Message from the President, Ellen Burke

“It’s not shameful to do something small, it’s shameful to do nothing.” —Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny’s widow

Yulia inspired me to think about how important it is to step up when we are called, even if we can only do something small. We can’t wait for someone else to address things. I am grateful that Hadassah gives me the opportunity to contribute, whether my time, my energy or my financial donations; all of these things help us to achieve a better world. After all, we, the Jewish people, are tasked with “tikkun olam” - repairing the world.

If you’ve ever thought that you may want to do more in healing the world through Hadassah, you have an opportunity to enrich yourself as well as learn more about how to be more effective. Please join us at the Desert-Mountain Region Spring Conference: Success Blooms Here the weekend of May 4-6, 2024 in Denver. Register at events.hadassah.org/SuccessBloomsHere.

You will see a piece below about the Hadassah Solidarity Missions to Israel and note that the participants come from all over the world. Did you know that our American Hadassah, which is actually HWZOA, Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is part of One Hadassah? The other two entities are HI, Hadassah International and HOI, the Hadassah Office in Israel. Some of us in smaller communities forget that we are part of something so much bigger. You likely know that HWZOA is the largest women’s Jewish organization in the U.S., but how many knew about the worldwide connection?

Another One Hadassah initiative is the #EndTheSilence campaign. See the flyer below on this vital issue and click thru to make your voice heard.

We have much to do together, our Hadassah never stops making a difference.

Ellen Burke
Hadassah Desert-Mountain Region President

Hear The Truth. Weaponizing sexual violence is never acceptable. Not anywhere.

Too few people know that on October 7, Hamas planned, filmed and then proudly shared some of the most horrific acts of sexual violence.

Sign Hadassah’s petition to the UN in support of Israel and to "End The Silence" over the lack of response to the inhumane, horrific rapes on October 7.

Please sign your name to the petition found here (warning: this page contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence). Invite your friends who may not be members of Hadassah to join you.

These are war crimes. We can't ignore them.

Hadassah has been speaking out for women and the people of Israel for 112 years. Now is the time to speak out for these victims. #EndTheSilence

Add your name! Demand justice and accountability.

Hadassah Solidarity Mission to Israel

In early January, 2024, 53 Hadassah participants from 8 countries went on a Solidarity Mission to Israel. This mission had 3 goals:

1. Solidarity with our Israeli family and our homeland.
2. Bear witness.
3. Support our colleagues, patients and youth at our hospitals and youth villages.

Watch this very moving video as you share in their trip from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, to Kfar Aza (where more than 60 residents were murdered and 18 taken hostage), and the site of the Nova Music Festival. Click here to watch.

The next Solidarity Mission is March 17-24, 2024, and is being led by Ellen Herskin and Rhoda Smolow. Click here to learn more about it and sign up.

“Hamas destroyed our celebration this year,” shared Yoram Weiss, Director General, HMO. October 2023 was going to be a big celebration for some fantastic Hadassah achievements. Are you familiar with them? Try the Quiz.

1. $0.00
2. $10,000
3. $50,000
4. $100,000

2. An Israeli startup and Hadassah are testing a CRUX drone air taxi to transport people to the hospital. Why are they doing this?

1. To move medical supplies
2. To move doctors from one Hadassah campus to the other
3. To cut down the cost of ambulance staff
4. To move people quickly, avoiding traffic

3. ________ is Hadassah University Medical Center’s technology transfer and innovation company which brings life-saving medical technologies and products to market. What is the name of this company?

1. BIRAD
2. HMOBiz
3. Hadtech
4. Hadasit

4. Hadassah is one of the first hospitals in the world to offer comprehensive genomic profiling using Roche’s AVENIO kit for solid tumor diagnostics. Which patients are eligible for this?

1. Patients in advanced stages of cancer.
2. Patients who have not responded to conventional treatments.
3. Patients who have participated in clinical trials.
4. All patients.

5. Hadassah received a $5.5 million gift for pediatric cancer research from a French philanthropist for the study of organoids (lab-grown tissues that mimic the features and functions of a tissue in the body ). His motivation for the donation was:

1. He read about the Hadassah Ukraine Relief effort in a French-Jewish newspaper.
2. He has a child with cancer.
3. He had cancer as a child.

