The other day I was perusing the Australian Jewish News website,
looking for an article as fodder for my weekly issues discussion on Wednesday
at our Senior Schmoozers group. A report
on a United Israel Appeal event in Sydney caught my eye, because I had attended
the UIA event in Brisbane on Sunday. One
of the two speakers in Sydney was Dr Ronen Bergman, who was our speaker in
Brisbane. But two speakers! Obviously the Sydney event was a larger
event, as one would expect since there are far more Jews in Sydney than in
Southern Queensland.
The second speaker
in Sydney was Orit Adato, who was identified as being “the first female
three-star general in the Israel Defence Forces and the first female
commissioner of the Israeli Prison Service.”
I have to tell you
that, as someone of the ‘male persuasion’ I tire of reading about the “first
female” this, or that. Sometime I think
to myself: Enough already! We get it that women can do just about
anything occupationally. Actually, I
would say ‘anything.’ But even though I enjoyed the film GI Jane and
thought that Demi Moore really rocked the role of Lieutenant Jordan O’Neill, I
really can’t picture women in the US Navy SEALS. Sorry.
Call me a dinosaur.
As I said, “as
someone of the male ‘persuasion.’” But
after thinking about it for a moment, I think I get it why women don’t tire of
hearing about the “first female” this or that.
Certainly women in general, and in particular Jewish women.
To be a wife and
mother is probably the most honourable ‘occupation’ at which one can work. I don’t think that the President of the
United States is as important as any mother of children. Although he does get more generous travel
expense allowances. And a private jet. But everything that he does and accomplishes
is fleeting compared to the efforts of a dedicated mother who brings a child or
children into the world, nurtures them, and prepares them to take their place
as good people in society.
That said,
motherhood is not for everybody. And not
every woman gets the chance to do it. And
even when they do, it isn’t usually a full-time occupation for life! So why should a woman be de facto pressed
into only supporting and limited roles in society in the expectation that her
major career will be the raising of a family?
It makes no sense. When it was
the reality, it served as a major frustration to many women. And it effectively robbed the world of their
talents. Many people, men and women
both, decry that the result of the sexual revolution is that women often feel
obligated to give up their femininity, their essential character that is
different from that of a man. But it’s
hard to decry the other side of the sexual revolution: that women are empowered to enter, and given
the opportunity to excel in, just about any endeavour possible.
And that’s why the
National Council of Jewish Women is so important. Because even after years and decades of the
“first female” this and that, women need a special place where they can
encourage one another. A place where
women can develop and exercise their leadership potential. A place where Jewish women can join together
and effect their own measure of Tikkun Olam as a group of caring,
sharing women.
That’s why Fanny
Reading, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, started the NCJW in 1923. The organisation’s founding pillars
were: Service, Education, and
Philanthropy. ‘Philanthropy,’ of course,
means ‘love of humanity’ and usually refers to the raising of funds for Good
Works. As often happens, over time this
generalisation has been further refined in the NCJW. Today, NCJW focuses its philanthropic efforts
into six specific ‘Portfolios.’
The first
Portfolio is Anti-Semitism. NCJW, as a
Jewish organisation, recognises that Anti-Semitism continues to be a force in
our country and in the world. Although
Jews are not by definition a ‘race,’ Anti-Semitism is a form of racism that,
like other forms of racism, clouds some peoples’ thinking and causes them to do
bad things. It serves at the very least
to hamper Jews’ ability to feel completely at home in the lands of our
habitation. It closes doors in our
faces, for no reason other than that we are Jews. And it leads to violence against Jews and
Jewish institutions.
The second
Portfolio is Community services. Even in
the modern Welfare State, there are always human needs that the government
cannot address effectively. It is
therefore incumbent upon organisations such as the NCJW, to step in and fill
these shortfalls.
The third
Portfolio is Integration. Acceptance of
migrants and refugees is right now a politically-charged issue in
Australia. But helping them, once allowed
to enter, to make a new home in a strange land should not be. The NCJW nationwide runs programs to help
migrants to integrate into Australia society successfully.
The fourth
Portfolio is Interfaith and Intercultural.
Given the diverse ethnic and religious tapestry that is contemporary
Australia, it is important that we all work hard to get to know and respect our
neighbours. The NCJW does yeoman’s work
in this area, carrying the standard of the Jewish community in participation,
not to mention the initiating of programs.
The fifth
Portfolio is Israel. Israel, despite
having celebrated her 65th birthday last year, is a young country facing
many challenges. She needs the help of
all Jews in addressing her challenges, and she needs the help of all Jews in
making the case for her legitimacy which still is not settled in many
minds. The NCJW is unabashedly a Zionist
organisation, helping and advocating for Israel.
The sixth and
final Portfolio is the Status of women.
Despite having made great strides, particularly in the Western World,
women still face unique threats such as sexual violence, human trafficking
which targets women disproportionately, unwanted marriages and births, and
more. The NCJW being specifically a
women’s organisation endeavours to address these issues robustly.
It’s a big and
diverse job for a small organisation.
But the NCJW’s various chapters join together in sisterhood to address
all the above issues. Its presence in
Queensland is nothing new: the Brisbane
chapter opened in 1927 and the Gold Coast Chapter in 1969. Our chapter celebrates its 45th
birthday this year. It is a small, but
active chapter whose work is felt not only in the Jewish community but outside
it as well. We celebrate the Gold Coast
NCJW’s 45 years of excellent service with this service tonight, and with a
dinner dance on Saturday night, 22 March.
Wouldn’t it be great if you joined in the celebration on the 22nd? Wouldn’t it be even greater if our chapter
could celebrate its 46th birthday with you as a member? The growth and continued success of the NCJW
is my prayer for this, the NCJW Shabbat.
Even though I’m of the male ‘persuasion.’ It’s a prayer all of us should offer,
whatever our ‘persuasion’! Shabbat
shalom.
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