12 | JUNE 17 • 2021
PURELY COMMENTARY
T
his has been a year like
no other in the 130-
year history of National
Council of Jewish Women,
Michigan (NCJW|MI), and it is
one we will never
forget.
NCJW|MI
is a grassroots
organization of
volunteers and
advocates who
turn progressive
ideas 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.
This mission statement has
been the guiding principle of
NCJW|MI (formerly known
as the Greater Detroit Section)
for over a century. Beginning
in 1891, when Rabbi Louis
Grossman of Temple Beth El
called on the women of the
community to form a Jewish
Women’s Club to “better the
conditions of girls, and women,
to promote friendly fellowship
and mutual helpfulness among
Jewish women of Detroit, to
elevate their mental, moral
and social status, and to foster
cultivating influences of Jewish
women.
” NCJW | MI has been
working to achieve these goals
ever since.
It has been a year of chal-
lenges and opportunities. The
challenges were many. How do
we provide meals to more than
double the number of Kosher
Meals on Wheels participants we
had pre-pandemic as the need
for delivered food amongst vul-
nerable elderly people increased?
How do we open our resale
store Council Re|Sale (3297 W
.
12 Mile Road, Berkley), one of
the oldest resale shops in Metro
Detroit, safely for staff, custom-
ers and donors after being closed
for nearly four months?
How do we close our office
and work remotely and provide
the opportunity for our members
to meet virtually, when they pre-
viously had never used Zoom?
How do we fundraise and offer
programs since we could not
meet in person? How do we
ensure that our community gets
out to vote? These are just a few
of the questions the NCJW|MI
staff and Board of Directors had
to answer.
PANDEMIC CHALLENGES
Zoom became second nature.
We offered programs that
attracted three times the num-
ber of participants that usually
attend. We developed a Patron
Campaign which replaced sev-
eral of our canceled fundraisers
and, with the support of our
members, succeeded in our
goal. Volunteers came out of
the woodwork to volunteer to
pack meals and deliver meals
to those in need. Our staff did
not miss a beat in transitioning
to work remotely to ensure our
NCJW|MI work continued.
Council Re|Sale received more
donations than ever as people
were at home cleaning out their
closets. We had to obtain two
pods to keep in the parking lot
to hold the donations. Our shop-
pers returned and special sales
were offered, while we adopted
a strict safety protocol including
limiting customers to 10 in the
shop, hand sanitizer stations and
social distancing measures.
JVS Human Services and
Council Re|Sale collaborated at
the end of April 2021 on a Zoom
program for those interview-
ing for a new job and in need
of appropriate clothing. Zoom
classes will also soon be offered
to entice people to come shop at
our store.
Our Get Out the Vote cam-
paign was a success and involved
many volunteers. During the
election season, we also ran sev-
eral voter information programs
where participants could hear
from local candidates.
Helping children in our com-
munity has been a fundamental
tenet of our organization. In
previous years, our staff and
volunteers have held an all-day
event in Detroit every August
called “Back 2 School Store”
.
Low-income children were pro-
vided with a personal shopper
to choose clothing and school
supplies to help them start their
school year right. This year,
shopping with 600 children and
hundreds of volunteers was not
feasible, so we developed a mod-
ified version with area agencies
being provided with clothing and
supplies to distribute to children
in need.
Similarly, our Backpack
Project, which provides back-
packs and school supplies to
needy children in Oakland
County, was modified. This past
January, we developed “Wrapped
in Warmth” to provide children
with warm coats; we had a
drive-thru event where coats and
mittens were provided to more
than 20 human service agencies
working with children in need.
Together with our community
volunteers and staff, we made
this all happen. Working in col-
laboration with our other Jewish
communal agencies, we ensured
that people in need received
what they needed to get through
this pandemic.
It “takes a village” and together
we made a difference. We turned
our challenges into opportuni-
ties, and we thank everyone who
has been involved. As long as
there is a need, volunteers will
continue to deliver support and
services to fulfill the mission
of National Council of Jewish
Women. We invite all commu-
nity members to join us in our
endeavors.
Amy Cutler is president of NCJW|MI. This
essay first appeared on myjewishdetroit.
org.
Amy Cutler
guest column
‘A Year Like No Other’
National Council of Jewish Women faced challenges
and created opportunities during the pandemic.
NCJW
NCJW personal shopper and volunteer Susan Friedman with student
Paradyse Brandon prior to the pandemic.