National Council of Jewish Women, mosaic map of Jerusalem

In 1893 the National Council of Jewish Women was established in Chicago with Hannah G. Solomon as its founder and first president. Central features of the council are those of religion, philanthropy and education. The NCJW was a major force among 20th- century women's organizations in liberal, social reform. The council agitated for such causes as the Civil Rights Movement, nuclear disarmament, threats to civil liberties and in general for the welfare of the American people. In the late 19th- and early 20th- centuries local sections of NCJW established kindergartens, settlement houses, industrial schools, counseling centers for new immigrants and championed "Mother's Clubs" which were the prototype for the PTA. The NCJW attacked the rise of the Fascist governments of Italy and Germany in the 1930s, in 1952 they protested against Senator Joseph McCarthy and the communist witch hunts, in the 1950s and 1960s the council took a stand against segregated schools. The National Council of Jewish Women have urged the prohibition of chemical warfare and have been champions for international peace.