Image

President's Message February 2025

Welcome to February,

I hope that you have enjoyed our January/February thaw and I would also like to wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day. It’s hard to believe that we are now in the month of February and that spring will not be too far away.

Spring here at NCJWSTL is always busy. Saturday, February 22nd is the big night for Trivia Players. The sold-out event promises to be a fun evening of camaraderie, games, prizes, and raffles. Raffle tickets for the Big Ticket items are also sold out; you do not have to be in attendance to win the large raffle items. There are many more raffle items and prizes to be won for those attending the event - we will see you there!

Tuesday, February 25th is NCJWSTL Advocacy Day in Jefferson City. One of the most effective ways of letting elected officials know about NCJWSTL's priority issues is by communicating through face-to-face meetings. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard. The cost is $36; we will provide lunch, snacks, and transportation to Jefferson City and back. Register now

Please join us on Thursday, April 3 for Celebrating Women. This event honors all of our women and will take place at Shaare Emeth starting at 6:00pm with the ceremony at 7:00 pm. You can purchase tickets on the NCJWSTL website now.

The Honorees this year are
Hannah G. Golomon - Dana Sandweiss,
Emerging Leader - Emilie Schaffer,
Fritzi Lainoff Advocacy - Nicole Gorovsky,
Leadership - Lisa Gubernik,
Volunteer Service - Amy Fenster Brown,
Community Impact - Julia Frank Hundman, and
Community Partnership - Charles Eisenkramer.


Please join us in honoring these outstanding awardees.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the various events.

Phyllis Langsdorf
President NCJW STL


Past President's Messages

President's Message January 2025

Dear Members,

I want to wish every one of you a very Happy, Healthy New Year.  It seems like, in a blink of the eye, the New Year appears!

NCJWSTL had a very busy November, as we were an active part of the coalition supporting Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, collecting 15,000 signatures, raising funds, holding the largest canvas of the campaign, and distributing nearly 2000 yard signs. Thank you to our members and volunteers; it made a difference, and Amendment 3 passed. If you are interested in volunteering in our advocacy efforts, we will have an NCJWSTL Lobby Day in Jefferson City on February 26.  Our seasoned advocates will provide training and help you make your voice heard in Jefferson City.

Trivia Night is coming up on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Congregation Temple Israel. Doors open at 6 pm, and Trivia begins at 7 pm. You can buy your tickets online.

You could win any one of the following items that will be available that evening: 

  • 4 Tickets to see Andy Cohen live in New York with a $500 gift card to be used for either food, travel or hotel
  • 2 Tickets to be in the audience for a taping of The Voice in Los Angeles with a $500 gift card to be used for either food, travel, or hotel
  • A weekend stay in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath cottage in Bentonville.  Enjoy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, The Walmart Museum, and more within walking distance

There are many more items and spectacular prizes available!

Please save these dates for the future:

  • 25th Anniversary of the Back to School Store is August 3, 2025, again at Congregation Temple Israel.
  • Our fall fundraiser will be on September 18th at the Reverie from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm; we will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Back to School Store.

Stay tuned! NCJWSTL is putting together a new interest group for visiting the Missouri History Museum.  This will be a captivating behind-the-scenes look and tour of both the Museum and their library, which was the old United Hebrew on Skinker.

Phyllis

314-422-8807

President's Message December 2024

Dear Members,

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and are looking forward to celebrating the coming holidays.   

November was a busy month with the election and the passage of Amendment 3.  Thank you again to all those volunteers that worked hard canvassing, phone calling, and working the polls. It appears that the legislature is already looking for ways to dilute or change this amendment. NCJWSTL will be in the halls of the legislature working to make sure that nothing changes that would circumvent the will of the people. NCJWSTL is always working to make sure that reproductive rights are protected.  

We are in the middle of our annual campaign. Please consider making your annual donation to NCJWSTL before the end of the year.  Any amount is deeply appreciated. Thank you to each of you that have already made your gift!

