It's October and there are only 33 days to election day. No matter where, when or how you plan to vote, we've got resources for you. Visit NCJWvotes and find links to register to vote and to check to make sure that you are still registered! You can also find your voting place and learn what is on your ballot no matter what state you are in! And, you can text @ncjwvotes to 81010 to sign up for voting reminders.

Voting is our superpower! And last month we lost a super hero, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Notorious RBG was a judicial giant and we mourn the loss of her progressive voice. Although we often say may their memory be a blessing, in the case of Justice Ginsburg, may her memory be a revolution. And to that end, you can honor RBG by voting and by joining #RuthsRevolution and continue Justice Ginsburg’s legacy by advocating for a fair, independent, and qualified judiciary. Visit courtsmatter.org to sign a petition, contact your Senators, send a message of condolence and more.

Revolutions don't just happen. They require action! Take action today!

You should have received your print newsletter in your mailboxes around mid-September. If you didn't receive a copy (and you are a member of NCJW Chicago North Shore), please email info@ncjwcns.org and we will get one out to you.

Join National Council of Jewish Women Chicago North Shore for a symbolic Jewish ritual to conclude the initial period of mourning the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first Jewish woman to serve on the US Supreme Court and a champion for women, children, and families. This program will be live-streamed on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ncjwcns. If you would like to attend in person (Hamrs Woods, Skokie), please click here to register by 9am on Friday morning and we will send you location information.

NCJW is partnering with Vote Forward to write letters to voters in targeted states urging them to vote this election day. Sign up at https://votefwd.org/ncjw to get approved to receive a list of voter addresses a few days before our event. Gather your supplies: printer paper, blue pen, envelopes, snacks and a glass of wine. We’ll have a social hour together and chat while we write our letters. Click here to register and to join us on the October 7th Zoom Party.

Join Courts Matter Illinois for an important and informative webinar on why courts matter to reproductive rights. This webinar is especially timely given the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the nomination of an strongly anti-choice individual to fill her seat. The webinar is free but requires registration.

Click here to register.

Sponsors include Chicago Women Take Action, National Council of Jewish Women Chicago North Shore, National Council of Jewish Women South Cook, National Council of Jewish Women State Policy Committee, The American Constitution Society – Illinois, National Employment Lawyers Association Illinois, and the Citizen Advocacy Center.

Presented by NCJW, Hadassah, and JWI

Come together with Jewish women and allies across America for a special celebration of voting. Join us to welcome Shabbat and get excited about voting in the final weeks before the 2020 election. Our vote is our voice and it is incumbent on all of us to do everything in our power to ensure every voice is heard in our democracy. Closed captioning will be provided. Click here to register.

Join us for a robust discussion. For more information as it becomes available and to register, visit https://ncjwcns.org/events/salon101920/

Join us as we explore the topic of abortion. We will discuss feminist views of abortion from the perspectives of multiple generations of Jewish women around advocacy for abortion rights, views of the threat to the right to obtain an abortion, and views of a potential post-Roe U.S. 

Carole Levine and Ilana Schreiber, representing two generations of NCJW activists, will share perspectives as well as give us a legislative update and perspective on how the Supreme Court may rule on abortion access cases in the future, depending on the make-up of the court. For more information and to register visit https://ncjwcns.org/events/salon102120.

Visit https://ncjwcns.org/events/redlined for more information and to register.

NCJW Gives Back is a new Community Service initiative of NCJW Chicago North Shore during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our ongoing service projects are currently altered or on hold. Instead, NCJW Gives Back’s mission is to collect and donate items needed by Chicago and Suburban residents who are especially impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. To maintain the health and safety of all of our community service volunteers, these are a NO-TOUCH activities!

Soap - Shampoo - Conditioner - Lotion - Deodorant - Toothbrush - Toothpaste - Dental floss

To obtain collection and contact information, please go to our website: https://ncjwcns.org/ncjw-gives-back-october or email: communityservice@ncjwcns.org.

NCJW Gives Back is continuing the Community Service initiative of NCJW Chicago North Shore during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCJW Gives Back service theme in November will be Food Insecurity.  November is the month to celebrate Thanksgiving.  

Please check our website:https://ncjwcns.org/programs/ncjw-gives-back or email communityservice@ncjwcns.org in the next few weeks to obtain collection and contact information for our next initiative.

NCJW is thrilled to let you know that we have over 900 clergy representing 40 states (plus DC and the Virgin Islands!) who signed the #RabbisforRepro pledge. Our next goal is 1000 signers representing all 50 states. Here are the states we’re missing: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and West Virginia. If you know clergy and leaders in those states, please spread the word. And if your clergy is missing from the list, contact them and ask them to sign on. Click here for sample language and social media

Voting during a pandemic is complicated, but Illinois is rising to the occasion. The state’s emergency election law provides multiple ways for you to vote safely, by mail or in person, on Election Day or in the weeks before.

Are you worried about long lines in your precinct on Nov. 3? Take advantage of expanded early voting hours or request a no-excuse-needed absentee ballot to vote by mail. Don’t trust the post office to deliver your ballot on time? Take it to a secure drop box instead. Need someone to deliver it for you? The new law has that covered, too. And if you change your mind about that mail ballot, you can surrender it at your polling

place and vote in person.

If you’re most comfortable voting in your neighborhood precinct on Election Day,

know that sanitation and social distancing will be enforced, for the safety of voters and poll workers alike. Still, the more people who vote early or by mail, the less congestion in the precincts on Nov. 3.

NCJW CNS convened the Promote the Vote Illinois Coalition with Section Board Member Jan Schwartz as its chair. Click here for Frequently Asked Questions or contact vote@ncjwcns.org for more information.

Follow the 4 Rs so you are ready to vote: Register, Request, Receive & Return!

If you are healthy and low risk to Covid-19 — to join us by volunteering as a poll worker this November! Did you know that more than 57% of all poll workers in 2018 were over the age of 60? With extra vulnerability to Covid-19, this dedicated group is not encouraged to volunteer in the same way this election, leaving a gap of 250,000 poll workers needed around the country to help reduce voting lines and ensure a fair election. If you are healthy and low risk to Covid-19, consider signing up to be a poll worker through NCJW and Power the Polls here. If you are high risk to Covid-19, consider finding someone to be a Poll Worker in your honor.

Attend a discussion on the history of birth control from the 1870s into the 1930s. During this 60-year period, contraceptives fluctuated from being legal, accessible, and innovative, to being sold in underground markets leading to dangerous choices for those looking to limit their fertility. Adapted from our highly popular “Tenement Bedrooms” specialized tour, we will trace the whirlwind history of contraceptives through the lives of two women who lived in 97 Orchard Street.

Click here to register (this program is not sponsored by NCJW)

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), providing an important opportunity to raise awareness about intimate partner abuse and speak openly about the issue in our Jewish community. Advocate and stand with survivors by displaying a DVAM lawn sign in front of your home or business.

SHALVA staff and volunteers will deliver these lawn signs to your location or provide contact free pick up. Click here for more information.

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.

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.

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

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.