TRUST YOUR AFFAIR TO THE FINEST CATERER 0 0 0 Up Front 0 JEWEL 0 CATERERS CLASSIC CUISINE Approved by Council of Orthodox Rabbis Celebrating Peace WE'LL BEAT YOUR BEST PRICE! • Weddings • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • Showers • Banquets • Anniversaries • Reunions • Birthdays • Etc. We Cater At Most Synagogues, Temples, Hotels and the Halls Of Your Choice PHILIP TEWEL Food & Beverage Director (248) 661-4050 Farmington Hills THE ANS 'Custom Faux Wallpaper 'Decorative Painting 'Concrete Treatments 'Murals ARCHITECTURAL DECORATIVE DESIGNS 248-624-7269 EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 5/15 1998 24 WEST BLOOMFIELD (248) 626-3362 SOUTHFIELD (248) 559-7818 WAND honors three women who've made the planet a little more peaceful. BY AMY MINDELL Special to The Jewish News 1111 ern Katz didn't take much of a break after she retired as a math teacher in the Oak Park public schools. . Katz, of Southfield, directed her energies into social action, serving as a delegate to the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 and assuming the post of vice president for administration and finance for National Council of Jewish Women-Greater Detroit Section. She has also served as president of the Business and Professional Chapter of Women's American Organization for Rehabilitation Through Training (ORT). She also serves as co-president of WAND (Women's Action for New Directions) and co-chair of its Women Legislators' Lobby (WILL) Corps. Last Friday, she was among three women honored at WAND's 11th annual Mother's Peace Day Award breakfast for promoting programs that benefit women and children. Also honored were Michigan State Rep. Patricia "Pan" Godchaux, R- Birmingham, and Eleanor Josaitis, executive director and co-founder of Focus HOPE. The keynote speaker was Susan Shaer, national executive director of WAND, whose topic was "Women's Stories: Power and Powerlessness." "We are pleased to honor one of our own officers this year. Fern is an outstanding role model to younger women who desire to maintain a professional career while dedicating part of their lives to public service and to the demands of a home and family," said Arlene Victor, co- founder of WAND metro Detroit and past president of national WAND. Godchaux sponsored the recent successfal resolution requesting the U.S. Congress to redirect some mili- tary money back to the states so they can better meet domestic needs. Josaitis co-founded Focus HOPE in 1967 with the late Fr. William T Cunningham after the Detroit riots. Focus HOPE has since become a national model for empowering peo- ple to move from poverty to the main- stream. The annual breakfast, held this year at Temple Beth El, hearkens back to early abolitionist and suffragist Julia Ward Howe, whom WAND calls the founder of the original Mother's Day. Howe called for Mother's Peace Day more than a century ago to dramatize the cause of world disarmament. Today, members of the 17-year-old national organization support women political candidates who are commit- ted to reducing violence and mili- tarism and redirecting Pentagon fund- ing to programs that benefit "people and the planet." One of their key arguments is that the Pentagon's FY 1999 budget alloca- tion of $267 billion is four times the combined amount dedicated to federal job training, education, housing and striving for power," she added. WAND's legislative arm, Women Legislators' Lobby, is a bi-partisan organization of progressive women lawmakers working to assure federal dollars are directed toward more "human" needs. Katz told the audience at the break- fast that she was deeply honored by the award. "I've been active since 1992, when I retired. I was looking for something to do, and May Davidson brought me to the afternoon group. I was so impressed with the intelligence, sincer- ity and hard work by the women involved," she said. Katz related one of her most satisfy- ing moments as an activist, the day she joined other WAND members to urge U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham to vote for the Chemical Weapons Convention, a treaty that us prohibits signatory coun- 5 tries from manufacturing and selling biological and chemical weapons. Until last year, the United States had not joined. "It was April 27, 1997, and our Sen. Abraham was one of the few senators left sitting on the fence. We stood outside his office on Telegraph Road in (from left) Susan Shaer with honorees Eleanor Southfield, holding signs Josaitis, Patricia Godchaux and Fern Katz. that read 'Honk if you support the chemical weapons ban.' Many of environmental protection. the drivers that went by and every WAND members also argue that truck driver honked loudly. much Pentagon funding is superflu- Abraham's local staff quickly called ous, because the U.S. military budget the Washington office and he came is nearly 18 times the combined mili- off the fence and voted to ratify the tary spending of its top enemies. Convention," Katz related. "WAND is very committed to The metro Detroit WAND chapter putting women in power, because boasts 250 members. There are some when women are in power they pro- 10,000 members and supporters mote issues that are not promoted by nationwide. In addition to the annual men, such as the absurdity of the mili- Mother's Peace Day breakfast, WAND tary budget," said Victor. supports an anti-war toy demonstra- "Studies show that when women tion each November, a "phone tree" are leaders, the decision process is for passing on lobbying messages and more cooperative, less hierarchical, calls for action, and a national educa- and more open. But we also know tion project called "Let Us Slice the that because of our socialization, peo- Pie," which alerts members to U.S. ple find it difficult to support women military expenditures. ❑ , o