Remember a lifetime membership at $360 would make a fabulous gift and help support our programs, such as Back to School! Store (which will be celebrating its 25th year in 2025), Kids Community Closet, Wife Widow Woman, and Healing Hearts Bank. If you are looking for a higher-priced gift, how about the Hannah G. Solomon Society at $1000.00.  Both of these membership levels can be paid for monthly.  

We're looking forward to Trivia Night on February 22, 2025 at Congregation Temple Israel; it will be a fun evening of Trivia, raffles, fun, and companionship.  Here is a sneak peak of two of the big ticket raffle items: 

  1. A weekend stay in a Bentonville 2-bedroom, 1-bath cottage. Enjoy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, and The Walmart Museum, all within walking distance of this lovely cottage.
  2. Fly to Los Angeles and enjoy two tickets to be an audience member for a taping of The Voice.  Along with this is a $500 gift card to use for travel or lodging and a dinner for two. 

Get your table together and come prepared for a fun evening! 

Wishing everyone a Happy Chanukah and a very happy and healthy new year!

Phyllis

314-422-8807

President's Message November 2024

Dear All,

It's hard to believe that it's November already.  Have you voted yet?  If not, are you ready to vote on November 5th? Are you pushing your family members and friends to vote? I hope the answer to all these questions is “yes,” as every vote counts and we need all voters to answer the call. NCJW is asking that you vote yes on Amendment 3, which seeks to repeal Missouri's extreme abortion ban. Missouri currently prohibits abortions even in cases of rape or incest. We also support Proposition A, which supports healthy families; and we encourage a NO vote on Amendment 7, which could ban rank choice voting. As you can see, it's so important for all of us to vote.

Please remember that we would love for you to contribute to the Annual Giving Campaign. The funds raised through this campaign are not designated funds but are available for general operating expenses. We make it easy for you to donate; you can do it monthly, quarterly, twice a year or yearly. These funds allow us to continue all of our community service programming such as Wife Widow Woman, Healing Hearts Bank, Back to School Store, and Kids Community Closet,  as well as our advocacy. We hope that you will continue the support that you have always shown and make your annual gift.  If you can give at the $1000 dollar level, you will become a member of the Hannah G. Solomon Society. This can be paid out over 12 months, if that helps to convince you to increase your annual giving gift. We can not do the work we do without your continued support. I thank you so much for that support. Coming up this month, NCJW has several wonderful programs. EmpowHer is November 14.  You are invited to join us for a lively discussion on balancing work, family, and other commitments. The speakers include Ellen Futterman, Mindy Mazur and Amanda Stein. This program is open to everyone and we hope you will join us for an enlightening evening. Light-bites at 5:00 p.m. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. after remarks, introductions, and “table talk." We will conclude at 7:00 p.m.

Here is my monthly update on the new building. We are finalizing plans for the renovation of all the offices, and they should be finalized by the end of this month or the beginning of December. The parking lot has been repaved and striped, so it is totally usable for us, as we always need additional parking. The Capital Campaign is going well; we would love the opportunity to talk to you about participating as a donor. 

Phyllis

314-422-8807

President's Message October 2024

I hope this message finds you well as we move into the heart of fall. It's been an incredibly busy and exciting time here at NCJWSTL, and I'm happy to share some of what's been going on and what's ahead.

Our Grape Escape Fundraiser event took place on September 19th and was a wonderful success. The wine and food pairings were terrific and the spirit tastings added a whole new dimension to the evening. I'd like to thank everyone that attended and in particular our sponsors for your participation. Your support helps us continue our advocacy work and allows our community projects to grow. Thank you also to those in attendance that donated that evening.

