NCJW January 2022 News and Events |
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Let's Toast to a New Year and
to New Beginnings
2021 was challenging. The pandemic settled in for the long haul and brought with it a whole new bunch of Greek letters (I didn't even know there was an Omicron). And we had some major disappointments out of Texas and Mississippi. But we had some victories too - the repeal of the dangerous PNA and most recently the repeal of the outdated medically unnecessary requirement that forced patients to visit a medical facility in person to pick up mifepristone, a drug used in early abortion and miscarriage care. But I believe that with challenge comes opportunity and that in 2022 we will have the opportunity to create positive, progressive change in our communities and around the globe.
2022 is a time for new beginnings for me and for NCJW. I joined NCJW as a life member back in 2004 and in 2006 started working for NCJW CNS just a few hours each week maintaining the section membership database. Over the years I have had a number of roles - Membership Coordinator, Membership and Communications Director, and most recently Executive Director. My title changed over the years but never my commitment to NCJW Chicago North Shore and our mission of ensuring dignity for all through education, advocacy and service. I am very thankful for the time that I have spent working with and learning from some of the most amazing women I have ever had the pleasure to know, but it is time for change and time for me to move on.
This fiscal year will be my last with NCJW Chicago North Shore. I plan to stay on staff through the spring and help make a smooth transition to someone new. NCJW women make change happen. I am so very thankful for the many years I have spent being a part of this community of progressive changemakers. Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place. I hope our paths continue to cross in the future as we work to make a meaningful difference in our communities, our country, and around the globe.
Yours, with faith in the future,
Melissa Prober, Executive Director, NCJW Chicago North Shore
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Please Welcome our Newest Members:
- Amy Sherman, Joanne Marwil, Anita Gewurz
Let's Celebrate some January Birthdays!
- Bev Frank, Sarah Hirsen, Judith Homer, Sara Kurensky, Dena Nudelman, Melissa Prober, Laurie Rose, Jan Schwartz, Laura Welch, Cynthia Wolfson
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You can honor and celebrate a special event in you or a loved one's life by purchasing an NCJW tribute. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and personal wins - big or small - are all great ways to honor and celebrate those we love and are most proud of.
To order a tribute, visit our donate page where you can use the donate form to indicate that you would like a Tribute card be sent. You will also find a link there to order packages of Tribute cards to have on hand for any special occasion. |
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To: Melissa Prober
From: Beth Najberg;
Message: In honor of Melissa Prober
To: Jan Schwartz
From: Beth Najberg
Message: In honor of Jan Schwartz
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To: Giselle Mosnaim
From Anita Gewurz
In honor of Giselle Mosnaim
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Membership and Communications Coordinator
Remote / Part time
Job Overview: The Membership and Communications Coordinator will develop and disseminate all communications to members, volunteers, donors, program participants, coalition partners, and the Board of Directors and will ensure that all messaging is consistent with NCJW’s mission statement. The Membership and Communications Coordinator will also work to attract new members, maintain membership and donor database, and communicate with NCJW National office regarding membership and other administrative issues.
Responsibilities and Duties
- Manage development, distribution, and maintenance of all print and electronic communications to members and potential members, including but not limited to newsletter, event promotion, fundraising campaigns, brochures, annual report, e-newsletter.
- Maintain webpage – ensure that new and consistent information is posted regularly.
- Liaison with NCJW, Inc. by attending online trainings, leadership meetings, and conferences (some travel required).
- Support organization programming.
- Provide Zoom tech support for all virtual programming.
- Attend and provide reports at Board meetings and other meetings as requested.
- Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable administration.
Requirements
- Self-starter, able to work independently, enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives.
- Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
- Sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including Board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and supporters.
- Experience with marketing databases and tools.
- Experience with social media marketing and web page maintenance.
- Knowledge of QuickBooks preferred.
- Able to work evenings as needed.
Compensation and benefits:
- Work Remotely
- Flexible Hours
- Part-time: 25 hours per week
- $25/per hour
- 2 weeks paid vacation and 1 week paid sick leave per year
To apply: Please submit cover letter, resume, and writing sample to Careers@ncjwcns.org
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JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival: Belly of the Beast Panel
Sunday, January 23, 2022, 7:00 pm CT
Join us for a screening and panel discussion of the film Belly of the Beast.
When a courageous young woman and a radical lawyer discover a pattern of illegal sterilizations in California’s women’s prisons, they wage a near-impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. This shocking legal drama captured over 7 years features extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, demanding attention to a shameful and ongoing legacy of eugenics and reproductive injustice in the United States.
NCJW Spotlight on Reproductive Justice
Monday, January 24, 2022, 7:00 pm CT
Can We Talk? About Abortion? Start 2022 with a new look at reproductive rights!
