Sue Paul installed as NCJW president
[by Phyllis Shaikun, Freelance Writer]
National Council of Jewish Women, Louisville Section, has a knack for identifying and training talented women who invariably go on to provide the long-standing continuity in leadership that has helped the group succeed since its founding by Rebecca Rosenthal Judah in 1895. Sue Paul, who was inducted as president on May 23, is a case in point.
Paul, a Cincinnati native, became involved with NCJW as part of the weekly “tag team” at the Section’s Nearly New Shop (she really did tag clothing there). She later took a position on the Tribute Committee, served two terms as financial secretary and three as bulletin editor and worked tirelessly on both the Mah Jongg Mania and Directory Committees. Most recently, as vice president of administration, she spent two years of getting on-the-job-training working alongside the organization’s immediate past president, Mindy Klein.
An admittedly detail-oriented, self-motivated, outgoing, high-energy person, she is drawn to activities that are geared toward helping others. A former accountant who returned to school to become a registered nurse, her career choices reflected her desire to help make the world a better place.
After her marriage to Louisville native Ron Paul, M.D., the two settled here in 1990. She worked at Kosair Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and on the orthopedics and neurology while he headed the hospital’s Emergency Department and still serves as chief of pediatric emergency medicine there.
Sons Benjamin and Justin joined the family in 1992 and 1994 respectively and Paul became a busy mom volunteering with The Temple Preschool’s Parent Committee, the Jewish Community Center’s Summer Camp Committee and later as vice president and then president of the Louisville Hebrew School.
In the community, she and her husband co-chaired the United Jewish Campaign’s (now the Jewish Federation’s) 1996 Super Sunday event and took part in the 1997 Young Adult Mission to Israel. Over the years, she has volunteered with ECHO (Exploited Children’s Help Organization), the Festival of Trees and Lights to benefit Kosair Children’s Hospital and was active in other charitable endeavors as well. She believes these experiences will serve her well in her new role as president.
“So much of my life was spent caring for and nurturing my children,” says Paul, “and I tried to set an example for them just as my parents did for me. My dad, Harold Moskovitz, a general surgeon, spent his life helping others and my mom, Tootsie, a nurse, found time to volunteer with the PTA, the City of Hope and as treasurer of our swim/tennis club. Also, my mother-in-law, Shirley Paul, was active with the Keneseth Israel Sisterhood and City of Hope and taught at the Adath Jeshurun Preschool for 18 years. She was involved, along with her husband, Sidney Paul, with the Friends for Life Cancer Support Network.”
Now that her sons are both away at college (Benjamin at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre-Haute, IN, and Justin at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN), Paul says NCJW is “my baby” now. “I plan to work diligently on its behalf,” she says, “and at the end of my term, I hope to have made a difference. I want to encourage more women, especially younger women, to become involved and help continue NCJW’s legacy and mission. I want to increase our hands-on volunteer opportunities and pursue ways to increase our fundraising efforts so we can continue our support of many agencies in our community that are struggling. NCJW has something for everyone, and I hope many women (and men) will join us and take an active role in all we have to offer.”