The Resale Shop celebrated Couturier September 25-28th. This was the 60th Anniversary of this sale, which was started by Bede Wolff in her garage with a group of her friends that wanted to clear out their closets of clothes they were no longer wearing. They all agreed to give whatever money they raised to NCJWSTL, and that was 60 years ago this month! You, too, can donate to the Resale Shop Monday through Saturday all year long between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The shop sells handbags, jewelry, and clothing for men, women and children, as well as housewares. Come shop Monday through Saturday. All proceeds from the shop further our advocacy work and programs like our Back to School! Store; Kids Community Closet; Wife, Widow, Women; Lunch & Learn; and our newest project on the horizon, The Women's Network.

As we all know, elections are coming up very quickly. Please be sure that you are registered to vote and that you make a plan to vote on November 5th. NCJWSTL held a coffee on September 8th for anyone that wanted to pick up yard signs and postcards. Thank you to everyone that came out and enjoyed the camaraderie and prepared for advocacy this election season. If you still need yard signs or postcards supporting Amendment 3, please feel free to come by the office at 269 N Lindbergh to them up. NCJWSTL is in favor of Amendment 3 and opposed to Amendment 7. 

A quick update on the status of our new building: As I have said previously, the new building will give us the room to expand the Resale Shop and Donation Center, as well as give us more office space for all of our programing needs. All the architectural plans are final and are out for bids. The parking lot at 311 N. Lindbergh is going to be resurfaced and striped in the next couple of months, giving us the additional parking that is so desperately needed. If you are interested in donating to the campaign, simply go the the NCJWSTL website and click on the Capital Campaign.

The September Coffee Talk held on Tuesday, September 24th was guest Martin Schneider talking about his new book "Army Unbound." The next Coffee Talk on Tuesday, October 22, will have a special guest talking about identity theft.

Our Advocacy in Action – A List sponsorship ads sustain our efforts to educate the community and elected officials about issues relating to our mission. Your support NOW will put your name on all of the Get Out the Vote and support our Amendment 3 work that will be running before November 5th.

Wishing everyone that celebrates the Jewish Holidays a very happy and healthy New Year!

President's Message September 2024

I hope you have had a wonderful summer! We have been very busy at NCJWSTL. In June, we were offered the opportunity to purchase the contract for the Joseph Bank building at 311 N. Lindbergh, which we did. We have outgrown our space in our current building and there is not enough parking. The new building will offer us more room for our programs, our volunteers, our donations (currently about 35 drop-offs per day, a bag of donations coming through the door an average of every 8 minutes), our Resale Shop and our offices. In addition, we will have much-needed parking spaces.

I want to thank Eddie and Ben Cherry of Manor Real Estate, our marvelous agents, who worked so hard to make this deal for us. I also want to thank Micheal Staenberg for his guidance and advice throughout this process and Bill Remis, our attorney, for all the work he has done to make sure all the documents were correct.

NCJWSTL is and has been very involved in the Ballot Initiative to end the Abortion Ban. Amendment 3 is the result of this hard work. We will be hosting a Campaign Coffee Kickoff on September 8 from 9-11 a.m. at the NCJWSTL offices to start the hard work of getting out the vote. You can pick up “Vote Yes” yard signs, find out how to get involved and enjoy a photo booth to use on your social media when you stop by on September 8th.

On September 19, NCJWSTL will again host the Grape Escape, a wine and food pairing event. This is our annual fun fundraiser. Come join your friends and family from 5:30-7:30 at the Reverie in Chesterfield. There will be 4 different wines to taste with paired foods wines and for those that don't drink wine, we have mock cocktails and spirits to taste as well. Please register to join us. This is our largest fundraiser helping to support all of our programs and advocacy work.

Couturier will be held this year from September 25th -28th . We love having you donate your handbags, jewelry, clothing and housewares anytime, but if you are planning on donating, now is the time.  Do you want to volunteer? The Resale Shop is looking for volunteers, especially on Saturday the 28th and Monday the 30th. Sign up and join us for this wonderful sale.

