NCJW CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL WASHINGTON INSTITUTE CONFERENCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: press@ncjw.org
Three-day conference brings hundreds of Jewish feminist advocates to DC to build community and push for access to Medicaid and SNAP, expanded voting rights, protected Black maternal health, and an enhanced Child Tax Credit.
WASHINGTON, DC — From Sunday, May 18 to Tuesday, May 20, 2025, advocates from across the country joined National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) to learn, share, and build community as Jewish feminist advocates at its 2025 Washington Institute. This transformative three-day leadership conference brought together hundreds of Jewish feminist advocates from across the nation, and included the organization’s prestigious RiSE UP! Celebrating Extraordinary Leaders awards event at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The conference closed with NCJW’s hugely successful lobbying day on Capitol Hill, where advocates lobbied Members of Congress to support voting rights, maternal health, Medicaid, and SNAP.
“In a moment when so much is on the line — for women, for kids — every second counts. That’s why hundreds of advocates from across the country came together for NCJW’s Washington Institute: to raise our voices, take bold action, and show up where it matters most,” said Sheila Katz, CEO of NCJW. “We went to Capitol Hill to do the holy work of advocacy — not just as individuals, but as a united Jewish feminist force demanding a future where everyone can thrive. Together, we built momentum that will carry our vital work forward to protect and advance the rights of women, children, and families across the United States and Israel.”
Washington Institute featured dynamic sessions led by renowned leaders, including Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Congressman Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Mini Timmaraju of Reproductive Freedom for All, Angela Ferrell-Zabala of Moms Demand Action, Margaret Huang of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Maya Wiley of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, who all shared insights and strategies to advance social justice in America. Throughout the conference, participants engaged in skill-building workshops, networking opportunities, and community-building efforts designed to strengthen our nationwide network of Jewish feminist advocates fighting for change.
A highlight of the Institute was the “Day on Capitol Hill,” where NCJW advocates met with a bipartisan set of more than 100 congressional offices, including personal conversations with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Rep. Richie Torres (D-NY). Advocates lobbied for critical legislation, including the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the American Family Act, and the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, while demanding members oppose the harmful proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in the budget bill.
On May 19th, NCJW hosted its RiSE UP! Celebrating Extraordinary Leaders awards event at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, co-chaired by Ami Aronson and former Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC). Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) opened the program, and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) received the 2025 Social Action Award for his exceptional leadership and activism in ensuring a federal judiciary committed to equal justice for all.
In accepting the award, Booker uplifted the women in his staff who, in his words, “set me up for success.” Recognizing his Newark, New Jersey upbringing and civil rights background, he told the crowd, “I am here because of two of the greatest bedrocks for justice in America — Black women and Jewish women.”
In his inspiring speech, he called on the crowd to live their Jewish values in their advocacy efforts, saying, “This is a time for us to show our values, and we in this room who know the Torah know that when God calls upon us, there is one response — not to shrink. When there is injustice in the world, there’s one response — not to hide,” he said. “ It is to stand up and say ‘hineni’ — behold, here I am. Tzedek, tzedek tirdof — justice, justice I shall pursue.”
The event also honored Jennifer Klein, former Director of the White House Gender Policy Council during the Biden-Harris Administration, with NCJW’s 2025 Woman Who Dared Award, recognizing her unwavering commitment to gender justice. Klein rallied the crowd, saying, “We need to organize to fight the backlash against women’s rights, civil rights, freedom, and democracy. We need to rethink policy and strategy, and we also need to do the long-term work to address gender norms and to end the resurging misperception that a focus on advancing rights and opportunity for women is a choice to ignore serious issues facing men and boys in some sort of zero-sum game.”
The conclusion of this year’s Washington Institute marks a pivotal moment for NCJW as the organization continues to build momentum for its advocacy efforts nationwide. As attendees return to their communities, they carry with them new skills, strengthened networks, and renewed determination to advance equity, safety, and freedom for women, children, and families.
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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 132-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 50 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to affect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.