NCJW April 2022 News and Events
Wednesday 60. Thursday 40. There is nothing like springtime in Chicago!

To us at NCJW, Spring means it's time for our annual Mother's Day Basket Project. This initiative means so much to the women spending Mother's Day in DV shelters in our community and even more so now as we begin to emerge from the pandemic.There was a dramatic increase in domestic violence calls during COVID19. The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline saw a 16% increase in the number of calls they received but so many women, stuck at home with their abusers, were unable to call and receive help. Domestic Violence shelters, in order to keep their residents safe, often had to provide alternative housing. It was a difficult time for all involved. Our annual Mother's Day Initiative helps bring a little joy to the women staying in Shelters over the Mother's Day Holiday and thanks to the past generosity of our NCJW members, volunteers and supporters, we will be able to increase the reach of this valuable project to include several additional shelters in the Chicagoland area. If you would like to participate in our Mother's Day Project, see the information further below in this email or visit our website.
Support the NCJW Mother's Day Basket Project!

Help make this a special Mother’s Day for women living in domestic violence shelters while honoring a special person in your life.

The NCJW Chicago North Shore Mother’s Day Project supports two area domestic violence shelters which serve women and their children who are victims of domestic violence by providing housing, meals, counseling and other personal essentials. The women at the shelters so often arrive with little more than the clothes they are wearing. We fill Mother’s Day baskets with many items we take for granted each day: shampoo, conditioner, body soap, lotions, gift certificates, chocolates and other items that would be “luxuries” for them at this time. Help make this a special Mother’s Day for the women at the shelter, and at the same time, honor a special woman in your life.

For each donation of at least $18.00, we will send a Mother’s Day card to your mother, aunt, daughter or anyone else you choose. She will know that in her honor, NCJW delivered baskets and best wishes to the women at the shelters –a double mitzvah. Or, you may wish to send a card in memory of a loved one –and their memory shall be a blessing. Click here to order online. If you prefer to mail a check, please make your donation no later than *April 25* so we can mail your card(s) on time! Click here to download an order form and send a check made out to the NCJW Chicago North Shore (NCJWCNS) to: NCJW Chicago North Shore, 5 Revere Drive, Suite 200, Northbrook, IL 60062.
Please Welcome our Newest Members:

  • Amy Rashkow, Karolyn Rubin

Condolences
  • To the family of our life member Irvina Warren
  • To our member Robbie Schreiber on the loss of her mother Selma
  • To our member Jill Katlin on the loss of her mother-in-law Fay Katlin


Let's Celebrate some April Birthdays!
(Did we miss your birthday? Click here to update your membership information or email info@ncjwcns.org)

  • Lauren Absler, Dawn Brent, Lorna Cohen, Lisa Goldberg, Jackie Greenbaum, Ellen Gussin, Marla Kalish, Barb Schwimmer, Margo Spitz, Debbie Vietinghoff, Bonnie Weisman, Judy Whellan
NCJW Tribute Cards
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.
To: Robbie Schneider 
From: Cheryl and Ted Banks
In Memory of Selma Hoffman
 
To: Robbie Schneider 
From: Gail and Andrew Brown
In memory of Selma Hoffman
 
To: Robbie Schreiber
From: Helen Salwen
In memory of Selma Hoffman
 
To: Jessica Kim
From: John Katz-Marini
In memory of Selma Hoffman
 
To: Harriet Fierbert
From: Barbara Grunes and Dorothy Grunes
In Memory of Irving Fierbert
 
To: Robbie and Scott Schreiber 
From: Betsy and Daniel Nickow
In memory of Selma Hoffman 
 
To: Robbie and Scott Schreiber
From: Amy Rubin
In memory of Selma Hoffman 
 
To: Robbie and Scott Schreiber
From: Beverly Copeland
 In memory of Selma Hoffman
To: Robbie and Scott Schreiber
From: Jody & Howard Sigal
In memory of Selma Hoffman
 
