academic standing.

The scholarship instructions and application are available HERE. Awardees will be announced by June 1, 2024. For more information, contact us at info@ncjwlongbeach.org or (657) 235-2511.

Join the National team of National Council of Jewish Women as we discuss the legal and medical implications of two abortion cases before the US Supreme Court: a case that could significantly curtail access to medication abortion and a case that threatens emergency abortion care. This webinar will dive into what happened during oral arguments, the details of the cases themselves, and the implications of potential rulings. Register here. If you can't attend live, you'll receive a link to the recording.

Sherri says:

This is a book about my thirty-five years in child welfare. These stories about families run the gamut of emotions —- from funny to sad to exasperating. Most people, I have been told, have no idea what happens within the confidential juvenile dependency court. In these pages, you will find out what happens behind courtroom doors as well as read about abuse, rehabilitation, generational cycles, and poverty.

What I want is to have you, the reader, sit on the bench with me. I want you to see the hard work of protecting our most vulnerable population, but mostly to see that these are people. People who struggle with the same issues we all struggle with. Human beings trying to access dignity are recognized as worthy of help. These families often fail, but with our help, they can rise and succeed. If we can’t save the parents, we can and must fulfill our promise to the children entrusted to us to make their lives better before they leave the system. I hope my stories inspire you to think about what you can do to help families that are part of our American village.

Sherri is a retired Juvenile Court Referee who, besides volunteering with NCJW, has been teaching, "speeching," and preaching about children and families for over three decades. She was named the "California Juvenile Court Judge of the Year" in 2007. Please support her work, and learn something in the process!

Available NOW on Amazon!

Thursday, April 18: Harriette Ellis Worker Seder, 6 pm, Temple Israel. This worker justice annual event has been renamed in honor of our dearly departed Harriette Ellis z"l! We are supporting Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) and Temple Israel's Social Action Committee as they present the Harriette Ellis Worker Justice Seder. RSVP HERE.

Thursday, May 9: Board Meeting, 7 - 9 pm, Zoom. RSVP here.

Sunday, June 2: 78th Annual Charter Day!! Keep an eye out for your invitation for this fun and important event as we present the Hannah G. Solomon Award to JLB Interim CEO Deborah Goldfarb, install our new board, fundraise for our important work via an exciting silent auction, and enjoy each other with food, drink and camaraderie. For more info, email here.

Tuesday, June 4: Abortion Comfort Kit Packing, 6 pm, AJCC. Special guest Teri Hershberg will present her Courageous Conversation! For questions, email communityservice@ncjwlongbeach.org.

HOW TO REACH US

Email us at info@ncjwlongbeach.org, call (657) 235-2511, or send mail to NCJW - Greater Long Beach & West Orange County, 3801 E. Willow St., Long Beach, CA 90815. Please add this contact information to your contacts list.