Sarah Hirsen will update us on 73Forward, https://www.73forward.org, NCJW’s national movement for abortion justice. Chicago North Shore section is proud to be a participating section. Sarah will also summarize what Illinois is doing to help out-of-state people who want an abortion. Emily Bridges, Head of Brand Impact and Communications at www.advocatesforyouth.org, will then share “evolving messaging,” which is how to talk about abortion and reproductive rights with a new generation and new political landscape. This will be very interactive. Please check here to register and for more information on this particular Spotlight program.
Confronting the Rise of School Board Disruptions
Thursday, January 27, 2022, 7:00 pm CT
Throughout the country and in Illinois, we have seen the rise of well-funded disinformation campaigns targeting school boards and educators.
This virtual event will focus on the following questions: Who’s behind the disinformation campaign around masks/vaccines mandates, an erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, and the way race is being taught in our schools? How can we band together to support our school boards and staff who are being threatened and to protect public education?
Hear from an excellent panel and connect with others around Illinois who are organizing in their communities to stand up for inclusion, safety, and teaching a full and accurate history in our schools that protects all students.
For more information and to register for this virtual event, click here. |
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NCJW's Repro Shabbat: January 28-29
Repro Shabbat is an opportunity for congregations, organizations, and communities to celebrate the critical importance of reproductive health access, reproductive rights, and reproductive justice, and to learn more about Judaism’s approach to these issues. Timed with Parshat Mishpatim, the Torah portion that outlines Judaism’s perspective on abortion, NCJW’s Repro Shabbat is an opportunity for congregations, organizations, communities, and families to celebrate the critical importance of reproductive health access, reproductive rights, and reproductive justice, and to learn more about Judaism’s approach to these issues. If you'd like to help reach out to local clergy and encourage them to either join Rabbis for Repro or host an NCJW Repro Shabbat program at their synagogue, email melissa@ncjwcns.org and we can get you started.
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Ring in the new year with a ‘Taste of NCJW’!
Tuesday, February 8, 2022, 7:0o pm - 8:30 pm CT
NEW to NCJW? Want to reconnect? Join us on Zoom,
from the toasty comfort of your home, as we ring in the
new year with a ‘Taste of NCJW’! We’ll share the joy and fulfillment that NCJW has to offer, while reviewing some favorite recipes to stave off winter doldrums! Click here for more information as it becomes available.
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Soup Kitchen at First United Methodist, 516 Church St., Evanston, IL
Thursday, February 10, 2022, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm CT
Volunteers and donations are needed for this Soup Kitchen, which is part of an ongoing collaboration between NCJW and First United Methodist Church to provide free meals to the area’s homeless and working poor. Due to COVID protocols, meals cannot currently be prepared in the church kitchen so we are seeking donations to cover the cost of catered dinners. We need 2 volunteers to prepare sack lunches at home to be dropped on February 10. We also need 4 volunteers on site to distribute meals to guests. To sign up to help, please contact Ellen Hall at ellenyhall@aol.com. To donate to cover the cost of meals, please visit Donate - Chicago North Shore (ncjwcns.org) and indicate your donation is for the Soup Kitchen.
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Tea Talk with Rabbi Ruttenberg: Channeling Strong Emotions into Powerful Change
Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 12:30 pm CT
The feelings we experience when reading the endless onslaught of today’s news can be powerful fuel for our social justice work. When we stay tuned in to our emotional response, avoid compassion fatigue, and lean into the full range of emotions that come with living in challenging times, we can use our grief, anger, and joy as tools for change. Join NCJW’s Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg to discuss how we can use emotional power and energy to strengthen our social justice work and sustain us for the long haul.
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NCJW Spotlight on Homelessness: Advocating for the Homeless
Monday, February 28, 2022, 7:00 pm CT
Advocating works! Join us in February for a follow up to our November program on the face of homelessness with a spotlight on homeless advocacy. For this program, we will hear from two persons who received assistance from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. They will share with us how their advocacy helped create Bring Chicago Home, “a grassroots movement of Chicagoans committed to creating a dedicated revenue stream to combat homelessness in Chicago.”
Please check here for registration and and information about this particular Spotlight program as it becomes available.
Click here for information on Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
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Did you miss a program or wish you could rewatch or share it with a friend? Visit our YouTube Channel for recordings of many of our Zoom Programs from the last year. |
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Happy 2022 to All:
We have a busy 2022 planned for our Community Services, and welcome you to join us for our many projects and programs. You can find information on all of our work supporting women, children and families at SERVICE - Chicago North Shore (ncjwcns.org)
In January, we will be collecting donations for our Mother's Day Gift Bags for domestic abuse survivors. On Monday, January 17, NCJW will be participating in the City of Highland Park's 13th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service. From 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, NCJW will take part in the donation line collecting items that will be used for our Mother’s Day Project.
