National Council of Jewish Women hosts Black History Month event

The National Council of Jewish Women-Peninsula Section is hosting a virtual Black History Month event that will discuss the connections between the Black and Jewish communities. The NCJW “Ties That Bind the Black and Jewish Communities” forum will be on Feb. 23 at noon.

Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook (Ambassador Sujay) will be the first speaker. She is the first woman and African-American to hold the position of United States ambassador for international religious freedom.

Appointed by President Barack Obama, she was the principal adviser to the president for religious freedom globally and served as President Bill Clinton’s only faith adviser on the President’s Initiative on Race.

Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro, the second speaker, is the past president of the Cantors Assembly. Pomerantz-Boro is also the originator of “Voices for Change,” an interfaith, multiracial video, which brought Black music ministers and Jewish cantors together in song as a way to build bridges through music after the death of George Floyd last May.

NCJW is a grassroots group of advocates and volunteers who are inspired by Jewish values to transform progressive ideals into action and strives for social justice by helping to improve the quality of life for children, families and women by protecting individual rights and freedoms.

The event is free for NCJW members, $10 for nonmembers. Make the check payable to NCJW Peninsula and mail to NCJW Peninsula Section 342 Central Ave., Lawrence, N.Y. 1155. 

To reserve a spot in the event, contact NCJW at (516) 569-3660 and office@ncjwpeninsula.org. When registering, an email address must be provided as the Zoom link will be sent by email on Feb. 22.