NCJW Speaks Out for Women at Conference Showcasing Religion-State Symposium

March 6, 2006, Chicago, IL -- Nationally-renowned advocates and a cadre of issue experts joined hundreds of activists at the National Council of Jewish Women's (NCJW) Leadership Conference 2006. Convened in the birthplace of NCJW and its founder, Hannah G. Solomon, the three-day event underscored the need for women to speak out on both local and national platforms.

NCJW President Phyllis Snyder opened the conference by reflecting on NCJW's role as a leader of progressive social change, "Together, we raised our voices. We raised awareness. And we raised the stakes ... Now more than ever, we are fighting to preserve critical rights and freedoms -- in the US and Israel -- for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren."

The conference featured plenary sessions, expert panels, skill-building workshops, and award ceremonies honoring icons of advocacy. The organization's prestigious Woman Who Dared Award was presented to Judge Rosemary Barkett, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Barkett, the first woman to sit on the Florida Supreme Court and to serve as the state's chief justice, was recognized for her work as a pioneer for fundamental freedoms.

On March 6, 2006 the conference showcased a Leadership Symposium -- Speaking Out for Women in the Religion-State Debate -- on the issue of religious freedom. Activists within and beyond NCJW convened to address the increasing incursions of religion into everyday life, particularly its implications for democracy and women's rights.

Phyllis Snyder called on attendees to take action. "As Jews we know what it means to have rights and liberties stripped away ... As women, we know what this situation means as well. Many of our rights were not declared in the Constitution. They were won in hard fought battles ... And now, we must fight again for their continued protections."

Keynote speaker Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, also emphasized the importance of speaking out. "We have to take a stand of refusal -- to refuse to give in to pessimism. Because pessimism in 2006 is a death wish for our Constitution, and our children, and our country. And we will not have any of that."

Other featured speakers at the conference included: Ellen Malcolm, founder and president, EMILY's List; Hannah Rosenthal, executive director Chicago Foundation for Women; Frances Kissling, president, Catholics for a Free Choice: Martha Nussbaum, professor, University of Chicago Philosophy Department, Law School, and Divinity School; and Dr. Laurie Zoloth, director, Center for Bioethics, Science, and Society, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters, and volunteers nationwide.


Contact:
Vanessa Schnaidt
212 645 4048 x179; vschnaidt@ncjw.org