| | Every year after the Thanksgiving holiday, I always marvel at how quickly the previous 11 months have passed. This year was no different, although I’m feeling a stronger sense of gratitude and peacefulness than I have in a while, probably because the pandemic chaos that defined the last two holiday seasons has more or less subsided. I’m also heartened due to the tremendous success we had in promoting the vote leading up to the recent midterm elections and proud that a small group of NCJW staff and volunteers recently took the time to write letters to Georgia voters, encouraging participation in the upcoming run-off election. As we ease into December and continue the holiday celebrations, I want to thank the staff, board, volunteers, and advocates of NCJW Pittsburgh who work tirelessly to ensure that we’re fulfilling our mission of supporting the needs and interests of all women, children and families. In particular, I’d like to acknowledge my partner-in-crime, Executive Director Marissa Fogel, for the tremendous job she is doing in leading the Pittsburgh Section at this critical moment in time. Marissa assumed the ED role over the summer, and she is already making her mark and positively impacting the organization. Cheers to Marissa & the NCJW team! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season filled with joy and light! 🙂 With a faith in the future and a belief in action,  Andrea Kline Glickman
President
NCJW Pittsburgh | | | |  |  | Lunch & Learn with Allderdice Students
Friday, December 9, 12-1PM
NCJW celebrates the return of our Teen Voices program, and we are thrilled to kick it off by welcoming teen leaders from Allderdice High School’s Black Student Union who will present Why Racism is Systemic: Racial Bias in the Media. This popular series is led by local teens who research an issue and present their findings and lived experience. Register HERE. | | |  | Working Moms Support Group
Thursday, December 15, 7-8:30PM
Working Moms Support Groups are back! These are free, in-person groups that include free childcare (limit 6 kiddos), snacks, tea, support, networking, and more! Set your calendar for every third Thursday, 7-8:30 PM. Our groups are facilitated by experienced therapist Cortney Seltman, whose passion for building incredible group experiences is not one to miss. Spread the word! Register HERE. | | |  | Save the Date: Repro Shabbat 2023
Weekend of February 16-19, 2023
Repro Shabbat takes place annually around the Shabbat when we read Parshat Mishpatim, because it contains the verses commonly used as the foundation of Judaism’s approach to reproductive health, rights, and justice. Stay tuned for details on our weekend packed full of events. | | | | | |  | Got a moment? Then, come and engage in advocacy work around voter protection, reproductive justice, and child care access to help make the world a better place for all. | |  | Chanukah Cookie Decorating
Sunday, December 18, 3-5PM
Our dedicated reproductive healthcare providers always work hard, and with restrictions to care in place in neighboring states and around the country, the staff at local clinics are working harder than ever. Let’s send them some love by dropping off decorated Chankuah cookies. We’ll provide holiday shaped home baked cookies and decorating supplies; you bring your creativity. Register HERE. | |  | With a new Pennsylvania House majority, the threat of SB106, the constitutional amendement in the works that could lead to an abortion ban in PA, is probably lessened. We now have the potential to get positive regulations in place that could broaden access by expanding who can prescribe abortion medication and where that can happen. For example, we would love to see midwives, nurses and physicians be included in those who can offer medical abortion, in addition to making places like university student health centers places where that can take place. Broad statewide coalitions, of which NCJW Pittsburgh is a part, continue to meet and plan for next steps. Keep reading here for ways you can engage. | | |  | Join HERE to be added to our Voter Engagement email group to be kept up to date on our actions Here’s how you help: Social Media Monitors comb online spaces for harmful mis- and disinformation that automated tools can’t reach, reporting the posts and countering them with reliable information from trusted sources. By the end, you’ll be fully trained and connected with a network of fellow volunteers to help answer questions and cheer you along. Bonus: if you’re available, you can join the Georgia Pre-Runoff Huddle with Common Cause this TH 12/1 @ 6PM EST. Common Cause will lay out their plan to stop online voter suppression and support voters during these runoffs, and talk with experts about the specific challenges Georgia voters are facing online. | | | | NCJW PGH staff and volunteers adopted Georgia voters via Vote Forward to write to and encourage them to vote in the runoff election happening on December 6, with early voting underway. With short-notice, we were able to get a stack of letters written and sent that we hope will give folks in Georgia that extra nudge to take the opportunity to vote a second time in one election cycle. | |  |  | Urge your members of Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit by the end of the year
Nearly three years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic sent the United States into public health, social, and economic crises, but government action successfully blunted the worst economic effects. In March 2021, Congress temporarily expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC), which lifted 5.3 million people (including upwards of 3 million children) out of poverty and helped families meet their basic needs. However, the expansion expired in December 2021, and child poverty dramatically increased. As inflation rises and families continue to struggle to make ends meet, Congress must urgently expand the Child Tax Credit in year-end tax legislation.
Time is running out: urge your members of Congress to expand the CTC and reduce child poverty by the end of the year. ________________________________________________________ This winter break, MomsWork wants you to take a selfie (or selfie video) of you trying to work with kids home. Out of school time and sufficient paid time off are important, and two income households need more support. Express your interest here and we’ll send you a reminder email or text when school break starts. | | | | | | | | Check out our new monthly dedicated email in the third week of each month for all the latest and greatest Thriftique updates! If you didn’t get it last week, check your spam folders or let us know by emailing us at info@ncjwpgh.org. | | | | | | Lawrenceville Cookie Tour: Thriftique-Style
Saturday, December 10th
The in-person Cookie Tour is back! Starting Saturday, December 10th, the Lawrenceville Corporation will welcome shoppers to neighborhood shops and restaurants. Thriftique will take part in the Cookie Tour with great deals and, of course, yummy cookies. Stop in to see us during our Saturday hours to pick up some snazzy thrifted items and a cookie to fuel your fun. | | | | | |  | The National Council of Jewish Women is a volunteer organization that has been at the forefront of social change for over a century. Inspired by the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam (“healing the world”), NCJW courageously takes a progressive stance on issues such as child welfare, women’s rights, and reproductive freedom. And we encourage everyone—people of all faiths—to join us. | | | | Copyright © 2022 NCJW Pittsburgh Section, All rights reserved. National Council of Jewish Women - Pittsburgh Section
1620 Murray Ave | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217
412-421-6118 | info@ncjwpgh.org | | | | | | | | | |
