National Council of Jewish Women

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NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN. The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) was founded in 1893 as a result of the Jewish Women's Congress held at the Chicago World's Fair. Early leaders included Hannah G. Solomon, Rebekah Kohut, and Sadie American. The group dedicated itself to promoting Judaism, philanthropy, and education through aid to Jewish immigrants and educational programs for Americans. During both world wars, it provided assistance to Jews overseas and to refugees. Throughout its history the group has supported many issues, including civil and reproductive rights, children's education and welfare, and the Equal Rights Amendment. Early in the twentieth century the NCJW was the largest Jewish women's organization. Today, the group has sections in over five hundred American communities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Elwell, Ellen Sue Levi. "The Founding and Early Programs of the National Council of Jewish Women: Study and Practice as Jewish Women's Religious Expression." Ph.D. diss., Indiana University, 1982.

Hyman, Paula. "The Jewish Body Politic: Gendered Politics in the Early Twentieth Century." Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies and Gender Issues 1, no. 2 (1999): 37–51.

Rogow, Faith. Gone to Another Meeting: The National Council of Jewish Women, 1893–1993. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1993.

MaryMcCune

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