In February, volunteers and donations are needed as we support the Soup Kitchen at First United Methodist Church in Evanston on Thursday, February 10, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. To sign up to help, please contact Ellen Hall at ellenyhall@aol.com. To donate to cover the cost of meals, please visit Donate - Chicago North Shore (ncjwcns.org) and indicate your donation is for the Soup Kitchen.
We are excited to begin a new partnership with Congregation BJBE to raise awareness of Human Trafficking Month. Please visit www.jcastchicago.org for more information on our work to raise awareness of modern day slavery.
I’d like to thank the volunteers and supporters who helped make 2021 a year of service for NCJW. Just in November and December, we received an outpouring of donations of books for local children and young adults who are coping with the trauma of gun violence in their lives and donations of warm weather items for individuals served by the Night Ministry.
Stay tuned for more NCJW Gives Back announcements throughout the year.
Donna Fishman, Community Services Director
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Service Project
Monday, January 17, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Highland Park Country Club Parking Lot
1201 Park Ave West, Highland Park, IL 60035
The City of Highland Park’s Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service will take place virtually again this year on January 17. NCJW will be participating in the donation line from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm collecting items that will be used to fill the Mother’s Day Gift Bags for women/families in area shelters for Mother’s Day.
Please donate any of the following items (all donations must be NEW items):
fleece blankets/throws, pillows, travel size toiletries, regular size shampoo and conditioner, body wash, body lotion, deodorant, tooth brushes, tooth paste, nail polish, nail files, clippers, combs and hairbrushes, perfume, scarves, socks, puzzle books (for adults), decks of cards, plastic flip flops, small activity items (games/cards/etc.) for school-aged children.
Monetary donations will also be accepted.
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Every year since 2010, as decreed by presidential proclamation, January is a time to raise awareness and educate about the different forms of human trafficking. JCAST (Jewish Community Against Sex Trafficking) joins the chorus of voices recognizing January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. As confirmed by the U.S. Department of State, human trafficking threatens public safety and security, undermines the rule of law, and most sadly, robs millions of their dignity and freedom. Traffickers are skilled at ensnaring people of all ages, genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds from both urban and rural settings. By some estimates, as many as 24.9 million people — adults and children — are trapped in some form of human trafficking around the world, including in the United States. Instability caused by natural disasters, conflict, or a pandemic can increase opportunities for traffickers to exploit others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, traffickers continue to harm people and even capitalize on the chaos.
What can you do to stop human trafficking? Be well-informed. Follow news stories about human trafficking around the world. Be a conscientious consumer. Find out more about who may have picked your tomatoes or made your clothes at ResponsibleSourcingTool.org, or check out the Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. Encourage companies to take steps to prevent human trafficking in their supply chains and publish the information, including supplier or factory lists. Let your local, state, and federal officials know you care about combating trafficking. Be aware of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888). Trafficking victims, whether they are U.S. citizens or not, are eligible for services and immigration assistance.
JCAST works to eradicate sex trafficking in the Chicagoland area through public awareness, community engagement, and advocacy at local, state and national levels. Inspired by Jewish values, we partner with interfaith and human rights groups, non-profit organizations, government officials, and law enforcement agencies. NCJW founded JCAST Chicago in 2014 as part of its commitment to ensuring that everyone can live a life free from coercion, violence, and exploitation.
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Thank You!
Thanks to everyone who generously donated several large boxes of new books for our NCJW Gives Back December collection for Mothers Against Community Gun Violence (MACGV). Learn more about all NCJW Chicago North Shore community service projects at SERVICE - Chicago North Shore (ncjwcns.org)
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Hanger Project Reproductive Justice Charms
Abortion is a racial justice issue. It is an economic justice issue. It is a public health issue. We must continue to advocate for access to abortion so that everyone, not just those in positions of privilege, can make their own health care decisions with dignity. NCJW has been advocating for reproductive rights, health and justice for over 125 years. And for any donation of $36 or more, we will will send you a Hanger Project charm to symbolize the desperate acts women will take when they don’t have access to safe abortion care. No woman should EVER have to resort to a coat hanger in place of safe, quality healthcare. Click here to donate. |
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Membership - Are you up to date?
Annual Member? Most NCJW annual memberships expired on June 30? Click here to join, renew or gift a membership online. If you prefer to mail a check, please send your membership donation to the NCJW Chicago North Shore (NCJWCNS) to: NCJW Chicago North Shore, 5 Revere Drive, Suite 200, Northbrook, IL 60062. Your annual membership donation is only $50 but it helps us make such a difference! And for those 36 and under, we offer a special double chai membership rate of just $36!
Life Member? You're not just a life member because you made that life member donation back in the day - you are a life member because you are the heart and soul of our section! Is there someone in your life that you think would enjoy being a part of our group of motivated, fun, and thoughtful women? A collective of folks connecting with each other and learning together as a community of progressive change-makers. If you do, why not gift them a membership!
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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), you can even purchase an NCJW star necklace or hanger charm or become a monthly donor!
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.
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