National Council of Jewish Women New York

10/09/2026

For more than 130 years, we’ve put our Jewish, feminist values into action to improve the lives of New Yorkers – people from all walks of life and all racial and religious backgrounds. Nava NY will continue this vital work, uninterrupted and undaunted.

Please stay tuned over the next few months as we complete our name change and organizational transition. We expect to complete this process by January 1, 2027. Until then, we will continue to operate as NCJW NY.

Learn more at https://ncjwny.org/transition/

10/07/2026

Today is October 7.

It is hard to believe that three years have passed since that monstrous day — a day forever seared in the memory of our people, forever a marker of before and after.

The magnitude of the date weighs so heavily that it has asserted itself as a permanent fixture on the Jewish psychological calendar. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, October 7.

This is the first year that we mark the date without hostages in Gaza. The first time, in a sense, that we commemorate the day as a chapter finally closed. But the reality is October 7 is not a closed chapter. It is still very much open — still a painful, bleeding, open wound. We know that the wars triggered by October 7 are not really over. With no permanent diplomatic solutions to end war across its multiple fronts, we know that we could be running to our shelters again at any second.

For many of us, the ongoing suffering in Gaza and escalation of violence in the West Bank are additional sources of despair. We know that only a political horizon can bring real security and hope for the future.

Read NCJW Israel Director, Kalela Lancester’s full October 7 reflections: https://www.ncjw.org/news/october-7-reflections/

10/07/2026

Three years after October 7 - the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust - we remember and we mourn.

And three years later, it is painfully clear how that day - and everything that has followed - have only reinforced trauma, division, and fear.

These three years must be a reminder: we cannot retreat into simple binaries.
We can mourn the horrific terror of October 7 and the devastating loss of Palestinian life. We can believe both Israelis and Palestinians deserve dignity, safety, freedom, and self-determination.

We can counter antisemitism in all of its forms AND reject Islamophobia, anti-Arab hate, racism, and all bigotry. We can advance both Jewish safety and truly inclusive democracy.

These commitments do not compete with one another. We must reject the false belief that one community’s safety comes at the expense of another, the false choice between protecting Jewish safety and ensuring the rights and safety of all.

That is the only way forward.

09/03/2026

Today, we lost a trailblazer. NCJW NY mourns Gloria Steinem, who dedicated her life to the feminist cause and to social justice and equity for all people.

Back in 2021, our Executive Director, Andrea Salwen Kopel spoke at a press conference with Gloria at Planned Parenthood's Bleeker Street location in Manhattan.

When asked by a journalist if she had any reason for optimism, Gloria said, "Of course there’s reason for optimism. You’re a reason for optimism. Each of you here is a reason for optimism. Optimism is a form of planning!"

May her memory be a blessing.

08/16/2026

May we all know a world without hate. 💙

08/10/2026

06/01/2026

Photo of State Senator Shelley Mayer and advocates for Choice at the State Capital. Courtesy of New York State Senate Photography State Senators Shelley Mayer, Erik Bottcher, and Jeremy Zellner were joined today by reproductive rights advocates including Reproductive Futures, National Council of Jew...