To: Karel Wolfson
From: Phyllis Glassman
In honor of Karel Wolfson
 
To: Robbie Schreiber
From: Grace Rapkin
In memory of Selma Hoffman
 
To: Debbie Hoffman & family
From: Donna Gutman
In memory of Albert Hoffman

To: Ernesto Zepeda and Sandra Suffian Zepeda
From: Anita Gurwitz
In honor of your grandson

To: Gail Truger
From: Debbie Vietinghoff
In memory of Robert Drucker

To Robbie Schreiber
From Debbie Vietinghoff
In memory of Selma Hoffman
Just a brief note to acknowledge Melissa Prober as she prepares to set off on a new adventure. While it is, without question, hard to see Melissa go, we're excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for her, and we are ever grateful for all that she has brought to NCJW CNS. It's impossible to thank her enough, so we'll just start off with Thank You and Best of Luck to You.
Click here to watch our tribute to Melissa.
NCJW Spotlight: Sex Trafficking: Can it happen to people like us?
Monday, April 25, 7:00 pm CT

Sex trafficking is not something that happens only in some neighborhoods or only to other people. Traffickers, who are most often known by their victims, strategically identify and target vulnerable people including children and youth. They pretend to understand and care. They offer emotional support or material things like nice clothes, a place to live, or a path to “get rich quick.”

Join us for an important conversation about how to talk to our children and grandchildren about what a healthy relationship looks like, interrupting unhealthy behaviors, identifying when unhealthy shifts to trafficking, and how advocating for a society that prioritizes eliminating family violence, homelessness, poverty, and racism is the best way of combating sex trafficking. 

Register for this Spotlight here.
NCJW Washington Institute
May 15-17
Washington DC and Virtually

Washington Institute 2022 is a powerful conference for everyone on their social justice journey! Whether you’re passionate about NCJW’s education, community service, advocacy work, or all of the above, this conference is for you. Join us as we take Washington, DC by storm! Washington Institute 2022 is a reimagined opportunity for new and seasoned advocates from National Council of Jewish Women to come together. Over three days, we will learn new skills and tools, advance our collective mission, and make our voices heard. With so much at stake for abortion access, voting rights, childcare, equal pay, and the integrity of the federal courts, it’s more important than ever for Jewish people and allies to join forces and build collective power for change. Click here for more information on how you can participate.
Women of Vision Awards Dinner
Tuesday, June 7, 2022, 6:00 pm CT
East Bank Club, 500 N Kingsbury, Chicago

Join us as we celebrate and honor three amazing women: Jane Ramsey, Hannah G Solomon Award Recipient; Betty Magness, Jane Addams Award Recipient; and Donna Fishman, Innovative Leadership Award Recipient. Our moderator for the evening will be Laura Washington, renowned journalist with the Chicago Sun Times. 
Sponsorship and Host Committee opportunities available. Proceeds go towards continuing the social policy and activism work of NCJW Chicago North Shore.
For more information and to register click here.
NCJW Soup Kitchen at First Methodist Church
Thursday, June 9, 4:00 — 8:00 pm CT
First United Methodist Church, 516 Church Street, 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 First United Methodist Church 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. Depending on the status of the pandemic, the format of Soup Kitchen may be altered. Contact Ellen with any questions at Ellenyhall@aol.com.
Greater Chicago Jewish Festival
Sunday, June 12, 11:00 am-6:00 pm CT
St. Paul Woods, 6594 Oakton St, Chicago

The Greater Chicago Jewish Festival celebrates the large Jewish community of the Chicagoland area with a day of entertainment, nosh and crafts. The event is open to the public and features over forty artists and crafters displaying their one-of-a-kind works, twenty traditional and contemporary Jewish musical acts, authentic dishes and photo contests as well as inflatables and a petting zoo for the kids. The Festival is the largest Jewish cultural event in Chicago and the largest ongoing Jewish festival in America. NCJW CNS is a sponsoring organization and will have a table at the Festival - stop by and visit us! Please check here for details as they become available.
NCJW Soup Kitchen at Beth Emet Synagogue
Wednesday, June 22, 4:00 pm — 8:00 pm CT
Beth Emet Synagogue, 1224 Dempster St., 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. Depending on the status of the pandemic, the format of Soup Kitchen may be altered. Contact Ellen with any questions at Ellenyhall@aol.com.
Meet Our 2022 Jane Addams Award Recipient: C. E. Betty Magness 

