The year is winding down as we celebrate at our Installation Dinner.
June 3rd. 7:00 PM at Wild Ginger, 230 Washington St. , Hoboken.
We will honor the past members of the board and install the new board members.
For more information please call the
hotline at 201-216-1620 or email ncjwhoboken@hotmail.com
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Leader's Message
Did you know there is a secret hidden within the Hebrew alphabet?
You may not have known that each letter in the Hebrew alphabet
coincides with a numerical value. For this reason, Jews have been
using numbers to guide them through life. For example, the number 18
is very significant, because it is the numerical value of the word Chai,
meaning life. Donations to Jewish charities are routinely made in
denominations of 18 for that reason.
October is considered Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
This past October, Melissa Donahue organized a Domestic Violence
Awareness Event at the Hoboken Synagogue. Six NCJW members
attended the event as well as a Hoboken Police Officer, two women
from the Hudson County Domestic Violence Response Team, and the
coordinator of Women Rising; a safe center for victims of Domestic Violence.
NCJWHH members learned the effects of domestic violence in
Hudson County and what help is available to victims.
The Domestic Violence Response Team is in desperate need of
volunteers and Women Rising is in need of support.
In response to Women Rising's call for help; NCJWHH decided to donate
beds-in-a-bag to the center. The center has 25 beds and insisted that
any number of beds-in-a-bag would be used immediately and appreciated.
The NCJWHH board had to make the important decision as to
how many bags to donate. After much deliberation, I decided to search
for an answer within the Jewish tradition. Knowing that there is a secret
within the Hebrew alphabet; my research brought me to the number 13.
Thirteen is often a number associated with bad luck. In Jewish tradition,
however, 13 is a very good number.
Normally written in the Hebrew alphabet as Yud-Gimel, 13 is the numerical
value of the words ahava and echad. Ahava in Hebrew means “love”
and echad means “one”. Reference to echad is made in daily prayer
and declared, G-d is One! Thirteen is also the age of responsibility,
when a boy or girl becomes a bar/bat mitzvah. Jews call upon G-d's
mercy by reciting his Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, found in Exodus 34:6-7.
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, known as Rambam, is one of the greatest medieval
Jewish scholars. Rambam summed up Jewish beliefs in Thirteen Principles.
Guided by Jewish values, NCJWHH works to improve the lives of women
and children. By assisting women who are victims of Domestic Violence,
we are also helping the many children whom are suffering as well.
NCJWHH decided to donate 13 bags to Women Rising.
We find comfort in knowing that our donation is not just
a sign of good faith but also
a symbol of Love, of G-d, of responsibility to our community,
of mercy to mankind, and is a number that fully encompasses
the meaning of Judaism.
The Domestic Violence Awareness Event is just one of the many community
projects NCJWHH organizes throughout the year. In order for these projects
to be successful we need people to organize, attend and support.
Please let us know if you would like to become more active with NCJW.
We need help in many aspects of administration, organization and event planning in 2008.
Happy New Year!
Mara Kimowitz, Section Leader
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Our Mission
The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a volunteer organization that has been at the forefront of social change for over a centrury. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW courageously takes a progressive stance on issues such as child welfare, women's rights , and reproductive freedome.
Contact Us
NCJW has more than 100 sections nationwide. To contact our national offices in New York,
Washington, D.C., or in Israel, please visit www.ncjw.org.
To contact NCJW Action Center, please visit action.ncjw.org
To contact the NCJW Hoboken/Hudson section, see the information below:
Mailing address: P.O. Box 562, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone: 201-216-1620
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