READ ALL ABOUT NCJW’S LEADERS’ RETREAT 2015and how Bergen County Section brought the Power of Advocacy to Capitol Hill For digital resources of the Power Point presentations, such as Financial Health & Compliance and Jewish Values, as well as Israel in a Flash and lobbying tools and much, much more, click here: YOU CAN ACCESS THOSE RESOURCES AND MANY MORE ONLINE HERE. Carole Benson, Ruth Seitelman and Elizabeth Halverstam represented Bergen County Section at the NCJW Leaders’ Retreat 2015 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA from May 2-4, 2015. We were extremely impressed with the professionalism with which the Retreat was conducted and the quality, competence and expertise of the ‘National’ staff and Board. We were also impressed with the FANs (Field Action Network Advisors) and senior section representatives, and enjoyed talking with members from other sections to compare notes and exchange ideas. The days were packed from morning till night with excellent presentations, including workshops on topics as diverse as Communications – especially Social Media – Fundraising, Storytelling as A Practice of Leadership and much more. Highlights of the Retreat included: the Opening Plenary on Jewish Values by National Board Member Rabbi Lori Kaufman; the Keynote Speaker, Dr. Erica Browne, an educator and author who consults for the Jewish Agency and other Jewish non-profits and spoke on Leaning In and Leading Change; and a presentation on the NCJW’s programs in Israel by Shari Eshet, Director of the Israel office. We also found interesting the eye-opening view of the work of NCJW, Inc. (National). They told us they were in the process of conducting a major Strategic Plan to be completed in October. They wanted input from everyone and have sent out a survey to which thousands of members have responded. They also spoke to over 50 groups of people, including a “40 under 40” group. Leadership Retreat – Meetings on Capitol Hill We were with approximately 100 NCJW leaders and staffers who went to The Hill to speak to our United States Senators. There were eight women, representing two New Jersey sections in our group: Carole Benson, Bergen; Elizabeth Halverstam, Bergen; Ruth Seitelman, Bergen; Ilene Anesini, National C.O.O. and Bergen; Nina Goldman, Essex; Linda Slucker, Essex; Cathy Silverman, Essex; Amy Smith, Essex; and Tracey Weingarten, Essex. We brought three issues to the Hill to discuss with our New Jersey Senators:
We were off to a good start since both our Senators are strong supporters of all three of our issues. We met with Senator Menendez’s Chief Counsel, Alice Lugo, and two of her legislative aides, Michael Barnard and Andrew Geibel. We also met with Senator Booker’s Chief of Staff, Matthew Klapper. We thanked both Senators’ representatives for supporting our issues but we were well aware that there are Senators in other states who are set against our position. We asked Alice and Matthew how we could help. We were encouraged to continue lobbying through email, phone calls, and the social media: ‘Feel the fire at home-see the light in Washington’. The Senators listen carefully to their constituents. Mr. Klapper meets with his staff weekly and has his communication manager read out the top three issues surfacing across all media. We reported back to our National office. Their response—‘sounds like you built an excellent foundation for a strong relationship.’ We certainly felt that we had. After visiting with the Senators, we went to the Capitol for the closing plenary. In a meeting room in the Visitors’ Center, we met for brief presentations from the following people, all of whom thanked NCJW sincerely and profusely and emphasized how important NCJW’s partnership with them is.
It was a whirlwind two and half days. We were still on a “high” on the train journey home and, to this day, we feel inspired and empowered. If we were ever in doubt, we heard first-hand that NCJW’s words and actions are powerful and are heeded by our legislators at the Local, State and Federal levels. Ruth Seitelman
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This is the NCJWBCS Archives (January 2013 - May 2021). The current site can be found here.
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The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals 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.
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