The Jane Addams Award is presented to a woman who has contributed to the improvement of human rights and impacted social policy to better the lives of others, fighting against poverty, discrimination, and violence. This award commemorates the spirit of Nobel Prize winner Jane Addams, founder of the Social Work profession in the United States. Addams was a close friend and ally of Hannah G. Solomon. 
We are proud to announce that this year, Civil Rights/Political Activist, C. E. Betty Magness, will be honored with this award. 
Betty graduated Hyde Park High School and attended Wilson Jr. College in Chicago. Her first effort to fight back against racism and harassment occurred in the Campus Shop while attending Wilson Jr. College where she participated in her first picket line. This was the beginning of a new life of fighting for the rights of her people. Her career in civil rights began in 1968 as a volunteer at S.C.L.C Operation Breadbasket. As a volunteer, then staff member, she worked at Black Expo, picketed and marched. For decades, Betty has worked and consulted for key local, state and national politicians. She tirelessly works to increase voter registration and promote Get Out The Vote (GOTV). The consummate volunteer, she currently serves as the Director of Protocol and teaches at the Political Institute at Rainbow/PUSH National Headquarters. She has been Midwestern Regional Director of the “Jesse Jackson 88” Presidential campaign, Facilitator for the 1996 Democratic National Committee Training Academy, and she was the first African American elected State Chair of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO). Betty is still active and serves as a Founding Board member of the Black Women’s Expo of Chicago. She is also a proud member of NCJW Chicago North Shore.
Given her lifelong service to civil right and political change, she has been a recipient of numerous awards: the Rainbow PUSH Community Service for over 40 years of service, Rainbow/PUSH Advocacy Award at the Annual Women’s Luncheon, the Phenomenal Woman Award from the Black Women’s Expo, the 2005 Ida Platt Award from the Cook County Bar Association, the Saul Mendelson Social Justice Award and Edwin Astrin Special Service Award from IVI-IPO, Distinguished Leadership Award from God First Ministries, the Fellowship M.B. Church Pastor’s 45th Anniversary Christian Heritage Award. Betty was featured in Deric A. Gilliard’s book: Living in the Shadows of a Legend, Unsung Heroes and “Sheroes” Who Marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In March 2010 she received the Chicago Freedom Sister Award for her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement from the Board of Trustees of the DuSable Museum of African American History & Macy’s Department Stores. As part of Women’s History Month in 2011, the Elmhurst College Women of Justice Tea recognized Betty as a woman who dedicated much of her life to social justice issues. In April 2011 she received the Lou Della Evans Reid Traditional Gospel Choir Faithful Service Award.
Betty retired after 20 years from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Child Support Division where she received the Leadership Award as Asst. Chief Deputy Clerk of Customer Service. She is currently employed as the Illinois Political Director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. 
For decades, Betty has celebrated Bloody Sunday crossing the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma Alabama, missing only once due to COVID restrictions. She has traced her ancestry back to 1825 when her enslaved aunts, ages 14 & 15 were lynched. 
A widow with two sons, Rev. Tony Land and Michael V. Magness, and four grandchildren, Betty has been an active member of Fellowship M.B. Church for the last 49 years and sings in the Combined Choirs and the renowned Lou Della Evans Reid Traditional Gospel Choir. 
Please join us at our Women of Vision Gala on June 7, 2022, to celebrate Betty’s achievements and contributions along with our other two awardees, Jane Ramsey and Donna Fishman.
MISSED A PROGRAM?
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.
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.
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!
Support NCJW
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.