Women’s volunteer organization celebrates centennial

One hundred years have passed since 75 women from the local Jewish community gathered at the Royal Alexandra Hotel on Higgins Avenue and Main Street to formally establish the Winnipeg section of the North American volunteer service organization, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).

This fall, 150 women from that same community are celebrating the founding, longevity and achievements of that grassroots Winnipeg organization. That milestone celebration is being marked by the establishment of an endowment fund at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and a Nov. 4 Government House reception hosted by Lieutenant Governor Anita Neville. While the endowment fund will ensure continual financial support for the many community services, social programs and non-profits that the group has championed for decades, the reception will acknowledge the positive impact that the group has had in Winnipeg, as well as pay tribute to the women who founded the group and the women who have kept the group going for an entire century.

Sharon Allentuck is one of those women. She has been a volunteer with NCJW for 50 years.

Allentuck first joined NCJW-Winnipeg Section in the late 1970s at the urging of her sister and has since served in various executive positions, including as president of the local group and as president of NCJW Canada. She currently sits on the executive of the International Council of Jewish Women.

“My mother was also a member, and a few of her sisters were also active members,” Allentuck says.

One of Allentuck’s aunts, in fact, like her, served as both the local president and the national president.

“I often say NCJW is in my DNA,” she adds.

Like its parent organizations — NCJW Canada and NCJW International — and in spite of what might be inferred by its name, NCJW-Winnipeg Section’s philanthropy and activism have always extended far beyond its own faith and cultural community.

“National Council of Jewish Women of Canada is dedicated to furthering human welfare in both the Jewish and general communities,” Alexandra Blinder, the section’s vice president, explains. “Through education, service and social action, NCJW addresses unmet needs, advocates for social justice and strengthens individuals and communities.”

In Winnipeg, it creates programs where none existed, bolsters projects in need of support, advocates for marginalized communities, raises funds and responds to major local and international challenges and events.

In the group’s first few decades, for example, those responses took shape as comfort boxes for Canadian troops serving overseas, a library at Camp Shilo Armed Forces Base, a mobile blood unit for the Canadian Red Cross and ESL classes for newcomers to Canada. In the years that followed, volunteers with the group developed a skills training program for young adults with intellectual disabilities, arranged a visitors program at the Selkirk Mental Health Hospital, developed a Block Parent program and, together with Allentuck’s mother, conducted audiometer testing in local elementary schools. In the 21st century, NCJW-Winnipeg Section members continue to host citizenship court for new Canadians, write policy briefs, make presentations to government, moderate expert panels and raise awareness about human trafficking, missing and murdered Indigenous women, rising rates of youth suicide and the need for affordable child care, among many other critical issues.

“I believe that the reason NCJW continues to thrive,” Allentuck says, “is because we are progressive, inclusive and relevant. We try to keep up to date with the issues that affect all Canadians.”

One of the group’s current social action initiatives embraces Winnipeggers from all backgrounds. That project, known as Mitzvah Day and now in its 11th year, invites individuals, schools, workplaces and other organizations and faith communities to devote one day in November to the simple act of doing a good deed that in some way benefits the city and enhances the lives of its citizens. Past Mitzvah Day activities have included the collection and donation of children’s books to the Rossbrook House library, the collection and donation of socks and mittens to residents of inner-city shelters and friendly visits to isolated seniors, among numerous other actions.

“Mitzvah Day strengthens relationships between over 25 organizations, encouraging acts of giving and cooperation,” Blinder explains. “Mitzvah Day is especially impactful because it brings together both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations. Volunteers of all ages join in hands-on projects that help local charities, emphasizing the value of giving time rather than money. This creates meaningful bonds across communities and supports a wide range of causes.”

NCJW-Winnipeg Section’s Mitzvah Day this fall is scheduled for Nov. 23, just two and a half weeks after the group commemorates its centennial at Government House.

“Reaching 100 years is a remarkable milestone,” Blinder says. “It shows the strength, resilience and dedication of generations of Jewish women in Winnipeg who have volunteered their time and talent to improve lives. This anniversary is not only about honouring the past, but also about celebrating our continued commitment to education, service and social action for the next 100 years.”

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