Brit named new head of the International Council of Jewish Women
Osteopath Penelope Conway from Winchmore Hill is chosen to lead the organisation for the next four years
A London osteopath has been inaugurated as the new president of the International Council of Jewish Women at the historic organisation’s quadrennial convention in Sydney, Australia.
Penelope Conway from Winchmore Hill in north London has been chosen to lead the ICJW for the next four years, voted in by colleagues from the UK, US, France, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Bosnia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Canada, South Africa, Colombia and Cuba.
ICJW is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with consultative status at the United Nations and has affiliates in 35 countries around the world.
Conway, who was President of the British Osteopathic Association, has been involved in the UK affiliate since 1973.
She is the third British woman to lead the ICJW in its 100-year history and said her task over the next four years was to extend the organisation’s reach to include more Jewish women in Jewish communities around the world.
She said: “Among the issues that I hope to champion during my Presidency are women’s health concerns, particularly for older women; equality of educational opportunities; the inadequate representation of women in communal leadership roles; the on-going travesty of human trafficking; and the growing institutional anti-Semitism that we are witnessing throughout the world.”
She added: “I am looking forward to working with an international team of highly motivated women who want to make a difference on all of these issues.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
