July/August 2023

In this issue...

What a Day!! Charter Day!

Long Beach Women's Fair & ERA Centennial

4th Thursday Movie Night: "Vermeer" and "Trumbo"

HugPack Packing

Field Trip to the Skirball to See Blacklist Exhibit

Long Beach Gives Day Is Fast Approaching

Caring Corner

Save the Date!

What a day we all had! So much fun seeing old and new friends, celebrating with the Suffrage 100 performers, meeting the new NCJW Board, and honoring our wonderful treasurer Dawn Haldane! You can find more photos here!

NCJW is hosting a table at this wonderful Women's Fair on July 18th! This is a pre-celebration of the final ordinance establishing a Long Beach Commission for Women & Girls being presented to the Long Beach City Council. At 5 pm, we all will go into the LB City Council Chamber to witness the historical signing. There will be 26 women's organizations with booths outside LB City Hall!

The family-friendly fair will offer live entertainment and refreshments, and is being organized by Zoe Nicholson and Ashlie Brady from the Suffragettes 100 Organization, who performed for us at Charter Day.

We'll also be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment, which has been ratified but not yet published!

If you can volunteer to work at our NCJW table, please contact our Executive VP Lisa Raufman at info@ncjwlongbeach.org or leave her a message at (657) 235-2511. We also need and ask that as many members and friends as possible attend the fair so we can be a strong group of women as the Commission for Women and Girls becomes a reality! We hope to see you there!

Go behind the scenes of the largest retrospective exhibition of Johannes Vermeer paintings ever mounted (28 of the known 35 Vermeer paintings), which were on view at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Capturing the imagination of the art world – with glowing reviews, global publicity, and tickets sold out through the entirety of its run – the Rijksmuseum's Vermeer retrospective was nothing short of an historic event. Suzanne Raes’s documentary Close to Vermeer follows curators, conservators, collectors, and experts in their joint mission to shine a new light on the elusive Dutch master. This fascinating film reveals everything from the quiet diplomacy required to get the Vermeers to the Netherlands and the new technical knowledge gained by scanning the paintings layer by layer, to the shocking news that one work may not be by Vermeer after all. In the process, we discover how Vermeer was able to depict reality so differently from his contemporaries. But above all, Close to Vermeer shows the infectious love Vermeer’s art inspires. As one curator lovingly puts it: “A good exhibition should change your view of the world. Vermeer can really do that.”

Please join us to watch the documentary and meet NCJW member Cynthia Gordon (former Co-VP of Advocacy) who recently traveled to Amsterdam to see the Vermeer Exhibit. Cynthia will share her impressions of the Vermeer Exhibit which attracted 650,000 visitors from 113 countries during its 16-week run. Popcorn and movie fare will be provided. 

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

The following month, on August 24th at 7 pm, join us at a private home to watch Trumbo, the story of 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.

And don't miss the Skirball field trip as a fun follow-up (see below)!

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

Many helping hands are needed, so join us in giving a "hug" to vulnerable children entering the foster care system! And as always, we send huge Kudos to Sarah 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.

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 Cultural Center 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 Jewish creatives and executives 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 11 am at the Alpert Jewish Community Center and carpool to the Skirball Cultural Center. 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.

We’re on our way! Our NCJW chapter is the first in California to provide abortion after-care kits for women coming here from other states! And the grateful recipients now reach clinics from Long Beach to adjacent areas such as Whittier, East LA, and Downey – and the need is growing! (Being near airports makes us a prime need area!)

LB Gives (a citywide fundraising day) is fast approaching on Sept. 21st. So, we need your help now in two ways: to find Matching Funds that will double our donations, and to become Peer Fundraisers, which is a fancy way of saying you’ll send an email (we’ll write it and do the graphics for you!) to your like-minded friends and help us spread our fundraising network! We already have two Matching Donors: our wonderful friends Jack and Binnie Berro, and Sherri Sobel! This means we double any donations up to the matching amount! To become a Matching Donor or a Peer Fundraiser, or to ask a question, call us at (657) 235-2511 or email us at info@ncjwlongbeach.org. All donations are fully tax deductible, and don’t forget your employer or friends’ companies that may be able to help us!

Ok, our next packing is Wednesday, Sept. 13, 6 pm at the AJCC, and the 4th quarter packing is Tuesday, December 5th. RSVP now (spaces are limited) by emailing communityservice@ncjwlongbeach.org.

We’re also hoping to expand our services to help women having trouble getting here by helping with travel and lodging expenses, childcare costs, time lost off work, etc. Email us if you have ideas or comments: communityservice@ncjwlongbeach.org.

See you soon, and stay tuned for some other exciting projects, like helping the 5,500 homeless kids in the LB school system!

Jeanne Halliday is waiting for your calls and emails! Please let Jeanne know about such things as illnesses, deaths, simchas, honors, etc., in our community.

You can look up Jeanne's phone number or email in the Membership Directory, or you can call us at (657) 235-2511 or email us at info@ncjwlongbeach.org to request a card to be mailed.

Wednesday, September 13: Comfort Kit Packing, 6 pm, AJCC. RSVP here.

Thursday, September 21: Long Beach Gives Campaign Day, all day. Watch for more info.

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.