JWI

Again and again, Jewish women have led when the moment demanded it.

Our first Jewish American Heritage Month post began in 1897 and followed JWI through the 1990s. Now we pick up in the 2000s, when JWI’s work in gender-based violence prevention and response, financial empowerment, and Jewish women’s leadership reflects a core belief: safety, economic security, and leadership are inseparable.

That history matters now. JWI is uniquely positioned to respond to new challenges because of its decades of trauma-informed work with survivors.

In 2021, findings from JWI’s national needs assessment, “Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community: Raising Awareness & Understanding,” helped guide JWI’s trauma-informed, survivor-centered programs, including Here For You, ReStart, and Life$avings.

After October 7, JWI co-founded I Believe Israeli Women with the Seed the Dream Foundation to confront denial and disinformation about sexual violence on and after October 7.

In 2026, JWI released “Unpacking the Experiences of Young Jewish-American Women in a Post-October 7th World,” a national survey documenting how post-October 7 life is affecting young Jewish-American women’s safety, identity, relationships, and mental health.

Through the continued expansion of YWIN and WIN, JWI is connecting more Jewish women with community, leadership, mentorship, and opportunities to give back.

In 2027, JWI will mark its 130th anniversary, and Women to Watch will celebrate 25 years of honoring Jewish women whose leadership lights the way.

Together, these milestones honor JWI’s legacy — and the women leading the work ahead.

Be part of what comes next. Learn more about JWI at the link in bio.

At PowerNET 2026, JWI’s Alana Blum, Associate Vice President of Community Response, joined partner panelists from Jewish Child and Family Service of Winnipeg, Jewish Family & Child Service of Greater Toronto, and Shalom Bayit for From Families to Teens, a session focused on collaborative community strategies to prevent domestic and dating violence in Jewish communities.

The session explored how prevention and response are strongest when community institutions, professionals, and teens are engaged as key partners.

At a time of rising antisemitism, culturally responsive support matters. Jewish survivors need trusted pathways to safety, care, and community.

Through Here for You, JWI helps Jewish communities recognize abuse, respond with care, and strengthen referral pathways. Through ReStart, JWI supports Jewish survivors with financial literacy, emotional resilience, and career readiness.

Learn more about bringing Here for You to your community or connecting a survivor with ReStart at jwi.org/here-for-you or jwi.org/restart.

For Jewish American Heritage Month, we’re looking back at 129 years of Jewish Women International (JWI) — a legacy organization shaped by Jewish women who saw what needed doing and got to work.

From Ruth Lodge No. 1, the Daughters of Judah, to the growth of B’nai B’rith Women (B*W), JWI’s history has always been part of something larger: Jewish women claiming a greater public role, caring for community, and helping shape the rich, vibrant, and diverse story of Jewish America.

And this was only the beginning.