Dear Members and Friends,
It has been awhile since we have communicated with you all. We hope this finds you all well and safe despite the challenges 2020 has brought to us.
Here at the JWA, we have already kicked the year off to a great start with our Annual General Meeting last month and the election of a new Co-Chairwoman, Goldie Isselstein, to join forces with Co-Chair Gilat Alon Shemesh. We are excited to welcome Goldie to this position and to welcome the new Board members. Read below about our AGM and our amazing and inspiring board members.
Once again, the JWA marked #PinkMonth in collaboration with the Hong Kong Beast Cancer Foundation to promote breast cancer awareness with a Pink Challah Bake and a #Pinktalk. See more below.
The Board has been busy planning for an exciting year ahead.
First up is the annual JWA supported film at the Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival 21st edition on November 11th. For more details about this year's film, RBG, see details below.
Mark your diary November 24th for the next JWA Book Club.
In December, join our workshop and learn about an innovative, sustainable way to manage your menstrual cycles with LUUNA naturals.
Join us in these events to support our efforts in our journey, to serve as platform for the Jewish Women in our Community.
Gilat Alon Shemesh, Goldie Isselstein and the JWA Board of Directors
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NEW JWA BOARD VOTED IN
This past September 2020, we held the yearly process of voting in our new JWA Board of Directors at our Annual General Meeting (AGM).
We are proud to present our new Chairwomen - Goldie Isselstein to join forces with current CO-Chairwoman, Gilat Alon Shemesh.
The JWA Board of Directors for 2020-2021 are Candice Karpes, Claudine Fintzi, Faina Derman, Jo Ann Sernovitz, Marissa Raccah, Michal Artzi, Orly Ohayon, Sandy Murzin, Shani Brownstein, and Yael Amit. Welcome! We are thrilled to add talented, strong new women to our already dedicated, committed Board.
The JWA is an organization that is FOR and ABOUT the women in our community. We welcome anyone interested in joining any of our committees such as Social Action, Fundraising, Events and more. This is YOUR JWA so join us and participate, we would LOVE to hear from you!
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PINK CHALLAH BAKE
In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month #pinkmonth in October,
the JWA held a Pink Challah Bake following on our successful event of 2019, with small groups of women equipped with a variety of pink baking accessories. gathering together in an on-line event. Thanks to baker extraordinaire Reut Ostoshinski, and her trusty assistant Tehila Amos, we learned creative braiding and useful baking tips to make challah (yes even pink challah)! We all enjoyed the comradery and energy of women creating and coming together for a good cause. We were lucky to have the Hong Kong Brest Cancer Foundation on hand for a fascinating and important lecture about the importance of monthly breast self-examination and early detection.
The HKBCF has a breast screening program for all women in Hong Kong, so book your screening now for you, your friends and your helper: 3143-7333 or visit www.hkbcf.org for more information.
Remember: Early detection saves lives!
Join us this year as we continue to undertake important projects to support The Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation and One-in-Nine in Israel. Stay tuned for learn more.
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For your diary - Upcoming Events: |
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JWA and HK Jewish Film Festival Present a documentary film: RBG
At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg bio-graphy, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior's rise to the nation's highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans - until now. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg's exceptional life and career from Betsy West and Julie Cohen, and co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films.
Wednesday November 11th
@11:30 am at The Asia Society
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Hormonal Health and YOU!!
Join us for a workshop with LUUNA naturals to learn about the taboo of the menstrual cycle and how we can choose a healthier and eco-friendlier period
Thursday, November 19th
@8:00 pm
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What we are reading this month: |
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The Book of V,
A Novel by Anna Solomon
Join the JWA monthly book club for this month's and discussion of the Book of V.
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK and A BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK
For fans of The Hours and Fates and Furies, a bold, kaleidoscopic novel intertwining the lives of three women across three centuries as their stories of sex, power, and desire finally converge in the present day.
Lily is a mother and a daughter. And a second wife. And a writer, maybe? Or she was going to be, before she had children. Now, in her rented Brooklyn apartment she’s grappling with her sexual and intellectual desires, while also trying to manage her roles as a mother and a wife in 2016.
Vivian Barr seems to be the perfect political wife, dedicated to helping her charismatic and ambitious husband find success in Watergate-era Washington D.C. But one night he demands a humiliating favor, and her refusal to obey changes the course of her life―along with the lives of others.
Esther is a fiercely independent young woman in ancient Persia, where she and her uncle’s tribe live a tenuous existence outside the palace walls. When an innocent mistake results in devastating consequences for her people, she is offered up as a sacrifice to please the King, in the hopes that she will save them all.
In Anna Solomon's The Book of V., these three characters' riveting stories overlap and ultimately collide, illuminating how women’s lives have and have not changed over thousands of years.
Join us on November 24th @8:00 pm
For more details, contact: info@jwa.org.hk
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Spotlight on A Board Member... |
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Meet: Gilat Alon Shemesh
Many of you may have seen our busy Co-Chair Gilat buzzing around Hong Kong. Managing an active family, juggling a challenging career, mother of 3, married to one (and hoping to keep this ratio as it is), Gilat worked for the Government of Israel for 10 years, before jumping into the adventure of life in Hong Kong.
In Gilat's words: Currently I am following my passion to create value for founders and investors by being a bridge for technology and innovation between Israel and APAC region. Counting clarity, honesty and integrity among my core values, I believe in respecting and appreciating the contributions of others. Always eager to learn and passionate about working with people, I believe that women need to lead, be heard and be present everywhere! There is still much work to be done on diversity and inclusion. Hard core feminist!
- What is your favorite word?
Home
- What is your favorite weekend activity?
Sleeping and hiking with my family
- In your opinion, what is the best place to "breathe" in HK?
I love the Peak; it is close to home and has the most amazing views.
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The world is changing and so are we
Almost a year since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, months of tremendous upheaval for everyone - women, men and children. Whether it's in the family cell or whether it's in business. It was an unexpected surprise for all of us.
Many feelings and questions have come and gone - is this really the reality or just a bad dream? What will be tomorrow?
The routine of our lives has changed. Some of us feel angry that the children are not in school or have to work from home, some of us feel depressed by the many and rapid changes, some feel lonely due to social distance or cancellations of vacations and travels and some come to terms with the situation and even become stronger.
In the current situation our coping in a time of crisis will affect us and our children and build us and them for the future. As parents we now have the opportunity and responsibility to take advantage of this period to teach us and our children perseverance, development, utilization of personality abilities, creativity and thinking outside the box.
A new world has opened and evolved - the world of zoom!
Many lectures in a wide range of fields have become more accessible and you can also hear and see lecturers from all over the world. One can continue to enrich the knowledge through many channels.
You also can continue your career from a distance as well and work remotely in careers that maybe before were unreachable.
There are new opportunities, learn to take advantage of them!
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