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Presidents’ Message

You’re Inside the Beltway:

This Is a Reality-Free Zone

After two days of training at the Washington Institute, we boarded our cavalcade of buses bringing 400 women from our hotel to Capitol Hill to lobby for legislation to provide basic civil rights. The sun was just starting to come up, and it made the Potomac and the Tidal Basin glitter. Sammie Moshenberg, director of our NCJW Washington office, served as an enthusiastic tour guide on my bus. She pointed out Watergate and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, bathed in a pink dawn glow. We passed the Jefferson Memorial, commemorating a man recognized as a founding father and president in every state except Texas. The daffodils were blooming and the cherry blossoms were just opening up.

            When we arrived at the Capitol, we fanned out to several entrances of the Congressional Office Building, to shorten the lines as we went through security. Up the gleaming marble staircase, we had coffee and found our seats in the huge House Conference Room. It was refurbished in the early 1900s, with white marble walls and floor, gilt-trimmed bas relief along the ceiling, and magnificent frosted glass chandeliers.

            We were briefed by House members who had written the bills we were lobbying for: Rosa DeLauro (CT), who initiated the Lilly Ledbetter Act; Reva Price, from Nancy Pelosi’s office; Nita Lowey (NY), author of the bill to end the Global Gag Rule; and Patrick Murphy (PA), the first Gulf War veteran to be elected to Congress and the author of the bill to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Diana DeGette (CO) had to send a representative, because she was at the White House attending the signing of the Health Reform Act.

            After this briefing, Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen graciously gave us 45 minutes of his time to listen to our views. The issues that we discussed with him will be detailed in additional Prism articles over the next few months. You can watch some of the presentations, including speeches by Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, and Lilly Ledbetter, whose lawsuit for equal pay for women went all the way to the Supreme Court, on the WIX link of ncjw.org.

            Leaving Representative Frelinghuysen’s office, I saw lines at all the entrances to the Congressional buildings, with people sporting NCJW and AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) tote bags. This was also AIPAC’s lobbying day, so a total of 7,500 Jews were swarming over Capitol Hill!

            As we enjoyed the beauty of the House Conference Room and geared up for our lobbying efforts, we were told that this room was the site of the House Un-American Activities Hearings in the 1950s. This really brought home the comments of one of our weekend speakers, Lisa Mott, who said, “Welcome to Washington! You’re inside the Beltway: This is a reality-free zone.”

Susan Neigher and Diana Grayson
Higher Ground: NCJW's Domestic Violence Campaign

 

Higher Ground:

NCJW’s Domestic Violence Campaign

 

As a speaker and advocate for victims of domestic violence, the most frequently asked question I hear is “Why does she stay?” The answer is complex and highly individual, as no two victims are alike. But just for a moment, imagine that some disaster has struck and you have to leave your home right now. Where would you go? Do you have any money? Who would help you? Victims of domestic violence do not have positive answers to these questions and the fear of being homeless and destitute is real because two-thirds of the women and children in homeless shelters are fleeing abuse. And women who do have friends and family to turn to, do not have the financial resources to fight their abuser in the courts and losing custody of children is all too often the result.

            NCJW is responding to the additional distress caused by economics to domestic violence victims with a new campaign. Launched at NCJW’s Washington Institute, the Higher Ground campaign is a national effort to end domestic violence by improving the economic status of women. NCJW has always been an advocate for women’s safety and economic security. Now with the Higher Ground campaign, you have an opportunity to expand your impact by addressing the connections between these two critical issues. Sign up for Higher Ground today at www.ncjw.org. In the months ahead, NCJW will provide you with important updates, educational resources, and action alerts.

            For those who do not have computers, we will continue to include actions you can take in this campaign in the Prism. One of the bills that was presented at Washington Institute is “The Healthy Families Act” (HR 2460/S 1152), legislation sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) that would guarantee workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 paid sick days per year. Although the federal government offers at least 13 paid sick days to its employees and no state government offers fewer than 8 to theirs, 4 in 10 private-sector employees do not receive the same consideration. As such, men and women are forced to go to work sick, send a sick child to school, or improvise less-than-ideal solutions when a family member is sick. Further, paid sick and safe days would protect the paychecks and jobs of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking when they need time off to seek assistance. This job security is particularly important because the loss of employment can be devastating for victims who need economic security to ensure safety.

            Take action on this bill today, either through the NCJW website or by contacting your representatives directly. And thank you for all you do to help the victims of domestic violence.

 

—Lesley Frost
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