Nine Decades Revisited

Nine decades is a very long life that few of us are able to claim as our own. So it’s a mitzvah that we’re able to celebrate the 92 years since the birth of Bergen County Section of the National Council of Jewish Women.

On March 20, 1923 a group of 14 local Jewish women met at the Hebrew Institute in Hackensack and were awarded a charter as the Bergen County Section of National Council of Jewish Women, which had been founded 30 years earlier by Hannah G. Solomon. As part of this national organization, these local women became a force for service, education and action in the Jewish and general communities. Membership grew rapidly. Our current membership stands at more than 1,100.

In the early years, the section helped found the Hebrew School in the county and supported the start of the Bergen County YM-YWHA. Members endowed a room at the new Hackensack Hospital and began an annual Thanksgiving food donation to local non-sectarian institutions. Most of the section’s community service efforts during that time were devoted to helping needy individuals and families.

During the 1930’s, we established a scholarship fund for area Jewish children. Funds were collected to assist a Children’s Aid Committee to help Jewish children in pre-war German and formal classes were organized for naturalization and citizenship to help newly-arriving foreigners. NCJW volunteers met immigrants at the docks, arranged housing, provided clothing, jobs and more. A Fresh Air Fund was created to send needy children to summer camp.

In the early 1940s, the section turned its efforts to raising funds for the war effort, selling war stamps at supermarkets and donating a library for soldiers. They also volunteered as nurses at Bergen Pines Hospital and participated in NCJW’s Ship-a-Box program for children in Jewish communities around the world.

With the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, BCS was one of the first to contribute to the national organization’s program supporting the Hebrew University High School of Education in Jerusalem. That same year also saw the creation of the section’s Evening Branch so that younger women who weren’t able to attend afternoon meetings could be part of the then Teaneck Section. Many former Evening Branch members are still very active in our section.

In 1950 we opened the Resale Shop, later renamed Council Thrift Shop. The store moved from Hackensack to Teaneck and now is located in Bergenfield. NCJW organized the first club for senior citizens in Bergen County in 1950. The Golden Age Club provided social and service activities for older members and continued for many years under the auspices of the YMHA.

During the 1950’s, volunteers assisted in the Recording for the Blind project while others delivered books for the Teaneck Library to the homebound and the elderly. They also worked with the Bergen County Volunteer Bureau to assist at local hospitals and various health organizations.

In the 1960’s, volunteers brought birthday cakes to the children’s center at the Edna B. Conklin Home. We also created Friendship House, a psychiatric rehabilitation center dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with mental illness. “Art 67” began a trend of annual art shows as a fundraising and social event for members and guests.

In the 1970’s, BCS began its collaboration with the statewide Youth Consultation Services at the Holley Day Care Center. Holley has grown and has become a live-in facility for children at risk. We started “Swim-In” in conjunction with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, offering professional therapy and BCS volunteers to assist clients with water therapy programs. We also began ABCs (After Breast Cancer Surgery), a swim therapy program for post-mastectomy surgery patients. In addition, we became actively involved in the Alternatives to Domestic Violence program.

During the 1980’s, NCJW supported Spectrum for Living, an assisted living facility for the handicapped and developmentally impaired, and we worked with Holy Name Hospital to create the first adult medical day care center in Bergen County. We also spoke out in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment and Medicaid funding for abortions.

The 1990’s saw an increase in our advocacy efforts as we expressed our support for the Freedom of Choice Act, Title X, Megan’s Law, Women Against Violence Act, and against bills that would restrict abortion and family planning. We joined the Clothesline Project, and in 1999 we opened the Children’s Court Care Center at the Bergen County Courthouse.

In 2000, we supported the Promote the Vote campaign to encourage people to vote and legislation to support reproductive choice and gun control. NCJW, Inc. introduced Benchmark, a judicial nomination campaign to educate and mobilize members and the community at large to promote a federal bench with judges who support fundamental constitutional freedoms, including a woman’s right to reproductive choice. We received a grant to continue the HIPPY program to assure learning opportunities for our community’s most vulnerable children and parents.

In 2003, we changed our name back to the Bergen County Section, when the Mid-Bergen section merged with the Teaneck Section. In 2004, we jointed the March for Reproductive Choice in Washington DC, participated in the NJ Governor’s Conference on Women and started our website. We were so proud when YCS honored us with their Outstanding Community Service Organization Award.

In 2014-15, NCJW BCS joined the 21^st Century by creating its own Facebook page to reach out to a wider audience. Advocacy efforts intensified with the addition of Immigration Reform as a fifth initiative, and fundraising efforts included a special Audra McDonald benefit Concert. Community services participated in an innovated Snack Pack program with the Center for Food Action, and the scholarship program attracted a record number of applicants. Membership increased, the Council Thrift Shop instituted a pick-up service and NCJW, Inc. awarded BCS its prestigious Community Impact Award for the establishment of the Domestic Violence Waiting Room at the Bergen County Courthouse.

We take pride in our history. For the past ninety-two years, NCJW, a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates, has turned progressive ideals into action. Inspired by our Jewish values, NCJW Bergen County Section continues to strive for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children and families and safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.