NCJW May 2020 News and Events
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Another month has gone by. For my family, today is day 56 that we have been sheltering in place. I find that adaptability is key as some things are cancelled and others moved onto the virtual world of Zoom and FaceTime.
And while I am getting used to seeing people through the boxes of Zoom, I am so sad to announce that we are postponing our annual installation and awards celebration. There are many of you who I only see each year at that wonderful event and I look forward to a time we can be together again in person to celebrate those who have done a marvelous job at keeping NCJW a positive force in the community year after year.
As I said last month, please reach out and let us know how we can support you during these times. NCJW is
committed, now and always, to protecting women, children, families and vulnerable communities.
Be well,
Melissa Prober, Executive Director
NCJW Chicago North Shore
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Tributes
An NCJW Chicago North Shore Tribute is a thoughtful way to acknowledge a life event while supporting NCJW’s many valuable projects. You may purchase an individual tribute or packages of tribute cards.
To purchase Tributes visit
To: Beatrice Kahn
From: the NCJW CNS Board of Directors
Thinking of you at the difficult time
We Need Your News!
Whether you are celebrating a simcha or sharing your sorrow, your NCJW friends want to know! Email
info@ncjwcns.org
Questions, concern or just want to reach out to a friend, email
info@ncjwcns.org
and we can set up a virtual chat!
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Please welcome our new members:
- Cathy Lazarus
- Amy Shriberg
- Gillian Wolf
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An American Summer: Love & Death in Chicago
Monday, May 18, 2020, 6:30 pm
join your North Suburban and City Salon friends for the First Annual NCJW Chicago North Shore Book Discussion.
Our discussion will be facilitated by Eddie Bocanegra, Senior Director for the Heartland Alliance, who will share with us his work in violence prevention. Eddie's transformation is a major story in Alex Kotlowitz' book An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago. Registration will open on May 11.
Ensuring a Safe and Fair Election
Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 pm
Save the date for this important program
in our Promote the Vote 2020 series!
The first Tuesday in November, Election Day, as is written into the US Constitution, is key to democracy, and it has never been postponed. Is the election in jeopardy due to COVID 19? Hear from Matt Dietrich of the Illinois State Board of Elections how they are ensuring that the election will be safe, secure and fair in Illinois. The program is sponsored jointly by NCJW, NAACP and LWV Naperville.
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Annual Installation and Award Celebration
We are so sorry to have to postpone our annual Installation and Awards Celebration. We will be sending out information soon on virtual voting for our incoming board slate and we will be rescheduling a time to honor Cathy Carmody, Volunteer of the Year and Beth Najberg and Jill Lexier, Advocates of the Year. While we would love to be able to recognize Cathy, Beth and Jill ASAP for all of their hard work and achievements, we really want to be able to honor them in person and will do so as soon as possible!
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Disney's Frozen: The Broadway Musical
December 6, 2020; 1:00 pm
The
coolest
ticket on Broadway is coming to Chicago. Share a special event with your children, grandchildren or anyone who loves a battle between good and evil! Frozen is the timeless tale of two sisters, pulled apart by a mysterious secret. As one sister struggles to find her voice and harness her powers within, the other embarks on an epic adventure to bring her family together.
NCJW has a limited amount of tickets to the December 6, 1:00 matinee performance of Disney’s Frozen. The seats are located in the center balcony in rows F, G, & H. Disney’s FROZEN is recommended for ages 6+.
Click here for tickets
. If the performance is cancelled, all purchases will be given a full refund.
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Courts Matter Illinois Action Alert!
The Senate is coming back into session this week, but not to pass legislation that would help Americans impacted by COVID-19. Instead, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for this Wednesday to feature Justin Walker, nominee to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Walker was nominated for this powerful appeals court exactly three weeks after being sworn in as a district court judge, a position for which he was rated "Not Qualified” by the nonpartisan American Bar Association last year due to a lack of "any significant trial experience." Since then, he has only been a district court judge for six months and has presided over no trials that have gone to verdict or judgment.
In addition to this lack of experience, Walker has made it clear that he will not be an objective judge. He is a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act, and is an outspoken critic of the independent agencies that protect American consumers. This view is especially dangerous for someone nominated to the D.C. Circuit, the last resort for many decisions involving federal agencies. He also conducted 162 media interviews defending Kavanaugh and his character during that nomination process. You can learn more about Walker in this Alliance For Justice report.
We are asking you to stand up and express your outrage. Nominating a biased, anti-ACA nominee during a global pandemic is irresponsible and dangerous.
Call your Senators at (202) 224-3121 to demand they reject this nominee, and urge your friends in other states to do the same. Walker was unqualified for his first nomination, and the Senate must not make the same mistake twice.
#VoteSafe Digital Lobby Day- Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Sign up
here to participate in NCJW’s Digital Lobby Day on Wednesday May 20. Join NCJW and AEPhi us as we urge lawmakers to fund and implement comprehensive policies that expand voter registration, no-excuse absentee voting by mail, voter education, and safe in-person voting for remaining primaries and on Election Day. More information, including the schedule of events, different ways to take action, and social media graphics, will be included in our #VoteSafe digital lobby day toolkit. Be sure to sign up and invite your section members to sign up, too, to receive the toolkit and join us.
