by Emily Alfano, senior manager of government relations

Nearly two years ago, the National Council of Jewish Women launched Higher Ground, a campaign to end domestic violence by promoting women’s economic security. Higher Ground is an expression of NCJW’s unshakable commitment to ensuring that no woman ever has to choose between personal safety and financial stability. Now it’s time for Congress to again demonstrate its commitment to the victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by passing the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act (S 1925).

When we launched the Higher Ground campaign we heard from an NCJW leader who shared her experiences with domestic violence while she was volunteering at an abortion clinic: “One of the questions I had to ask when meeting with incoming patients was, ‘Are you in an abusive relationship?’  I was shocked that so many women answered yes, and outraged that in my more than 22 years of talking with women about unintended pregnancies, the prevalence of violence only seemed to increase. One woman, I remember, told me of how her boyfriend had been verbally abusive before she got pregnant. Now that she was pregnant, he now had become physically abusive. Her name was Michelle. She told me of how her boyfriend now punched her in the stomach repeatedly, and told her that she wasn’t worthy of being a mother, and that he would leave her if she didn’t get an abortion. When I asked why she stayed with a man who beat her, Michelle stated matter-of-factly that he paid the rent and that she would be out on the street if she left him.”

Stories like Michelle’s are still far too common.

[More]

by Dr. Nilza Kallos, Miami, FL, NCJW Miami Section

It was a beautiful day in September, 1970. I was a young intern at Bryn Mawr Hospital in the exclusive Main Line suburb of Philadelphia, having recently graduated from medical school. I was called to the emergency room to admit to the hospital a 16 year-old girl from a rich Main Line family. Her problem was intractable nausea and vomiting. Even though during my work-up she told me that she had never had sexual intercourse, for sake of completeness I ordered a pregnancy test that was reported positive. When I confronted her with the result, she confessed having had unprotected sex and that having the baby was totally out of the question, since she was getting ready to become a “debutante.”

Abortion could only be performed at that time if the life of the woman were in danger, an exception which (rightfully) included high risk of suicide if confirmed by a psychiatrist. I called for a consult with a psychiatrist, who questioned the girl if she was depressed and would commit suicide without an abortion. She picked up on the clue and answered in the affirmative. Armed with the result of the consult, she had an uneventful abortion performed by an OB/GYN surgeon in the hospital’s operating room. She was discharged within a day without any complication.

[More]

This December, as I reflect on the successes and challenges of 2011, I cannot help but think about the millions of families who are facing the new year with apprehension. Instead of approaching January 1 with hopes for a fresh start, as many of us do, jobless workers who desperately want work but can’t find employment are standing at the edge of a cliff. Congressional inaction could be what sends these families and their children over the edge, plunging them into poverty. 

Last year, unemployment insurance helped keep 3 million people from falling into poverty. However, if Congress doesn’t act before December 31, millions of unemployed workers will lose this critical lifeline. In January alone, 2 million workers will lose their federal unemployment benefits — more than 6 million will see their benefits disappear by the end of 2012.

[More]

by Ina Davis, Promote the Vote, Protect the Vote 2012 Co-Chair

Imagine the scene: a big TV — in front of it, several college freshmen, lounging, laughing, and playing video games. Typical, right? You may have witnessed this scenario in your own home. My desk sits adjacent to the family room. Oftentimes, I’ll be working when a mass of teens walk in, plunk down, and tune in (to the television that is).

I may hurry to wrap up my work, or I might ignore the group and attempt to get more work done. Making oneself invisible in front of a group like this is a skill that has taken years to cultivate and was fine-tuned from the carpooling experience. But you know, as well as I do, that keeping half an ear open is the right of a Mom.

So when I heard one of the boys ask, “What are you doing this weekend?” and another answered, “I have no plans.” — I felt it my civic duty to jump in and ask, “Who’s voting on Saturday?” I couldn’t believe that not one of these young people answered! “Who’s registered?” I asked. Still, I got no response. Even my own son turned to me and said, “Ma, let me finish the game level.”

[More]

A couple of weeks ago, a dear friend of mine gave birth to a beautiful baby girl I’ll call Rachel. Looking at the very first pictures of that sweet little girl, it’s impossible not to wonder at her tremendous potential. Rachel can be anything she wants to be — and I know her parents, so I know she has a great head start. Rachel will live in a house filled with love, she’ll be well fed and well read, wanting for nothing.

And, thanks to the new health care law, Rachel will always have access to high quality health care that she and her parents can afford.

