Southfield, Mich. – National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan will host its annual Women of Vision fundraising event on Tuesday, Oct.21 at Adat Shalom Synagogue (29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334) featuring Sarah Hurwitz, a senior speechwriter for President Obama in 2009 and then lead speech writer for First Lady Michelle Obama from 2010 -2017. Hurwitz also worked on policy issues as senior advisor to the White House Council on Women and Girls.
Her latest book, which came out last month, is called“As a Jew: Reclaiming our Story from Those who Blame, Shame and Try to Erase Us.” Hurwitz will be presented in conversation with Rabbi Michele Faudem, who is a community educator and teaches numerous JLearn classes. For more information on the Women of Vision event, which includes boutiques on site and a raffle, or to buy tickets, go to ncjwmi.org/women-of-vision. For images of Sarah Hurwitz, award recipients, and last year’s event click here.
“We are very excited to have Sarah Hurwitz in Detroit to share some of her insight into the workings of the White House and her experiences as a speech writer with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama,” said President of NCJW|MI Amy Zeskind. “She is as inspiring as she is eloquent, and we are also looking forward to hearing her conversation with Rabbi Faudem about her travels with the First lady across five continents and her experiences working with one of the most influential women in the world.”
The fundraising luncheon will also honor Treger Strasberg with the Woman of Vision award. Strasberg is the founder of Humble Design, a nonprofit organization which fights homelessness and provides furnishings for people in need. She was previously an award winner for the ABC World News Person of the Year and began her career in Detroit. The Josephine S. Weiner Community Service Award will be presented to Cap & Conquer, a nonprofit organization which was born from the experiences of four local young women who used scalp cooling to preserve their hair during cancer treatment and now educate other Michigan cancer patients and provide financial support for scalp cooling therapy.
Zeskind said that this year’s honorees all make a huge difference in the lives they touch. “Treger Strasberg has helped countless families escape the cycle of homelessness and begin new lives in their own homes, while Cap & Conquer give hopes to cancer patients who fear losing their hair during cancer treatment, giving them back some control over their disease,” she said.
The Women of Vision event will support NCJW|MI’s many community impact projects and social justice advocacy work. Recent projects of the 134-year-old organization include the Back 2 School Store, which provides free clothing and school supplies to 900 Detroit children in need annually, the Backpack project which provides backpacks and school supplies to more than 1,000 homeless and low-income students in Oakland County, literacy outreach, fleece blankets for hospitalized children, and Kosher Meals on Wheels. The organization is at the forefront of voter advocacy, women’s reproductive rights and gun safety, holding programs and educational initiatives to promote these issues.
Tickets for the “Women of Vision” event are available at several donation levels, starting at $54. Registration is from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.; boutiques are open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; meet and greet with Sarah Hurwitz, for patrons, is from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; 11:45 a.m. to 1.15 p.m. speaker and awards presentation; 1.15 p.m. onwards will be lunch, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle. For more information on the program go to www.ncjwmi.org.
