HAPPY NEW YEAR VOLUNTEERS!! I’m so excited to share that as of 1/5/24, we have 910,946 verified petitions! And we hit the requirement in 17 CDs! We did it!!

Volunteers collected over 250,000 petitions for this campaign, and the grassroots component of this initiative is critical to showing the state (and country) how much this issue matters to people. I encourage everyone to share with their networks, as broadcasting our achievements will help us get the support we need in the coming months to be successful in securing reproductive justice for all Floridians.

Thank you again for your tireless commitment to achieving this goal. I will soon be in touch to let you know about what’s next for the campaign!!

Mindy Aguirre 

Contact Mindy Aguirre- mindyagurre@gmail.com or

Jen Resnick-  jensresnick@gmail.com for more information 

Press Statement from NCJW:

NCJW Hails Israeli Supreme Court Decision to Reject First Part of Judicial Overhaul and Uphold Democracy

NCJW applauds today’s ruling from the Israeli Supreme Court, championing democracy by rejecting legislation that aimed to strip the court of its authority to overturn government decisions as unreasonable. The Supreme Court’s decision safeguards the rights of women, Palestinians, the LGBTQ+ community, and other minorities who would be most impacted without these checks of power in place.

From our CEO giving the first English speech at the main protest stage in Tel Aviv, to the thousands of NCJW advocates signing onto letters we sent to the Israeli government, to the advocates and sections who raised more than $100,000 for NCJW’s Israel Granting Program (Kendall Section donated towards this grant) to support feminist organizations leading the protest movement.

We will be observing Repro Shabbat again this year. Please save the date. This year we will be asking area synagogues to share the message that reproductive justice is a Jewish value and that the Torah tells us in many ways that abortion is healthcare and it should be accessible to all. 

Sign up to have a Repro Shabbat at your home. We will provide you with resources to help make your Shabbat a more meaningful experience. 

Contact Mindy Finkelman mindyfinkelman@gmail.com or Marcia Reisman marcia@terryandmarcia.com      

https://www.jewsforabortionaccess.org/resources

Stay tuned for further information.

Florida is a beautiful place to live. Join other advocates and help to restore it as a safe, welcoming and just place to live for all. NCJW Sections from across Florida will once again join advocates from other faiths for InterFaith Tallahassee Advocacy Days. NCJW co-founded this action as a means to demonstrate that progressive values can be found in faith-based organizations. Not all faiths subscribe to the narrow view guiding the future of Florida at this time. Participants will meet with like-minded advocates, lawmakers (on both sides of the aisle), organization leaders and government officials.

CONTACT: MINDY AGUIRE:  mindyaguirre@gmail.com about possible stipends available to help with the costs of travel.

Here is the registration link for the session and the "office hours" session. You must register to receive the Zoom link. Many thanks, and please let us know if you have any further questions: action@ncjw.org. 

• "Eastern Time" Session: Thursday, Jan 11 @ 3:30 pm PT/ 5:30 pm CT/ 6:30 pm ET
• ‘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.

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. 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. 

Many thanks, and hope to see you there,

Laila

Laila Hirschfeld (she/her)

Director of Engagement and Leadership, NCJW

Contact: lhirschfeld@ncjw.org |C: 202-669-1320

A special thank you to: Michele Stone, Karen Waas, Debbie Gomberg, Sally Russomanno, Janet Trallins, Ana Rubin, Eileen Faar, and Carole Bernstein for their generous dinner donations to the residents at Casa Valentina.

This past year the girls have been treated to delicious Italian, Chinese, and barbecue dinners. They send their sincere thanks to Kendall Section for their generosity and support.

This is a one-time commitment, and it is that much more fun to do with a friend. If you are interested in providing dinner for 15 girls on the third Tuesday of the month, please contact me.

The following dates are available: February 20th, March 19th, April 16th, May 21st and June 18th.

Thank you,

Susan Malca

suzbow33@gmail.com

Exchange for Change is a non-profit educational organization, created by its founder and Executive director Kathy Klarreich. The vision of the program is to give incarcerated men and women an opportunity to experience language, literature and creative writing, and communication skill building, all college credit courses, to find a pathway to self-expression, dignity and self-worth.

If anyone is interested in going for a tour of the Women's Correctional Institute in Homestead and/or leading a weekly class for the next semester there is information through exchange-for-change.org

For those who are interested in visiting or more information, please contact: Jen Resnick at jensresnick@gmail.com

To keep track of ALL of our EVENTS go on our webpage at www.ncjwkendall.org

or click here

The next scheduled Newsletter will be published January 19th. Please make sure all articles and photos are submitted by January 17th.

Please email all submissions to kendallncjw@gmail.com with the word "Newsletter" in the subject area.