CHIPS. Vol. LXI, No. 5/January WIZGIRLS CONFERENCE GETS GREAT PUBLICITY -by Mary Logan

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1 Vol. LXI, No. 5/January 2017 MISSION: AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. VISION: AAUW will be a powerful advocate and visible leader in equity and education through research, philanthropy, and measurable change in critical areas impacting the lives of women and girls. VALUE STATEMENT: By joining AAUW, you belong to a community that breaks educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance. In principle and practice, AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or class Branch Officers Co-Presidents Diona Koerner (914) Linda Swann (914) Program Co-Vice Presidents Sandy Flank Stephanie Lemnios Membership Co-Vice Presidents Phyllis Hirth Pam Margand Recording Co-Secretaries Marge Kingsley Natasha Rose Corresponding Secretary Adie Shore Co-Treasurers Carol McMillan Jane Pendergast CHIPS Editor Sue Lambert, slamb47@aol.com Circulation-Jean Havens Branch Web Site westchester-ny.aauw.net State Web Site National Web Site Facebook at AAUW Westchester NY The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund provides funding and a support system for individuals seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination. The AAUW Educational Opportunities Fund provides fellowships and grants to aspiring graduate women scholars in the US and around the globe. CHIPS The monthly newsletter of the Westchester Branch of the American Association of University Women, Westchester County, New York State WIZGIRLS CONFERENCE GETS GREAT PUBLICITY -by Mary Logan 1

2 EYO UPDATE- by Wilma Gitchel, Co-Director "Explore Your Opportunities - The Sky's The Limit!" Conference Help AAUW Celebrate a Legacy of Leadership Through Service! ================================================================================================================ Yes... I want to help the American Association of University Women and the College of Mount Saint Vincent interest girls in opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through the Explore Your Opportunities Conference. Here is my tax deductible contribution for: $ Benefactor ($500 or more) Supporter ($100) Contributor ($50) Friend ($25) Other $ Donations totaling $25 or more, received by March 15, 2017, will be included in our Conference Journal Name: Address: Phone: Please indicate below how your name should appear in the Conference Journal Your contribution to the EYO conference is tax deductible within the limits prescribed by law. Please mail completed form and check payable to with EYO on the memo line to: Carol McMillan, 14 Lyon St., Rye Brook NY Making a Difference - AAUW in partnership with the College of Mount Saint Vincent 2

3 ART INTEREST GROUP CURRENT ISSUES GROUP EDUCATIONAL ISSUES GROUP POETRY INTEREST GROUP STEM INTEREST GROUP AAUW BOOK GROUP MEETINGS! DAYTIME LITERATURE GROUP TUESDAY MORNING LIT GROUP EVENING LITERATURE GROUP $ $ BUDGET TIME AGAIN $ $ 3

