Building a Legacy
For over 110 years, NCJW has been a powerful force for social change across the country and around the globe—stepping forward and speaking out on crucial issues years before others followed its courageous example.
by Judi Handwerker
Through NCJW’s pioneering work, people have been supported.They have been strengthened.They have been educated. And they have been empowered to take action—making the world a better place and changing the course of history forever.
WOMEN
1900s
NCJW supports family-planning champion Margaret Sanger
1930
NCJW passes a resolution promoting family planning
1967
NCJW approves a resolution on abortion rights
And in 1973
The US Supreme Court affirms women’s constitutional right to reproductive freedom in the Roe v.Wade decision.
NCJW supported women’s most fundamental freedom at a time when it was recognized in only one of the 48 contiguous states and concealed in the back alleys of all the others. NCJW expanded its efforts as the leading Jewish organization working to support reproductive choice by launching its landmark BenchMark campaign in 2001, two years before the dismantling of Roe became national news.
CHILDREN
1911
NCJW resolves that the health, welfare, and education of children are a public responsibility
1960s
NCJW pilots the Head Start and HIPPY child development programs
1972
NCJW publishes the groundbreaking Windows on Day Care report
1985
NCJW opens the NCJW Center for the Child research institute
And in 1990
Congress creates the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the first comprehensive federal child-care subsidy program.
NCJW’s enduring demand for laws to protect children became part of the national debate at the end of the last century. And as Congress continues to compromise on child-care initiatives, NCJW remains dedicated to true progress — empowering children and their families by activating grassroots resources and advocating for essential legislation.
CIVIL RIGHTS
1908
NCJW appeals for antilynching laws
1940
NCJW declares discrimination a danger to the nation
1949
NCJW passes a resolution condemning segregation
1963
NCJW adopts its own civil rights agenda
And in 1964
Congress passes the landmark “Civil Rights Act” barring discrimination in America.
While the nation came to terms with its own bigotry, NCJW led by example. Volunteers worked directly with black women and girls all over the country, providing support and an open exchange of ideas that helped pave the way to a truer democracy. In the years that followed, NCJW extended that effort, defending domestic minority groups, Soviet Jews, and those oppressed by apartheid in South Africa.
CIVIL LIBERTIES
1951
NCJW launches a Freedom campaign, promoting the right to speak, study, and read without limits
And in 1954
The US Senate votes to censure Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI), denouncing his crusade to crush dissent in America.
NCJW stood up and shouted when it was safer to sit quietly in the shadows. And when right wing fundamentalists demanded library censorship three decades later, NCJW volunteers took to their feet again. Today, that tradition lives on as members fight to protect the civil liberties of all Americans from government intervention.
FAMILIES
1890s
NCJW develops an ongoing program to train and educate immigrants
1900s
NCJW supports legislation for newcomers
1903
NCJW founds the Department of Immigration Aid to assist and protect new arrivals
1904
NCJW establishes a permanent station on Ellis Island
And during WWI
The US government moves all welfare agencies off of Ellis Island except for NCJW, which assumes responsibility for all incoming women and children.
NCJW enriched humanity-at-large through uniquely comprehensive efforts — aiding immigrants, rescuing children, supporting concentration camp survivors, and rebuilding native communities. And in the years since, NCJW has selflessly served families of all conditions and circumstances through landmark service and advocacy initiatives.
ISRAEL
1945
NCJW initiates the Ship-a-Box program, providing supplies and educational materials to needy individuals
1948
NCJW underwrites graduate fellowships for Israeli students
1959
NCJW builds the Hebrew University High School and teacher training center
And in 1967
Israel Minister of Education and Culture Zalman Aranne declares, “Education is the passport of life.”
After the Six Day War, NCJW solidified its commitment to improving educational opportunities in Israel—sustaining the critical social safety net while the state allocated its precious resources elsewhere. NCJW continues to respond today with innovative scholastic programs at the Hebrew and Tel Aviv Universities, as well as progressive local outreach and social action efforts.