The Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Women’s Division has announced the speakers for its 2003-04 Edie Adelman Political Awareness Series. Themed “Emerging Issues,” the series aims to educate Jewish women about political and legislative issues while encouraging advocacy and action.
It will be held on Tuesday mornings, 9:15-11:30 a.m., at Congregation Shalom. Cost is $55. Childcare is available at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
Dates and speakers are:
• Sept. 9 — Barbara Lawton, “Emerging Issues and Economic Development: Women Move to the Center of the Frame.” Wisconsin’s first woman to be elected lieutenant governor, Lawton was named “1999 Feminist of the Year” by the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization for Women and was a founding member of the Educational Resource Foundation.
• Oct. 14 — David Harris, “Emerging Issues on the International Scene.” As executive vice president of the American Jewish Committee, Harris is an advocate for civil rights, church-state separation and immigration reform. He is committed to combating anti-Semitism and promoting understanding.
• Nov. 11 — Roberta Gassman, “Workforce Development Strategy: Strengthening Options for Wisconsin’s Children and Families.” She is the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
• Dec. 9 — Yehudit Barsky, “Tracking Extremists and Dodging Bullets: What’s a Nice Jewish Girl Doing in This Business?” Barsky is the director of the Division on Middle East and International Terrorism of the American Jewish Committee and an associate scholar of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
• Jan. 13 — Janine P. Geske, “Healing the Harm — A Different Approach to Crime.” Geske is a former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge. A professor at the Marquette University Law School, she served as interim dean for a year.
• Feb. 10 — Panel presentation by Ricardo Diaz, executive director of the United Community Center; Jennifer Morales, first Hispanic to serve on the Milwaukee Public Schools Board, and Pedro Colon, first Latino elected to the state legislature. Their topic is “New Coalition Partners: A Dialogue with Leaders of the Hispanic Community.”
• March 9 — Stephanie Sue Stein, “Protecting the Safety Net: Medicare and Medicaid Reform.” As director of the Milwaukee County Department on Aging, Stein oversees 170 staff and works with the Commission on Aging, the County Executive and the County Board of Supervisors.
• Wednesday, April 14 — Tim Crain, “Jewish-Americans: Past and Present.” A professor at UWM’s Center for Jewish Studies and Department of History, his research centers on the problems in the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
• May 11 — Linda Scherzer, “Media and the Middle East.” A public relations and media consultant with such organizations at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Scherzer is the former Middle East correspondent for CNN and Arab affairs correspondent for Mabat, Israel TV’s news program.
Judy Kristal and Bea Strick are steering committee chairs. For more information or to register, call Evy Garfinkel, women’s division director, at 414-390-5704.
A commitment to the MJF annual community campaign is required to attend. The series is supported in part by a grant from the Edie Adelman Political Awareness Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation, MJF’s endowment development program.