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Protecting Our Voting Superpower Requires Vote-By-Mail
The right to vote is one that’s often held up as sacred; today, it’s become a partisan political football. One simple solution offered by many to the conundrum of voting is all-mail voting, also called “vote-by-mail” or “vote-from-home.” In times when we are being told to stay home and maintain our distance, this sounds better and better.
So, why isn’t everyone making establishing a sound basis for November’s general election a priority? If we fail to do this, the chaos, fear, and anger (and probable lawsuits) that defined last week’s Wisconsin primary, where vote-by-mail was rejected, are highly likely to recur.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll that was conducted early last week found that 72 percent of all US adults, including 79 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of Republicans, supported a requirement for states to facilitate mail-in ballots as a way to protect voters in case of a continued spread of the respiratory disease later this year.
When Staying Home is Dangerous: Domestic Violence During Quarantine
COVID-19 has another terrifying side effect: a rise in domestic violence.
Kathryn Laughon, a professor in the University of Virginia School of Nursing who studies intimate partner violence, says the stay-at-home mandates in effect across the United States mean that violence and its cascade of ill effects – including physical abuse, mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder and even murder – are as deadly as the virus keeping us in quarantine.
Laughon answered questions about relationship violence, safety planning and what friends and family members of someone being abused can do.
Addressing Domestic Violence in the Jewish Community at this time of Covid-19
The time period between Passover and Shavuot reminds us that we were liberated from Egyptian slavery for freedom and to learn as a people committed to tzedek (justice) and chesed (lovingkindness). Yet, in this year of Covid-19, Passover may not have felt much like a celebration of freedom. Instead, it was an occasion for sadness to be present as our isolation was felt more deeply.
Imagine if one always experienced isolation and sadness. For those living in an abusive relationship, this is their reality. Imagine if one lived in an abusive relationship, not only during times of health and prosperity, but also during the time of Covid-19. For many, this is now their terrifying reality.
In an emergency such as the current one, abusers may more likely escalate violent behavior in an effort to assert a sense of control. As reported on April 10th by the Congressional Research Service in “Domestic Violence in the Context of Covid-19,” some law enforcement agencies have experienced an increase in reports of domestic violence (DV) while others cannot find the privacy to report. At the same time, police departments and courts are finding it more challenging to respond now.
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Update: Giving Tuesday Now!
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Because of the extreme generosity of our members and advocates, we raised just over $3,000 throu
gh Giving Tuesday Now. 100% of the donations (as well as the match) will be distributed to
The Nuestro Center,
I Grow Chicago
, and
The GardenWorks Project
. New hands-on community service projects with these three organizations are in the works. Email
info@ncjwcns.org
if you'd like to get involved with the planning!
Due to COVID-19,
54% of the families
served by the Nuestro Center have lost jobs or had hours drastically reduced. Your donation to the #NcjwcnsCares Fund will help provide these families with meals, medicine, medical care, and household necessities.
The mission of I Grow Chicago is to grow Englewood from surviving to thriving through community connection, skill building, and opportunity. I Grow Chicago has unrolled a 120-Day emergency response plan that ensures those they serve – 689 households – have what they need to survive this pandemic.
The GardenWorks Project promotes organic suburban agriculture in DuPage County, improving the well-being of their community, the environment, and those facing food insecurity.
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Update: NCJW Mother's Day Basket Project
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The NCJW Chicago North Shore Mother’s Day Project supports two area domestic violence shelters – the Downers Grove Domestic Violence Shelter run by the Family Shelter Services of Shore and Mary Lou’s Place run by the YWCA Evanston/North Shore.
Thanks to your generosity this year, NCJW was able to not only provide Mother's Day gifts for each resident of the shelters, but we will also be sending baskets of additional items to the shelters to distribute to residents through out the year.
Thank you again for your support and we hope you have a happy Mother's Day!
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Membership Renewal
Although we will not formally begin our membership renewal season until June 1, you can renew renew your annual membership now We hope all of our annual members will renew their membership for another year. All NCJW annual memberships run from July 1 through June 30. Renew or join today for $50 and your membership will valid through June 30, 2021.
Your support makes it possible for NCJW to create meaningful social change for women, children, and families locally, nationally and internationally. Together with you, NCJW will empower women to educate their communities, mobilize the grassroots, and advocate for fundamental rights and freedoms.
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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!
Put your dollars to work immediately by making a fast, secure online donation. Choose a one-time donation or give monthly and become an NCJW Sustaining Advocate.
Honor a family member, colleague, friend, or loved one by giving a gift to NCJW.
Looking for a gift or just a different way to support NCJW?
When you shop through AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Choose National Council of Jewish Women Chicago North Shore
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.
Want to ensure NCJW's legacy for years to come? Are you a life member and want to extend your support in perpetuity? Have you thought out a bequest to NCJW? Already have a bequest to NCJW? Please let us know that you put us in your will so we can acknowledge you!! Email
info@ncjwcns.org.
Just as a reminder - while our mailing address is still 5 Revere Drive, Suite 200 Northbrook, IL 60062, we no longer maintain a physical office there are are not able to accept donations of items for Luggage for Freedom or JCAST Chicago at the office. If you have items to drop off, please email
luggageforfreedom@ncjwcns.org
or
info@jcastchicago.org
to make arrangements. Also, please be sure to always include the suite number (suite 200) when sending us anything through the mail to avoid mail being returned to you. Thank you for your understanding and support!
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