SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO MOVE A BILL TO PROCLAIM HANNAH G. SOLOMON DAY

NCJW Bergen County Section, in the person of BCS’s Advocacy Chair, Bea Podorefsky, had the honor and privilege to deliver testimony at a hearing of the Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee in the NJ State House in Trenton on January 29, 2015 in support of Senate Joint Resolution No. 22.

Born January 14, 1858, Hannah G. Solomon, already accomplished and well-known in secular women’s groups and in the Jewish community, emerged as the obvious choice to chair the Jewish Women’s Committee when Chicago hosted the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. While the men expected the women to simply serve tea and coffee, Solomon instead convened a large gathering of Jewish women to discuss the multiple possibilities and goals for a national Jewish women’s organization. At the conclusion of the congress, delegates founded the National Council of Jewish Women and unanimously elected Hannah Solomon president, changing forever the role of Jewish women and the nature of volunteerism. Click to read Bea’s testimony in full.

Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, District 37 (Bergen), this bill proclaims a Joint Resolution commemorating the birthday of Hannah G. Solomon and designating January 14 of each year as “Hannah G. Solomon Day.” In the words of the resolution “Hannah Solomon’s role as a pioneer of women’s rights within the Jewish community, and society as a whole, makes it entirely appropriate that the New Jersey Legislature commemorate and honor the anniversary of her birth.” Click to read the resolution in full.

In the words of Senator Weinberg “Hannah G Solomon was a trail blazer, a leader, and a role model to many. As the inaugural President of the NCJW she oversaw the expansion of the organization and laid the ground work with a strong commitment to excellence exemplified by the organization today. SJR 22 makes her birthday January 14^th Hannah G Solomon Day providing us with an opportunity to remember an iconic leader and her legacy lives on today through the fine advocates who make up NCJW.”

The Bill will be passed into law in the NJ Senate and Assembly in due course and, in the words of Belinda Lasky, NCJW. Inc., Director of Community Engagement: “It would be inspiring to rally other states that have multiple sections, like Florida and California, to work to get this type of resolution passed.”

The hearing was presided over by Chairman Senator Jim Whelan. In attendance were Vice-Chair Senator Shirley K. Turner, and committee members Senator Peter J. Barnes, Senator Steven V. Oroho and Senator Samuel D. Thompson.

To hear audio of Bea giving her testimony, go to http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/archive_audio2.asp?KEY=SSG&SESSION=2014

and click on “Listen.” You can fast-forward to where Bea speaks towards the end.

In a statement issued January 29, 2015, Ann Levenstein, Co-President of NCJW BCS, said “What an opportunity to get the NCJW name out there in New Jersey. Each year on January 14, we will celebrate with volunteer opportunities, programs and events to support women, children and families in our community, as inspired by the legacy of Hannah G. Solomon, our esteemed founder.”

Click here to find out how a bill becomes law.

Front row L-R: Chairman Senator Jim Whelan and Bea Podorefsky Back row L-R: Vice-Chair Senator Shirley K. Turner; Carole Benson, NCJW BCS Honorary Vice-President; Senator Steven V. Oroho; Senator Peter J. Barnes; and Senator Samuel D. Thompson

Bea gives her testimony to an enwrapped committee.