Rachel was born via Caesarean section. Thanks to the new health care law, insurance companies can’t use that information to discriminate against Rachel’s mom. And that’s important, because Rachel will learn a lot from her mother — but only if mom can stay healthy.

[More]

While visiting the NCJW Section in Rochester, New York, yesterday, my host, Mollie, turned to me and asked, “Do you mind taking a short detour so I can vote?” Yesterday, September 13, was primary election day in New York state,  and Mollie needed to vote in the school board primary. We entered the local elementary school — Mollie’s polling station — and I sat smiling as she cast her ballot. Mollie’s children are no longer in school; she could have easily skipped that detour to the polling place. But, as a former teacher, she is passionate about education; as a longtime National Council of Jewish Women member, Mollie knows that her vote is critical.

Education and teachers are in the news these days. They were front and center last week as President Obama unveiled the American Jobs Act, a bill that includes, among other things, money to protect the jobs of 280,000 teachers and improve crumbling school buildings. On the walk up the steps of that elementary school, I was reminded just what a powerful impact that proposal could have. Teachers (who, more often than not, are women) will be able to continue to support their families. Children in classrooms will be better prepared for the 21st century economy. And communities will benefit from increased economic activity and lower rates of unemployment.

[More]

by Christine Stone, board director

Last week, I was among ten NCJW board members who took part in a White House Community Leaders Briefing. We joined 160 grassroots leaders of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, a collaboration of 21 organizations working to elevate the role of social justice in the Jewish community.

We started at the National Press Club. The room buzzed with excitement. We knew the day held great opportunities to introduce ourselves, our organizations, and the communities we represent to senior members of the administration. But first, I had the honor of introducing our organization to a packed room of men and women who, like me, are committed to justice and equality.

“Hi,” I said. “My name is Christine Stone. I am a national board member of the National Council of Jewish Women, the largest progressive Jewish women’s organization. Our 90,000 members and supporters have been at the forefront of social change for over a century.” I sat back down as the other organizations introduced themselves and then looked to NCJW CEO Nancy K. Kaufman. As a co-founder of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, she was getting ready to take the podium to address the room. I thought to myself, this is what it is like to have a seat at the table.

[More]

By Kayla Shipman, NCJW Legislative Intern

Last week, the White House held a “Twitter Town Hall”– the first of its kind – and I got to attend!  It was an amazing opportunity for me: I got to go to the White House for the first time, and I shook President Obama’s hand. (You can bet that everyone I know has heard me brag about that by now.) Not only that, I was able to hear the President of the United States answer questions about jobs, the federal budget, taxes, education, and the continuing impact of the housing collapse on families across the country. As a young person, it was wonderful to experience this kind of dialogue between Americans and our president, but it wasn’t just the questions that made this Town Hall exciting for me.

[More]

There was a time in our nation’s history when NCJW women walking the halls of the huge Texas state capitol in Austin could anticipate a very different experience from those NCJW advocates making legislative visits in Lansing, Michigan’s capital. Recently, I had the opportunity to walk alongside Texas and Michigan NCJW volunteers as they made their rounds in their state capitals, and I was amazed by the similarities!

Texas NCJW Members with State Legislators

[More]

By Gail Ball, NCJW Vice President

My life is happily full: very fast paced and requiring a great deal of flexibility to work, volunteer, care for my family, and eat. (To balance things out, I have sacrificed exercise time.) Nonetheless, on Mother’s Day, when our NCJW President called to ask if I would represent NCJW at the White House reception to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month on May 17, I said “Yes!” in a flash. Funny how calm I was when I asked my secretary to just clear my calendar that day … I was certain there was nothing in the normal requests for my time that could trump this honor.

Amy Cotton, a legislative associate in our Washington office, and I met early at the office and headed over to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for a morning briefing. We took particularly copious notes on Dan Shapiro’s remarks. Dan is currently the Senior Director, Middle East and North Africa, for the National Security Council, and has just been confirmed as US Ambassador to Israel. He spoke clearly about this country’s relationship with its friends in the Middle East, including King Abdullah of Jordan, with whom the President was meeting that morning, as well as America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s right to exist and protect its borders. The other speakers shared with us the Administration’s work and progress on domestic issues such as health care and the economy. When addressing the budget, they used messages and wording in line with NCJW’s positions, including a commitment to advancing a budget that does not hit the most vulnerable the hardest, working for a family friendly budget that is “consistent with our values.” He also charged each of us, as representatives of public service organizations, to encourage a high level of engagement among our fellow Americans, whenever and wherever we could.

[More]