Close Up
WOM EN
At Work
JULIE EDGAR
STAFF WRITER
TH E DETR O I T JE WIS H N EWS
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eeping prayer out of pub-
lic schools, books in libraries
and the government out
of women's reproductive
choices are a few of the
broader missions of Na-
tional Council of Jewish
Women. In a year when the
radical Christian right is re-
shaping the nation's political debate and programs like
affirmative action and welfare are being labeled a threat
to democracy, the organization's work has taken on an
even greater urgency.
As NCJW gets its 40th national convention under
way at Detroit's Renaissance Center this weekend, it is
looking toward battles that will be waged in Washing-
ton and at home. But the future looks bright.
"We are confident that programmatically, we are very
much at the cutting edge of where Jewish women want
to be in terms of wanting to express their Jewish values
in the various programs of this organization. On the oth-
er hand, we feel the need to look at what we're doing
and how we're doing it, to make sure we are still the
most relevant Jewish women's organization and to re-
main cutting edge," said Susan Katz, outgoing presi-
dent of the nonprofit organization.
Along with study sessions, workshops and plenary
sessions, a host of leading political, literary and acade-
mic figures will grace the convention.
First Lady Hillary Clinton will speak and receive
an award at a luncheon Saturday, as will Dr. Ruth Wes-
theimer. Study sessions will address topics including
First Amendment issues in public schools, affirmative
action, immigration and welfare reform, and abortion
restrictions. Howard Simon, head of the local American
Civil Liberties Union, and Hedy Nuriel of Haven will
lead two of the sessions.
Other speakers and presenters this weekend include
Elit Olshtain, director of the Research Institute for In-
novation in Education at Hebrew University; Dr. Deb-
orah Lipstadt, an associate professor of Modern Jewish
and Holocaust Studies at Emory University; and Israeli
Knesset member Naomi Chazan. Ms. Chazan will join
Dr. Miriam Mar'i of the Arab Teacher Training College
in a joint lecture on "Through the Eyes of Israeli Women:
Jews and Arabs."
That's the sexy stuff.
Getting down to business — hammering out a bud-
get, electing and installing officers and refining reso-
lutions and bylaws — is the real objective of the four-day
conference, says Judy Rosenberg, president of the host
Greater Detroit Section.
Each of NCJW's 180 sections has its own goals, and
each has submitted resolutions for consideration by the
organization as a whole. Ms. Rosenberg noted that the
concerns of the sections can differ from state to state,
As it convenes
its 40th national
convention in Detroit,
National Council
of Jewish Women looks
forward to the challenges
of the next century.
with some focusing more on immigration reform, and
others, like Michigan's, fighting efforts on the state lev-
el to use tax dollars for private schools and to introduce
prayer into the public-school curriculum.
Roughly 700 people, 550 of them registered delegates,
are expected to attend the convention. The Greater De-
troit Section has sent 11 delegates and 11 alternates.
Aside from tackling the business of the national or-
ganization, members and delegates will be asked at the
convention to support, via petition, an Israeli initiative
that would make it easier for Jewish wives to obtain a
Jewish divorce, or get. On Saturday, study-session par-
ticipants will attend a workshop on voter registration.
Although its platform is built on political issues,
NCJW's community-wide work is decidedly nonparti-
san. In fact, its social-service arm is as much a part of
the organization as its advocacy efforts.
That "unique combination" of functions sets NCJW
apart from other nonprofits, Ms. Katz noted.
The Greater Detroit Section started as the Women's
Club of Temple Beth El, which operated from 1891 to
1925 before joining National Council ofJewish Women.
Since then, it has initiated a staggering number of
community programs, considering that most of its 3,000
members are volunteers. Nationally, there are approx-
imately 90,000 members.
"The nice thing about NCJW is you're not just rais-
ing funds to send to someone else. It's doing things with
your hands," Ms. Rosenberg said.
Locally, myriad programs are set up to serve the com-
munity, including SPACE For Changing Families, which
offers support groups for children and adults who've ex-
perienced a loss through divorce or death; Up and Out,
a program that provides transportation and entertain-
ment for older Jewish adults; Safe Place, a shelter for
abused wives and their children; and CASA, which as-
sists the probate court in placing minors and adult wards
of the court with legal guardians.
Mrs. Clinton's tie to NCJW stems from her affinity
for a program begun at NCJW's Research Institute for
Innovation in Education in 1969 that was originally cre-
ated to help Ethiopian parents integrate their children
into Israeli society. The first lady brought the Home In-
struction for Pre-school Youngsters (HIPPY) program
to the United States, in fact, when Bill Clinton was
Arkansas governor. The program essentially teaches
parents how to teach their preschoolers at home before
their children enter the public-school stream.
"The kids love it, and we have found that mothers be-
come more involved with siblings
NCJW Greater Detroit
and their children's schools and
Section officers and
go on to finish their own educa-
President Judy Rosenberg. ton,"
-.
Ms. Rosenberg said.
She noted that many of the women who volunteer
with NCJW go on to paid leadership positions or branch
out to other organizations. She herself now sits on the
board of Orchards Children's Services, which began
as an NCJW program to help emotionally disturbed
Jewish children and has become one of the state's largest
adoption/child advocacy organizations. She also sits on
the board ofJewish Federation Apartments.
"Women in NCJW's leadership positions could head
major corporations. At my first national convention, I
was bowled over by how capable and bright some of the
women were. It enables you to stretch and grow," she
remarked.
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