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.

