Beijing & Beyond: 12 Steps

1. Contact your Jewish Federation or local women’s organizations to find out if women in your community still need financial support to go to Beijing.

2. Write a position paper on issues concerning Jewish women and arrange to have the paper distributed at the Forum.

3. Organize a meeting of young Jewish women in your community. Find out what issues are of concern to them and communicate that information to Forum delegates.

4. Get a copy of the Beijing Draft Platform of Action from U.N. Secretariat for the Fourth World Conference, Division for the Advancement of Women. Two United Nations Plaza. New York, N.Y. I00I7. Phone: (212) 963- 8385; Fax: (212) 963-3463.

5. Order a videotape of the May symposium at Brandeis University “From Beijing to Tikkun Olam: The Jewish Woman’s Role in Repairing the World” to show in your community. It features Bella Abzug, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Susan Weidman Schneider, Blu Greenberg and others examining Jewish women’s involvement in the U.N. women’s conferences, anti-Semitism in the women’s movement, and specific actions Jewish women can take to change public policy on women’s issues and develop local programs which empower women. ADL. 126 High Street, Boston. MA 02110. (617)457-8800.

6. Get a list of members of the official U.S. delegation to the U.N. Conference. Write or call members of the delegation with your views.

7. Collaborate with Jewish organizations to plan send-off activities prior to Beijing, simultaneous workshops on women’s issues during the Conference, and “report-back” events after Beijing.

8. Use the Internet to get accurate information about international women’s issues before, during and after Beijing.

9. Become informed about local, national and international issues concerning women.

10. During the Conference and Forum, be astute in analyzing the news you’re hearing about Beijing. Listen to multiple media sources to get more accurate information about what’s actually happening.

11. Get your name on NJCRAC’s mailing list so you can stay connected to other Jewish women interested in Beijiing. Contact Jessica Lieberman. NJCRAC. 443 Park Avenue South. New York, N.Y. 10016. (212) 684-6950.

12. Organize a “From Beijing to Tikkun Olam” evening in your community, an opportunity for Jewish women to think about the issues raised in the Platform of Action and their vision and role in healing the world.