This is the NCJWBCS Archives (January 2013 - May 2021). The current site can be found here.

The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.

A Faith in the Future. A Belief in Action.

Israel Connection

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January 2016

Announcing the 2016 Israel Granting Program Grantees!

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and NCJW sections, see the 2016 grantees.

The past few months in Israel have been difficult, with almost daily terror attacks throughout the country, and attempts to subdue the progressive agenda of many of the human rights organizations.

Yet at NCJW, as always, we have been there at the side of our Israeli friends, sisters, and colleagues helping them steer through the bad times and hope for a better future. We are proud to be partnering with Israeli organizations that are focused on gender equality, religious pluralism, and women’s empowerment. We believe, as they do, that having a strong civil society is essential to having a strong and safe democracy.

Now at the turn of the year, I am including some end-of-the-year stories that have been shared with us from two of our partners, the Yerushalmit Movement and the Jerusalem Open House. Both projects work to change the face of Jerusalem and to help strengthen two special communities, one a shared space for Jerusalem women as community leaders, and the other the Orthodox trans community. I also wanted to share some thoughts and photos from NCJW’s most recent study tour to Israel.  As part of the educational experience for our donors and supporters, we traveled to Israel in November to see first-hand the powerful work being done by our partners here on the ground.  They say that seeing is believing and yes, in order to truly understand the conflicts, the disparities, and the issues, there is nothing like traveling to Israel to see for yourself.

I’m looking forward to seeing you in person at NCJW’s Washington Institute, March 13-15, 2016. Register now before the early fee discount expires on January 19!

Hoping for easier times here and thanking you all for your thoughts and caring,

Shari Eshet
Director, NCJW Israel Office

Women Changing Jerusalem 

Shira Vinkler, executive director of Yerushalmiot, described the women’s leadership development program. Based in neighborhoods with a lot of conflict, the program brings women together from across the spectrum, Ultra-Orthodox to secular, to work on joint neighborhood projects:

Imagine a Jerusalem made up of diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods. 
Imagine public infrastructure that is up to date.
Imagine a Jerusalem in which community representatives from different sectors work together to find better solutions to shared problems in joint neighborhoods.
Imagine women in Jerusalem from all sectors joining forces to confront challenges facing their neighborhoods, working together to improve local conditions.
Imagine common language and shared public space for each neighborhood’s diverse groups to come together and improve quality of life for everyone.

The goal of the Women Leading Change program is to change the discourse from that of conflict to that of common ground. The program centers the dialogue on shared interests, such as issues encountered in education and infrastructure, through strengthening the women’s ability to focus on day-to-day issues, and engage in problem solving of shared challenges. The vision is to recognize the capabilities of these women as agents of community change and to empower their activism and leadership.

Tali, one of the participants, told us “As a Jerusalemite for the past few years I have searched for a framework that would enable me to be an active and impactful member of the community in which I live. So I was delighted when I came across the ad inviting ultra-orthodox and secular women to become active in the community. The ‘Jerusalem Mix’ group meetings in Nachlaot became extremely important to me. They are a space in which I can create meaningful relationships, in which I am a partner in building the community in which I live, and I believe that the group meetings will result in significant community activity. Jerusalem now feels a little more like home to me.”

The Jerusalem Open House – Transgender Program

The transgender community in Israel is one of the most marginalized groups in Israeli society that suffers from sometimes vicious discrimination. In Jerusalem, many transgender people define themselves as religious, or come from a religious background. Many of them are married, have children, and are from Ultra-Orthodox families. They therefore take great risk with any public expression of their gender identity. The Israeli public health system officially provides treatment for transgender people during their transition period, providing hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery, yet many transgender people never receive the services available to them due to social stigmas, bureaucracy, and institutionalized discrimination against them.

One of the most significant achievements of this project was the expansion and strengthening of a social support network for transgender people in Jerusalem. For some members of the group, it is the first and only opportunity for them to meet other transgender people like themselves. Two people agreed to tell us their stories—as the sole funders of this project—and NCJW is particularly proud to have made a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

Tal H

Tal was born to a large religious family and although her siblings were split up between foster families, they always held on to each other and remained close. After she changed her appearance to that of a woman, her siblings disowned her. Tal worked in prostitution for many years but today she is a leading member of the JOH ‘Transmeeting’ group.

Cory K

Cory is a new immigrant from North America. When she moved to Israel she lived in a Haredi community in Jerusalem with her wife and three children. After she began her transition, she was sexually assaulted and was rejected by her community and family. Despite being the prime parent to her children with visitation rights, she was wrongfully arrested after arriving to a pre-arranged visit with them. Today, after years of being homeless, she has held stable employment and housing for several months. 

NCJW Criticizes National Women’s Studies Association Vote to Join BDS Movement

The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) sharply criticized the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) vote to join the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.  NCJW has long been committed to women’s studies and academic freedom — in 2001 NCJW established the NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program at Tel Aviv University. NCJW CEO Nancy K. Kaufman released the following statement:

“NCJW believes strongly in open dialogue in order to achieve human rights, women’s rights and gender equality, even when that dialogue is challenging. By blocking Israeli academics from the international feminist community, the NWSA is sending the message that they have no interest in connecting with the very people who are trying to achieve peace and equality for all.” Read more here.

As a result of the move by the NWSA, NCJW wrote directly to the president of the National Womens Studies Association, Vivian M. May, asking her for a clarification of their stand. We have received over 200 signatures and we are still waiting for a response from the NWSA. 

Empower, Act, Advocate: NCJW’s Study Tour to Israel
20
 NCJW activists and leaders meet in Israel

“Standing on any Jerusalem hill offers breathtaking and inspiring scenic views, and ours was accessed from our hotel’s rooftop, where we took in the panorama of the old city, the surrounding land, and Jerusalem’s bustling daily life filled with history and possibility.”

To read more please click here.

Visit our Washington Institute event page on Facebook for more information and updates, and invite your friends! 

CONNECT:
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