6. Research giant Medtronic chose HMO as the major beta research site for a robotic assisted surgery system entitled:

1. Davinci
2. RoboAI
3. HAL 9000
4. Hugo 

See the last page of the bulletin for the answers.

Hadassah in the News

Have you been keeping up with the latest news, blogs, and posts about Hadassah? Here are some of the articles you may have missed. Just click on the titles to read more.

Wounded Warriors Find Ways to Heal at Hadassah’s New Rehab Center
February 7, 2024 • Gandel Rehabilitation Centre, Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus

It’s late afternoon and among the members of this very special minyan are two in bandages, another in a cast, one with burns on his face and arms, and still another wearing an oxygen pack on his back. These wounded soldiers factor into the 2,771 (and counting) soldiers that the Israel Defense Forces have reported injured since Oct. 7, and they are a much-cherished crew. “You can really feel the staff is invested in our success,” says one young officer after 2 weeks in the ICU.”

Hadassah Neurim Youth Village: Paradise with a Purpose
February 2, 2024 

At the start of the war, Neurim hosted 160 evacuees. While I was there, a group of IDF soldiers – only slightly older than the Village’s high school students – was staying at Neurim for a week. They had just spent the past three months fighting in Gaza. After the trauma of warfare, these brave young people were hurting and needed time to process the horrors they had experienced, to try to heal before integrating back into civil society.

HMO Grapples with Hundreds of Wounded and a Country with PTSD
January 26, 2024 

Listen to or read this conversation with Dr. Yoram Weiss, Director General, HMO. Many Israelis, soldiers and civilians alike, are also dealing with another kind of problem, the psychological impact of the attacks and the war. There is hardly a person in Israel who has not been directly touched by the events, and post-traumatic stress disorder has skyrocketed around the country. “I think it is important to portray post-traumatic stress disorder as something that can happen to any one of us, and to make people understand that if they ask for support in treating it they’ll be much better off than waiting.”

Daughter of Egyptian Official Treated in Israel
February 7, 2024 

An Egyptian official’s 12-year-old daughter is being treated at Hadassah following a traffic accident and hospitalization in Cairo.

Try Roast Salmon with Citrus Honey Sauce, a recipe by Faith Kramer, Past President, Hadassah Oakland Ruach Chapter. Mark the double luck of Hebrew months Adar I and Adar II, and the leap year, by serving a fish dish (which I realize may be not so lucky for the fish!).

Pharaoh, Hamas, Israel and Me
February 2, 2024 

Largely thanks to my life in Hadassah, I am well-versed as to my purpose in this world...to safeguard and strengthen our Jewish homeland, to promote health equity and social justice for all and to hold tikkun olam, the need to repair the world, front and center in our lives. We are united, too, by our hope for shalom, for the ever-elusive peace we crave for Israel and the entire world.

May 4, 2024 - May 6, 2024
7pm Saturday - 12pm Monday

The focus will be on personal enrichment, hands-on training for women who want to make an impact through Hadassah - and the usual socializing with like-minded women!

Featuring Special Guests

Carol Ann Schwartz, Hadassah National President
Deborah Wiskind, Leadership Department Chair
Ann Eisenberg, Leadership Department Vice Chair

Register by April 26th at
events.hadassah.org/SuccessBloomsHere

Full Package $150 • Sunday Lunch Only $70 • Sunday Dinner Only $80

Held at the Denver Airport Hilton Embassy Suites, 7001 N Yampa St
Hotel block available! Reserve your room at events.hadassah.org/HiltonSpring2024

Hadassah On Call: New Frontiers in Medicine

Now in its 5th year, the Hadassah on Call podcasts are more popular than ever. Click here to listen to any, or all, of these truly fascinating podcasts.

• Labor, Delivery & Me
• Special Episode: At War: Heal Israel Now, Parts 1 & 2
• Special Episode: At War: Heal Israel Now, Part 3
• Hadassah on the Ground: In Peace and War — December Briefing
• All Ears: Hearing Loss Treatments & Trends
• Pulse Check: Beating Heart Disease

Yom Ha'Atzmaut
76 Years and Going Strong

Led by Dale Marcus
May 7 - 17, 2024

Tour Highlights Include:

• Celebrating Israel's 76th Anniversary with Hadassah friends, including the Air & Sea show and a barbeque
• Exploring Hadassah Medical Organziation's Ein Kerem & Mt. Scopus campuses, including meetings with medical staff and patients
• Experiencing an unforgettable afternoon of IDF army and Krav Maga training at Caliber 3
• Visiting Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village to interact with the students and staff
• Celebrating the holiness and spirituality of Shabbat
• ...and so much more!