4 PUBLIC POLICY MAKING A DIFFERENCE By Selena Barron On November 18th, The New York Times, on their website, reported the death of Ruth Gruber, a 105 year old woman, who definitely deserves the appreciation and praise that the newspaper gave to her in their article about her life. Ms. Gruber was a photojournalist and author who worked for The New York Tribune, The New York Post and, briefly, The New York Times and wrote 19 books, usually based on her own experiences. The New York Times states that Ms. Gruber often crossed the line from journalist to human rights advocate, reporting as well as shaping events that became the headlines and historical footnotes of the 20th century. Proof, of some of her activities, was detailed in the article. In 1944, acting for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she escorted 984 refugees from 19 Nazi-occupied nations to a safe haven in the United States. At that time, German submarines made crossing the Atlantic an extremely dangerous voyage. The refugees were one of the few large groups of Jews that found sanctuary in America during World War II. The refugees entered the United States as guests of the President so that they could avoid Jewish immigration quotas. Ms. Gruber lobbied for the group and they were able to live near Oswego, New York and to apply for residency in In 1983 Ms. Gruber wrote about the voyage in her book Haven: The Dramatic Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees and How they Came to America. In 2001 CBS turned the book into a two part mini-series. Natasha Richardson played Ms. Gruber. Ms. Gruber was in Jerusalem in July 1947 as a journalist writing about a United Nations conference. News broke about a Chesapeake Bay Steamer, refitted and renamed the Exodus in 1947 by the Haganah, to transport Jewish immigrants to the Promised Land, then called Palestine under the British Mandate. The ship with 4,515 refugees, including orphaned children and Holocaust survivors on board, was intercepted by British warships as it came near the port of Haifa. Ms. Gruber immediately went to Haifa to document what had happened. The ship was listing and badly damaged by the British attack. Three refugees died and 120 were injured. The survivors were transferred to prison ships and returned to Germany. Back in Germany they were placed in fenced compounds, reminders of the Nazi concentration camps. As a pool reporter Ms. Gruber documented, with her writing and photographs, the dreadful conditions aboard the prison ships and in the camps. The British, who governed Palestine under a 1922 League of Nations mandate, were embarrassed by the international response to her description of the deplorable conditions. Her reporting was credited as a factor which resulted in Israeli independence in Nearly all the interned Jews were eventually able to settle in Israel. Ms. Gruber told the story of the Exodus in her 1948 book, Destination Palestine: The Story of the Haganah Ship Exodus, 1947, the book was updated in 1999, and in 1947 as Exodus 1947: the Ship That Launched a Nation. Leon Uris s novel Exodus published in 1958, Otto Preminger s film Exodus starring Paul Newman, and a documentary film Exodus 1947, narrated by Morley Safer on PBS in 1957 were all inspired by Ms. Gruber s books. In 1952 Ms. Gruber was able to escort Eleanor Roosevelt when she traveled to Israel to visit development sites. Ms. Gruber said I had two tools to fight injustice---words and images, my typewriter and my camera. I just felt that I had to fight evil, and I ve felt like that since I was 20 years old. And I ve never been an observer. I have to live a story to write it. In 2010 a documentary film, Ahead of Time, was produced about Ms. Gruber. She was the recipient of many humanitarian awards. Her friends included Eleanor Roosevelt, David Ben Gurion, and Golda Meir. Ms. Gruber continued to write and her last book, published in 2007, was Witness: One of the Great Correspondents of the Twentieth Century Tells Her Story. In a speech at Stony Brook University in 2008 she said she knew how to be in the right place at the right time. Whenever I saw that Jews were in danger, I covered the story. (continued on page 5) 4

5 As AAUW members we stand strongly together for gender equality and opportunity for girls and women. Lisa Maatz, Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy for AAUW recently wrote in a fund raising ,..in the days since the election we have seen people across the country commit bias-motivated harassment, vandalism, property destruction, and even assault. AAUW has spoken truth to power to every administration, and we will continue to be a valued ally or a fierce critic as the situation warrants. Throughout our 135-year history, we have stood united against bigotry and bias wherever they appear. We need you standing with us now against hate and intolerance. As AAUW members we can make a difference! JANUARY PROGRAM MEETING - OPENING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS JOIN AAUW WESTCHESTER BRANCH ANOTHER NEW MEMBER! Submitted by Phyllis Hirth Catherine Petersen 5

6 c/o Barbara Sarver 34 Scenic Circle Croton on Hudson, NY JANUARY /2 Monday Bridge Group 11 a.m. 1/4 Branch Meeting Greenburgh Library 10:30 a.m. 1/4 Board Meeting Greenburgh Library 12 p.m. 1/5 Thursday Bridge Group 1 p.m. 1/6 Current Issues Discussion Group Selena Barron s Home 10 a.m. 1/9 Monday Bridge Group 11 a.m. 1/10 Deadline for submitting for CHIPS 1/10 Tuesday Morning Literature Group Roseanne s Klein s Home 10 a.m. 1/11 Evening Literature Group Terre Rustica Due, Mt. Kisco 6 p.m. 1/12 Thursday Bridge Group 1 p.m. 1/13 Art Interest Group Met Breur Museum, Manhattan, NY 1/13 EYO Planning Meeting College of Mount St. Vincent 1:30 p.m. 1/16 Monday Bridge Group 11 a.m. 1/17 Financial Interest Study Group Sophie Keyes Home 10 a.m. 1/17 Poetry Interest Group Janice Rabinowitz s Home 1:30 p.m. 1/19 Thursday Bridge Group 1 p.m. 1/20 Pay Equity Group Greenburgh Library 1 p.m. 1/23 Monday Bridge Group 11 a.m. 1/26 Daytime Literature Group Ossining Library 10 a.m. 1/26 Thursday Bridge Group 1 p.m. 1/30 Monday Bridge Group 11 a.m. 6