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women, children and families and safe-
guarding individual rights and freedoms.
Its members’ collective voice has changed
the world for the better, especially in the
United States and Israel.
Today, the Detroit Section, with more
than 1,500 members,
is one of the largest
in the United States.
Two former section
presidents, Mildred Welt
and Josephine Weiner,
have served as national
presidents. Monthly dues
started at 10 cents.
Josephine
The Detroit group is
Weiner
one of few to have an
executive director, Susan
Gertner, who, since 2003,
has worked out of its
Southfield office. She
says the organization is
led by “amazing, dedi-
cated women.”
Susan Gertner
“We find needs in the
community and develop
services that meet those
needs,” she said. “Working in partnership
with coalitions and our local Jewish com-
munal agencies, we are able to make a
difference through our advocacy work and
community service projects.
“Without our volunteers, our donors and
the support of the community, we could not
do what we do.”
Though NCJW has always been a strong
supporter of Israel, its emphasis on social
justice is what sets it apart from other
women’s service groups. NCJW’s social
action projects are many and varied, with
new projects constantly being discussed.
In 1923, the national organization ral-
lied for decent wage standards. In 1935,
members supported Social Security and, in
1946, world peace.
There were resolutions in favor of civil
rights, open housing, child care and school
integration. Today, members actively advo-
cate at the local, state and national levels
on behalf of issues important to women,
children and families. In recent years, these
have included reproductive rights, domestic
abuse awareness and human trafficking.
In mid-March, 13 members attended
NCJW national’s triennial Washington
Institute, where they learned how to advo-
cate effectively. On April 12, NCJW/Greater
Detroit will join 17 other local organiza-
tions in a rally for equal pay on the Capitol
steps in Lansing, wearing red to indicate
that women are still “in the red” when it
comes to pay equity.
The Detroit Section frequently hosts
guest speakers on a variety of topics,
including a “Nosh & Knowledge” lunch
series. On Oct. 30, the section will host a

12 March 24 • 2016

provides more than 1,000 backpacks filled
with school supplies to homeless children
in Oakland County. In August, they’ll open
the third annual pop-up, one-day Back 2
School Store; up to 500 children will be able
to select a backpack full of school supplies,
personal items, a book and a complete new
set of clothing, including shoes and a win-
ter jacket.
In the 1930s, NCJW was so large that it
set up a Junior Council for younger, mostly
unmarried women. In the 1950s, they added
the “Councilettes” for high school-age girls.
The Detroit Section recently started
GROW — Girls Reaching Outward — for
high school girls to focus on advocacy
and action. Its first issue to address will be
human trafficking awareness.

NCJW members help pack up kosher lunches for Meals on Wheels.

The Detroit Section’s delegation to NCJW national’s triennial Washington Institute, where
they learned how to advocate effectively.

communitywide symposium on human
trafficking.
Still, social action is NCJW’s hallmark.
In the 1920s and 1930s, through its
affiliation with the Young Women’s Hebrew
Association (YWHA), the women provided
a Big Sisters program and educational and
recreational programs for children, includ-
ing a center on 12th Street and a summer
camp. (The YWHA eventually merged with
the Jewish Community Center.)
NCJW members volunteered at the
North End Clinic — forerunner of Sinai
Hospital — and worked with the Jewish
Welfare Federation to help Jewish refugees.
They supported the national organization’s
Service to the Foreign Born effort.
In the late 1950s, the group launched
Operation Friendship to reach out to
patients with mental illness. Today, vol-
unteers work with Kadima, a community

organization for those with mental health
needs, and provide social programming
through the Project Friendship Program.
During the Depression, NCJW started an
Industrial Workshop, providing part-time
work for five Jewish women, who made
garments that were sold by social service
agencies in the city. In the Council Kitchen,
women made preserves, which were sold
through the resale shop.
The YWHA’s Bureau of Personal Services,
which functioned as a committee of NCJW,
offered help for girls who came with “dis-
turbing problems.”
In the 1960s, NCJW began speaking out
on women’s issues as well as civil rights.
In 1997, the Just4Kids Committee
started its backpack program, providing
backpacks stuffed with school supplies for
needy children. NCJW/Greater Detroit has
continued this program and now annually

WHY NCJW?
Current NCJW/Greater Detroit president
Susan Marwil joined
when she retired from
teaching in 1999.
She started by working
on CASA (court-appoint-
ed special advocates),
which sends volun-
teers appointed by the
Oakland County Probate
Susan Marwil
Court to check out adults
applying to be legal
guardians for young chil-
dren in the court system. The program still
exists, now called Children’s Advocates, and
has been expanded to provide guardianship
services for older children and adults.
“A friend thought I would like the proj-
ect and also the other women who were
involved,” said Marwil of Bloomfield Hills.
“I wanted to make a difference in a hands-
on way, and I wanted to be with other
women who felt the same way. That’s what
attracted me to NCJW and what will keep
me in NCJW.”
Past-president Judy Rosenberg also got
involved through CASA, but found she
enjoyed advocacy more than a project.
“By affecting public policy, you can affect
the lives of a lot of people,” said Rosenberg
of Birmingham, a retiree who formerly
ran a property management business and
taught at Wayne State University’s School of
Business.
Rosenberg was president of the Detroit
Section in 1996, when the NCJW conven-
tion was held at Detroit’s Renaissance Center.
She says NCJW membership is a great way
to learn leadership skills.
“I’m really proud that we offer the
opportunity to mentor other people,” she
said. “I’ve seen how women can grow and
blossom. You’re never alone in NCJW.
Someone’s always got your back.”
Janet Moses of West Bloomfield has been
involved with many projects of NCJW since