Hotel Info:

• 5 nights at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem
• 3 nights + late check out at the Dan Hotel, Tel Aviv

Pricing
(Land only based on double occupancy)

Price Per Person: $5,950
Special Rate (subsidy limited to first 25 registrants): $5,350 (save $600)
Additional Cost for Single Occupancy: $2,850

Register now! 
Space is limited. 

Rates based on a minimum of 25 paying participants. Below 25, a small group supplement may apply.

Contact Ayelet Tours for connecting flights from any city at 800-237-1517 x340.

Full itinerary and online registration at secure.ayelet.com/HDYom2024.aspx

360° of Healing is about keeping Israel’s children mentally and emotionally healthy.

The Herman Dana Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Hadassah is internationally recognized for outstanding services in treatment, teaching and training, and critical research in child and adolescent mental health. The Division’s specialized staff provides full-scale treatment plans based on an exhaustive approach that includes assessing the child’s physiological, emotional and cognitive states, as well as the family dynamic and cultural background.

The Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit serves children aged 6 to 18 and provides individual therapy, group work, parental guidance, family intervention, parents’ groups and psychopharmacology. Some children suffer from life-threatening disorders: nearly half are diagnosed with eating disorders; others suffer from psychotic disorders, affective disorders, behavioral problems, severe anxiety, and non-compliance with medical treatment.

The clinically based Research Unit investigations include the psychological effect of terror and trauma on minors and genetic components in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Find out more at 
go.hadassah.org/pediatrics

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
A copy of Hadassah’s latest Financial Report is available by writing to the Hadassah Finance Dept., 40 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005. ©2024 Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. Hadassah and the H logo are registered trademarks of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.

Hadassah celebrates some fantastic Hadassah achievements.
Answers to the Quiz.

1. a, there is no charge for this therapy. Until now, Israelis seeking proton therapy have had to travel outside the country and pay more than $100,000 out of pocket for proton therapy. Click here to read more about it.

2. b, d. See and read about the drone here.

3. d, Hadasit. By leveraging the groundbreaking research and clinical experience of Hadassah and harnessing new business, innovation, and collaboration models, Hadasit creates links between academia, industry and medicine that are changing the face of healthcare across the globe. To learn more about Hadasit, click here.

BIRAD (answer a) stands for Bar Ilan Research and Development Company. In 2023 Hadasit and BIRAD entered into an agreement with Immix BioPharma for the development and commercialization of tissue specific therapeutics based on anti-BCMA CAR-T cells. Click here to read more.

4. d, Hadassah can now perform genomic profiling on every patient.

5. a, the philanthropist read about Hadassah’s Ukraine Relief effort in a French-Jewish newspaper. Read about the donation here. Read about Hadassah’s Organoid Bank here.

6. d, Hugo—a new era in robotic-assisted surgery.

Hadassah Valley of the Sun
will be presenting a special Zoom Program

Examining Antisemitism through the Lens of the Holocaust

Date: Thursday, March 21st
Time: 7:00pm

It is hard to fathom that 1 in 5 young Americans believes the Holocaust is a myth. As antisemitism surges around the world, we must recommit ourselves to teaching young people Holocaust history. Learn about educational tools that are available for middle and high school students, empowering them to be “upstanders: when addressing antisemitism. Our notable speaker, Leslie Kornreich Feldman, will be sharing parts of her survivor grandparent’s stories along with information regarding the Phoenix Holocaust Association’s work in Holocaust education.

Leslie has been motivated by a deep connection to her grandparents who were Holocaust survivors, Leslie Kornreich Feldman began her career in Washington, D.C. at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where she worked in the Survivor Affairs division and for the Committee on conscience. Since moving back home to Phoenix, she has worked for educational institutions in event planning and fundraising, as a Foundation Director, and an alumni Director. She has also taught a high school course on Comparative Genocide. She is the first Executive director of the Phoenix Holocaust Association.

Registration: $10
Become a Member/Gift a Membership and attend for free!

Register here: events.hadassah.org/KornreichFeldman
Zoom link provided upon registration.