NCJW Greater Houston Section, Congregation Beth Israel Sisterhood and Miriam Browning Jewish Learning Center highlight action steps with featured speakers
More than a century ago, National Council of Jewish Women founder Hannah G. Solomon led members to greet immigrants fresh off ships in the port of New York. The goal: to safeguard them from human traffickers and other nefarious opportunists as they sought jobs and housing. Opportunists still seek the vulnerable, and cities that sponsor major sporting events like the Final Four and Super Bowl become magnets for human trafficking operations. Even without such draws, Houston is a hub for traffickers. The National Council of Jewish Women, Greater Houston Section is partnering with Congregation Beth Israel Sisterhood and the Beth Israel Miriam Browning Jewish Learning Center on Sunday, January 31, 2016, to present Hannah’s Vision 2016: Human Trafficking in Houston. This event will feature national expert Lori Cohen, local community activist Kathryn Griffin and Special Advisor to the Mayor of the City of Houston on Human Trafficking Minal Patel Davis.
Lori Cohen, Director of the Anti-Trafficking Initiative at Sanctuary for Families Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services in New York, represents immigrant and domestic victims of human trafficking and conducts training sessions for the judiciary, law enforcement, legal and health care professionals, social service providers and community based organizations. Also an NCJW national board member, she will offer insights on how NCJW and coalition partners organized to fight human trafficking in other cities that have hosted a Super Bowls.
Kathryn Griffin is founder of I’ve Been There, Done That, a program she designed to help prevent sex workers and drug addicts from returning to lives of crime. A reformed drug addict who turned to prostitution to support her habit, Griffin developed her program at the request of then-Sheriff Adrian Garcia to help women in the Harris County Jail build the self-esteem needed to stay off the streets. She has dealt with both abused women and those who were sold as children. She will share her experiences with traffickers and the trafficked.
Minal Patel Davis will provide an update on local efforts to address the trafficking issues as we approach the Final Four in April 2016 and Super Bowl 2017. She will also highlight what we can do, collectively and individually, to combat human trafficking, emphasizing that human trafficking is slavery, no matter what we call it.
The program will begin at 2 pm in the Gordon Chapel at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 N. Braeswood on Sunday, January 31, 2016. Donations of nonperishable food, toiletries, or grocery store gift cards for the NCJW GHS Food Bank at the Trafficked Persons Assistance Program at the YMCA International Services branch are encouraged. The event is open to all and free to the public. Reserve your place for limited seating at www.ncjwhouston.org by January 27.
The National Council of Jewish Women, NCJW, is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the lives of women, children, and families, and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.