'Women of the Century' for Bergen nonprofit honors six volunteers as it marks 100 years

When Marcia Levy of Englewood became a widow in 1991, after 42 years of marriage, she felt lost.

Then a friend invited her to join a group that changed her life: the National Council of Jewish Women's Bergen County Section. Through 30 years of activism with the organization, she's worked with the Center for Food Action in Englewood and the Center for Hope & Safety in Rochelle Park, a shelter for domestic violence victims.

"This organization stands for everything I believe in," Levy said this week. "Whenever we saw a need, we just went and did whatever we could. That's what the council is all about."

On Thursday, the Bergen chapter celebrated its 100th anniversary with an awards luncheon where it planned to honor Levy and five other longtime volunteers as Bergen County's "Women of the Century," with Gov. Phil Murphy scheduled to attend.

Women of the Century

Levy, 93, a retired nurse, was to be feted at the Washington Township ceremony along with Ruth Cowan, Nita Gottesman, Ann Levenstein, Ina Miller-Silverstein and Bea Podorefsky. The women are being singled out for their roles in launching programs for the Bergenfield based group that have enhanced the lives of underprivileged residents.

The group's draw has always been its dedication to service, said Levy.

In the early 2000s, when the local section created an initiative to assist battered women transitioning to independent housing, she would watch for sales in stores so she could buy household items for women at the shelter.

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"One Friday afternoon I saw an ad from a local discount store with 10-piece sets of pots for $50. I immediately rushed out to Route 17, grabbed a cart and piled in as many sets as I could manage. The checkout person just stared at me," she said with a laugh.

Levy made a beeline from the store to the center in Rochelle Park, where the women greeted her with gratitude as she distributed the loot, she recalled.

Oldest Jewish women's group in the U.S.

The Jewish women's council's Bergen chapter was born in 1923, when 14 women gathered in a rented room in Hackensack with the idea of pursuing social justice projects in their community.

It was part of a national organization that was founded in 1893 and is the oldest Jewish women's group in the country. Inspired by Jewish values, the nonprofit aimed to turn progressive ideals into action, according to the group's mission statement.

The women strived to help people close to home. When they heard about a Dumont family whose father suddenly died, they provided financial assistance. When Hackensack University Medical Center opened, the women borrowed $400 from City National Bank to endow a room there. Members also volunteered at Teaneck schools and in the food center in Englewood.

Today, the chapter has grown to about 1,000 women as it has continued to advocate on behalf of women, children and families.

More recently, the section helped create the Plaintiff’s Waiting Room, a safe haven for victims of domestic violence awaiting court appearances at the Bergen County Courthouse.

The chapter has also marched on Washington, D.C., to advocate for gun control, immigration reform, reproductive rights and religious rights. Most recently the group has been a voice against human trafficking.

Finding a mission in life

Ann Levenstein recalls that when she moved to Teaneck nearly 60 years ago from New York, she didn't know a soul. Her neighbor urged her to join the Council of Jewish Women, where she discovered a new mission and lifelong friends, she said.

"I turned it into a full-time job, and I'm still doing it all these years later. We are helping so many different kinds of people. I was thrilled to meet so many like-minded women who became my friends," Levenstein said.

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The 86-year-old has volunteered for the past 10 years at the Family Promise walk-in center in Hackensack, where she helps pack food and deliver it to needy residents in the Hackensack area.

"Being in this group has given me confidence I didn't know I had," Levenstein said. "It's encouraged me take on roles that I was hesitant to do at first but then I realized I could do it all, including co-president of the section, president of the regional board and national board member.

"It's also given me a wide circle of friends with the most amazing women ever."

Other honorees

The other women being honored include:

Ruth Cowan of Dallas, previously of Bergen County, created the chapter's post-mastectomy program, which helps hundreds of women recuperate after surgery. She also founded a multiple sclerosis swim-in program in 1976, and it continues to provide free aquatic therapy for people with MS.

Nita Gottesman of New York City brought the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Program to Bergen County in the 1990s, and it remains successful today, the council said. The program promotes childhood literacy by teaching parents with limited education to be their children's first teachers.

Ina Miller-Silverstein of Teaneck, a 60-year member, spearheaded the creation of the Plaintiff’s Waiting Room, a safe haven for victims of domestic violence awaiting court appearances at the county courthouse. She also has been running the MS swim-in program.

Bea Podorefsky of Teaneck started the annual advocacy forums, which bring in 25 to 50 program partners a year. As one of the section’s historians, she recently completed a "Council Chronicle" retrospective to mark the centennial.

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen Jewish Council names volunteers 'Women of the Century'