August/September 2023

Annual membership dues letters were mailed last month. If as an annual member you haven't renewed yet, please renew online here or mail a check for $54 to NCJW - GLB & WOC, 3801 E. Willow St., Long Beach, CA 90815. You can also set up automatic renewals to save you time next year by clicking the button for "Annually"! If you're a Life member, of course we also love and value your contributions!! You can become a sustaining member, or gift a membership to a friend, or make a tribute to a deserving person, or just donate!

Many helping hands are needed, so join us in giving a "hug" to vulnerable children entering the foster care system! As always, we send huge Kudos to Sara Silva and her team at Compton YouthBuild for keeping this program going so successfully!

Snacks and drinks are provided, and we guarantee that doing good for others will feel so good! While you have your calendars out, why not reserve HugPack evenings all year: the future dates are Nov. 2, Feb. 15, and April 18.

Please RSVP if you want to help: communityservice@ncjwlongbeach.org or call (657) 235-2511.

Shalom,

I am reaching out because we have a wonderful community event coming up on August 20, and we need volunteers to help with food, drink, crafts, setup, and clean-up. Teens and adults are welcome to volunteer.  

If you can join us, please fill out this volunteer form to let us know when you are available. Feel free to share this as well with anyone in the community you think would like to help out. If you have any questions, please let me know.  

Thank you for your support! We are excited to celebrate Israel @ 75!  

Dana Schneider-Chanzit

Director of Jewish Life and Culture

(562) 426-7601 ext. 1067

It is time to get out your pens and join us for our first Get Out the Vote postcard and letter-writing parties!

We are writing postcards and letters to registered BIPOC voters in Virginia about this critical legislative election.  Every seat in the VA General Assembly is up for election this year, so NCJW - GLB & WOC is writing to encourage voters to cast their ballots and make sure their voices are heard.

We’ll provide everything you need: postcards or letters and envelopes, script, labels, addresses, and stamps.

Postcards must be mailed between September 8 and October 25.  Letters are being mailed any time between October 1 and 31.

If you are already signed up with Vote Forward to write letters, you can bring your own and write with us.  

Let us know if you will 

• Join us on Tuesday, August 21, at 2 pm at a member’s home in Huntington Beach 
• Join us Monday, August 28, at 1 pm at a member’s home in Long Beach
• Write at home

Let us know what works best for you — it could be all three — by RSVPing to Deb Lelchuk at advocacy@ncjwlongbeach.org. 

Let's get together at a member's home to socialize at 7 pm to watch Trumbo and then discuss the movie! To receive the home address, Please email programs@ncjwlongbeach.org or call 657-235-2511.

Trumbo is a story about the blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. The film stars Bryan Cranston (who was nominated for an Academy Award), Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K., Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg as Edward G. Robinson, Dean O'Gorman as Kirk Douglas, and David James Elliott as John Wayne. The film is based on the 1977 biography Dalton Trumbo by Bruce Alexander Cook.

To register, please RSVP to (657) 235-2511 or email programs@ncjwlongbeach.org.

In 1963, the historic March on Washington was held in Washington, DC., when 250,000 people attended, demanding justice and equality for all Americans. But today, 60 years later, hard-fought civil rights are being stripped away each day in this country.

On August 26, National Council of Jewish Women — together with other partners — will march again on the National Mall. This march is not a commemoration, but rather a continuation of Dr. Martin Luther King’s message and Dream. Will you join NCJW and the Jewish contingent in the broader fight for justice?

What: 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington

When: Saturday, August 26, 2023

Where: Lincoln Memorial

Preprogram: 9–11 am | Program: 11 am – 1 pm | March: 1–3 pm

Click on the links below for more information:

After watching Trumbo a few days earlier, join us Thursday, August 31, for a field trip to the Skirball Cultural Center for a docent-led tour of Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare and spend an hour with a guided exploration of the impact of this time in history and its implications for civil liberties, propaganda, and shifting definitions of American patriotism today.

In October 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee called on Hollywood figures to testify about allegations of Communist propaganda in American films. Although the committee never found evidence of this, the film industry responded by becoming the first mass employer to adopt a blacklist against employees whose political beliefs ran counter to prevailing ideals. Making its West Coast debut at the Skirball with newly added artifacts, Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare shines a spotlight on the proceedings, investigations, motives, and choices of those caught in the crosshairs—including the many Jews who suffered under and enforced the blacklist. The result is an emotionally complex and compelling exhibition that demonstrates how the politics of Hollywood can shape the entire country.

We will meet at 10:30 am at the JCC and carpool to the Skirball. Entrance is free on Thursdays, but we encourage donations to our General Fund (ncjwlongbeach.org/donate) to support our projects and programs. The group will likely grab lunch together as well.

Please RSVP here. RSVPs are required as parking availability at the AJCC is tightly enforced.

Mark you calendars now for our next big Abortion Comfort Kit packing on Wednesday, September 13, at the AJCC at 6 pm. The number of women traveling here for abortions is growing rapidly! 

If you have friends of like mind, tell them about our project! See you soon! RSVP by email to communityservice@ncjwlongbeach.org.

We need lots of help, and lots of dollars. Our big fund drive is Long Beach Gives on Sept. 21, so check it out below! Let’s help women get the help they need!

This year, we are raising funds to provide Abortion Comfort Kits to several local clinics for the many women coming from out of state for abortion care!

In the year since the Dobbs decision, our Planned Parenthood partner tells us that the number of its out-of-state abortion patients has almost tripled from the year prior. Out-of-state patients have been coming from 32 states, mostly Texas and Arizona, but also from as far away as Florida. Even patients from Nevada and Colorado where abortion remains legal have been coming to California, because they've had trouble getting appointments.

Every quarter we make hundreds of kits filled with hot pads, protein bars, and many other personal items to give these women a little comfort and a warm “We Care!” to help them get through the trauma and back to their lives and homes safely. We also send notes of thanks to the clinics' doctors and nurses working on the front lines of the abortion battle. They are the true warriors in this battle for reproductive rights!

Every dollar donated will be generously matched up to $7,000!! So take advantage of this chance to DOUBLE your donation!

You can make a difference in someone's life today:

• Donate here today! (ncjwlongbeach.org/lbgives)
• Send a check (with Comfort Kits in the memo area) to NCJW - GLB & WOC, 3801 E. Willow St., Long Beach, CA 90815
• From Sept. 14 through Sept. 21, donate via our Long Beach Gives page (longbeachgives.org/ncjwlongbeach).

Thank you in advance for caring about women's struggles for the reproductive health care they deserve.

The City of Long Beach's Department of Health and Human Services is making cases of water available to individuals who are interested in handing out water bottles to people who are currently unsheltered wherever you think there's a need. If you would like to participate, please use this form to volunteer. The form is intended to gather some basic information about your group (NCJW) and where you intend to distribute water. Waters will be available to pick up from the Multi-Service Center at 1301 W. 12th. St., Long Beach, CA 90813.

Tuesday, October 17: Fall Membership Event: come socialize and learn about the current state of juvenile justice. More info to follow.

HOW TO REACH US

Email us at info@ncjwlongbeach.org, call (657) 235-2511, or send mail to NCJW–Greater Long Beach & West Orange County, 3801 E. Willow St., Long Beach, CA 90815. Please add this contact information to your contacts list.