As you can see, NCJWSTL has had a busy summer and is looking forward to an even busier fall.  We never stop working to make the lives of women, children and families better. Happy Labor Day!

President's Message August 2024

Happy August! Our team is bursting with activity, from organizing Back to School! Store which is happening in only a few days on August 4th to our Couturier and Grape Escape events taking place in September, as well as mobilizing efforts to get out the vote. 

Primary elections are happening on August 6th in Missouri. We are focusing on the upcoming elections, and working with our partners to encourage voter turnout. Democracy is on the ballot, so please make your voice heard and vote!

Lunch & Learn is back after a summer break  August 15th. We are excited to hear from Student to Student Coordinator Lauren Abraham and several of her student leaders. They will explain how they confront antisemitism and bullying, one presentation at a time. RSVP Today!

 Join us on September 19th at the Reverie in Chesterfield from 5:30 to 8:00 PM for one of our major fundraisers, the Grape Escape. This is a wine-tasting event that features perfectly paired foods. This year we introduce spirits tasting - bourbon, whiskey, rye, and more. It's an evening of great food, drinks, and camaraderie. This wonderful event supports our programs and advocacy work. Buy your tickets now. 

While you have your calendar in hand, save the date for our annual, and wildly popular, Couturier Sale, set for September 25th – 28th. The Resale Shop needs your donations of clothing, jewelry and household items. Resale shops keep clothing out of landfills thus helping to preserve water and other natural resources. Beyond that, resale is fun. Treasures can be found around every corner at a fraction of their retail cost. The sale proceeds support our advocacy and community impact projects.

As always we deeply appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you.  Dues renewals are now due, please renew now to help NCJWSTL continue its work to make our region better for women, children and families.

President's Message July 2024

Welcome to Summer!

We kicked off the season with our Installation event on Thursday, June 6. During the event, Nancy Litz gave her farewell address after serving for two years as President of our section. Nancy, we extend our deepest gratitude for all you have accomplished. From everything to taking the lead in gathering and notarizing signatures to put abortion on the ballot, hosting the Advocacy Training Conference for NCJW Section Leaders across the country, dramatically increasing sales for The Resale Shop and Couturier Event, to establishing the launch committee for the St. Louis Women’s Network (more to come on this!) – thank you for your amazing tenure. Thankfully, you are not leaving us entirely as you will be leading the Nominating Committee and participating in our latest initiative, tentatively titled The St. Louis Women's Network. We'll share more about this exciting new project as it progresses.

Susan Katzman, a past president, officiated the installation with her characteristic wit and grace. Our new officers for the 2024-2025 year are as follows:

  • Phyllis Langsdorf, President
  • Emilie Schaffer, Secretary
  • Michelle Brooks, Treasurer
  • Susan Dertke Hendin, VP Administration
  • Marilen Pitler, VP Advocacy
  • Amanda Stein, VP Development
  • Amy Gallant, VP Membership
  • Mindy Grossmann, VP Leadership
  • Nancy Litz, Immediate Past President

I feel incredibly fortunate to work with such a strong executive team. We are also thrilled to welcome our new board members: Alyssa Banford, Carlotta Burton, Debra Cannamore Lee, Julie Olschansky, and Randee Schmittdiel. Welcome, Ladies!

This summer is bustling with activity. We have received the board's consent to purchase the Joseph A. Bank Building, located directly north of our current building. We are now in the midst of our Visioning Our Future Capital Campaign, which aims to raise the necessary funds to purchase this much-needed space. The new building will provide us with increased room for The Resale Shop, dedicated offices, and space for meetings and events. This expansion will be crucial for The Women's Network and our ongoing projects. It is imperative that we continue our mission of improving the lives of women, children, and families.

As a reminder, our fiscal year ended on June 30, and annual dues are now due for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Consider becoming a lifetime member for only $360, which can also be paid in monthly installments. This way, you'll never have to worry about renewing your dues again.

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your summer!