NCJW Vancouver turns 80

JANNETTE EDMONDS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

The Vancouver section of the National Council of Jewish Women turns 80 this month. It's the oldest Jewish women's volunteer group in the city and to mark its birthday and celebrate the many achievements of women throughout the years at the local branch, the organization is preparing a gala celebration.

Formed in 1924, NCJW, Vancouver section, won the 1993 Volunteer Vancouver Award for more than 50 years of service. The NCJW has tackled issues such as education, child welfare, poverty relief and nutrition. From its early days, it has welcomed immigrants, held well-baby clinics and sponsored home-based parents education programs for low-income immigrant mothers. NCJW has also published seven successful cookbooks, the latest titled Bubbe's Kitchen, to raise money for their causes. The group's impact on the community has been far reaching.

Jane Stoller, 37, is the mother of two. She has been in the Thelma Ginsberg chapter of Vancouver NCJW for eight years. She is excited about the work they are doing, including the Tay-Sachs testing clinic aimed at detecting the disease that disproportionately affects the Jewish population. They also run the Books for Kids program that collects new and used books and distributes them to school kids to take home and, at Chanukah, they send gifts anonymously to Jewish families in need.

"The Thelma Ginsberg group is the youngest group," said Stoller, whose chapter is for women aged 30-45. "All the groups are named after notable women in the organization. We have Thelma's granddaughter in our group."

Stoller said she grew up with NCJW.

"It has contributed to my life and I get great satisfaction from giving back to the community," she said. "I like being involved in a Jewish group, and also a lot of what we do is for the city at large. That attracted me too.

"My mom [longtime member Shelagh Stoller] moved here from Scotland in 1966 and didn't know a soul. This was her whole network. It was always around [when I was growing up]."

The group has about 20 members, said Stoller, and meets every month. Older women in the organization often mentor the younger ones. "We pair up with them and they are amazing," she said. "We learn a lot from them."

One of the older members is current president Bonnie Gertsman. She has been a member for 20 years and, at 61, with two grown sons and four grandchildren, she finds herself president, much to her surprise and delight, and says she is pleased to be surrounded by incredibly talented women.

"These are women very happy to do their jobs and the committees almost run themselves," said Gertsman. "I haven't the slightest doubt that the 80th anniversary celebration will turn out very well. All the women do such a remarkable job."

Gertsman originally became involved with NCJW as just another activity that allowed her to be around other people. Now she sees it in more profound terms. She is "looking to be involved in the community on a practical level, not just for socializing.

"The NCJW has given me the chance to meet some women who are just super people, who can do many things and are just terrific," she said. "This involvement teaches you many things, how to get up and talk and make a speech and how to talk to a variety of people. I've learned so much, in 20 years, of what is happening in the community and what is out there in other communities as well. It is very satisfying."

Gloria Harris, now 80, joined NCJW in 1949 along with 14 others and set up a professional ladies group, "which was a joke because none of us were professionals." But they were working girls in their 20s and they thought they should do something for the Jewish community. They sent boxes of books to children in the new state of Israel. They also acted as big sisters to girls in a detention home near Hastings Park. It was an area with which Harris was familiar, as she was born and raised in East Vancouver.

Harris' group did many things during the 15 years she was chair: they got clothes and sold them, worked with golden agers, held raffles, drove for the blind, entertained, cooked and sang. "We tried to sing," she laughs. They took their turns at citizenship court welcoming new Jewish immigrants, and much more.

Harris still goes for lunch with former members of the then-Mozah Zemans group. "I had a wonderful branch. The women were fantastic volunteers. I have enjoyed it so much over the years."

Now a member of the Flori Brown chapter, Harris is enjoying the many "great lectures" they have and life continues to be good at NCJW after all these many years, she said.

The 80th birthday reception and dessert buffet will be held May 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Terminal City Club. Harris and a group of other women will be entertaining at the gala, kicking up their heels for the organization that has meant so much to them over the years.

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