Who We Are
The National Council of Jewish Women is a volunteer organization that has been at the forefront of social change for over a century. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW courageously takes a progressive stance on issues such as child welfare, women’s rights, and reproductive freedom.
Locally: The Frederick Section of National Council of Jewish Women was founded on Wednesday, March 23, 1921. The Jewish Women in Frederick decided, “In unity there is strength”. They appreciated the necessity for cooperative and harmonious action and thus met for the first time at the Masonic Temple on Church Street. In the first year of the Frederick Section, the membership totaled thirty-four women. These women were also responsible for seeing the need for a permanent Jewish House of Worship. The ball started rolling and subsequently the Second Street Synagogue was established.
The Frederick Section of NCJW, provides food and volunteers to the Frederick Soup Kitchen, makes donations to local charitable agencies, and provides the annual “Ruth Tick Memorial Nursing Scholarship” to a nursing student at Frederick Community College. Other yearly events include: CRIB – Collecting Relevant Items for Babies, Adopt-A-Family, participation in the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk and Bowl for Kids Sake, Cold Weather Shelter Collection and the Annual School Supply Collection.
Nationally: Founded in 1893 by Hannah Greenbaum Solomon, The National Council of Jewish Women is the oldest National Jewish Women’s volunteer organization in America. In the late 19th century, the NCJW dared to be different – by providing training, education and shelter for young immigrant women; advocating child labor laws at a time when children worked 14 hour days; arranging child care for immigrant families; helping the disadvantaged, the indigent and the friendless.
Through its major commitment for its struggle for women’s rights, NCJW plays an important role in the action and legislative reform on women’s issues. One of which, “Strategies to Prevent Domestic Violence”, is a grassroots network to facilitate education and outreach to the Jewish community and the general Public. As the leading Jewish organization on choice, NCJW has advocated family planning since 1930, women’s reproductive rights since 1967, and conducts an ongoing “Benchmark Campaign to save Roe” – a national effort to promote a federal bench with judges that support fundamental freedoms, including a women’s right to choose.
Internationally: Since 1947, NCJW has helped to strengthen the quality of life in Israel through education and social welfare. NCJW is active in the United States on behalf of Israel through: education, advocacy of strong US-Israeli ties, preservation of Israel as a Jewish state, and promotion of enhanced understanding between the people of Israel and the US. The “Women and Gender Studies Program” at Tel Aviv University, the first bachelor’s degree-granting program of its kind in the Middle East, provides interdisciplinary analysis of issues facing women and other minorities. The “Women Studies Forum”, also at Tel Aviv University, advances research and analysis in feminist studies while reaching out to the public through empowerment seminars and community services. The Yad B’Yad grant program supports working class organizations and their families in Israel. The Frederick community helps support this project through collections contributed by our members and Hebrew school students.
From local to national to international, NCJW offers a host of opportunities for all those who care about putting effort in reality.