June 2024

President's Message

Friends,

Life is busy! It seems that everyone I know feels busier than ever. There are many things going on around us and it can be difficult to keep up. It is important that we find activities and causes that we are passionate about and that we keep active and engaged in those activities that inspire us. Research tells us that engaging in activities that bring joy can lead to improved mental health, reduced stress, and better overall well-being. I hope for you that those joyful activities include Hadassah. Hadassah Southern California is vibrant and active and offers a wide variety of programs and activities to be involved in, at whatever level works for you. Hadassah’s programs and priorities are inspiring. The work we do is important.

How do so many exciting and engaging things happen? They happen because of you – our members and leaders. Hadassah's vibrant and impactful activities are driven by its dedicated members and leaders at various levels. Hadassah is blessed with amazing leaders on the group, area and region level.

Are you new to Hadassah? Have you been a member but haven’t been active? Are you ready to step up to a different level of leadership? There are countless ways to be involved and to make a meaningful impact. I invite you to reach out. I am happy to help you find the right role within Hadassah so that you can make your impact within this incredible organization.

Thank you for all you do!

Warmly.

Click here to watch the Video of the Month: 
Meet the Hadassah Foundation

Have you heard of the Hadassah Foundation? Since Hadassah established the Hadassah Foundation 25 years ago, the foundation has awarded more than $10 million to over 100 feminist organizations in Israel and the United States. The mission of the Hadassah Foundation is to advance gender equity in both the United States and Israel. That mission has taken on new urgency since October 7. The foundation was established in 1998 to extend Hadassah’s reach through novel partnerships and support for impactful programs. Grantees have run the gamut from Arab teachers and progressive rabbis in Israel to LGBTQ+ Jews, Israeli Bedouins and domestic violence victims.
Watch this month’s video to learn more about the Hadassah Foundation.

HSC Walks to Heal Israel

HSC’s first region-wide Walkathon on Sunday, May 19 was a smashing success! We had over 150 walkers in 9 locations throughout Southern California and Hawaii and together we raised $25,000 to help heal Israel! Enjoy some photos from the day.

HSC Merchandise Store

Have you purchased your Southern California merchandise yet? The swag shop we opened for the Walkathon was so successful that we are keeping it open with new Hadassah Southern California branded merchandise being added. Hadassah receives a portion of each purchase. Want a specific item and don’t see it? Send an email to HadWest@hadassah.org and we will see if we can add it!

JPAC (Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California) Report

On May 14 and 15, twenty-two Hadassah women gathered in Sacramento to participate in the 2024 JPAC Capitol Summit. We were a part of the 500 attendees (100 of which were students) - the largest JPAC Capitol Summit ever where we filled the largest ballroom in Sacramento.

Hadassah members began with lunch in a private room at Frank Fats, a Sacramento culinary institution. There the members, from both Northern and Southern California, were able to meet each other. After lunch, we gathered together to take part in a Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremony (which Hadassah sponsored along with several other organizations). It was a moving and meaningful way to begin the conference. All around the room were pictures of the Hostages taken October 7.

In the early evening everyone gathered for a reception with our legislators, followed by dinner in the main ballroom with the Jewish Caucus. At each round table a seat was reserved for a legislator. We heard presentations by Governor Gavin Newsom (by video), Lt Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Secretary of Education Tony Thurmond, and our speakers the next day included Attorney General Rob Bonta and JCPA (Jewish Council for Public Affairs) CEO, Amy Spitalnick, and members of the Jewish Caucus. Following lunch we divided into groups of 5-10 people, learned a bit about lobbying and the bills JPAC is supporting and then walked to the California legislative offices where we met with our legislators and their staff. What an evening! What a second day! What a way to make our voices heard! I hope you will plan to join us next year for the 2025 JPAC Capitol Summit.

Hadassah’s 2024 National Conference will be in Las Vegas from July 28-30!

Gather with us in Vegas to show your support of Hadassah's mission, including bringing healing to Israel and its people. Enjoy only-in-Vegas experiences, plenaries with top-tier speakers, and the chance to bond and network with Hadassah leaders and members. This year's conference offers something new — Freestyle Events, with the flexibility of à la carte scheduling — as well as National Assembly, Board and Associates meetings.

Plenaries focus on today’s most pressing issues, including but not limited to:

-UN Update: Pushing Back Against Attempts to Delegitimize Israel
-Responding to the Rise of Global Antisemitism
-Free Speech, Disinformation and Campus Climate
-Hadassah Medical Organization Panel: Director-General Yoram Weiss, a Grateful Patient and a Lifesaving Doctor

Now and always, you can bet on Hadassah. To advance health and medicine. To fight hate and antisemitism. To support a strong Israel. To empower women. To help heal the world.

July 28-30, 2024
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

Click here to register and obtain all the Conference details.
Hotel reservations can be made here.

Celebrate Father’s Day with Hadassah Associates
Monday, June 10 at 4:00 PM Pacific

Invite your dad, grandfather, friend or anyone who may be interested in this timely conversation about Israel with Gil Hoffman of Honest Reporting, which ensures truth and combats prejudice in media coverage of Israel. Plus, get an update on how Hadassah hospitals have been providing hope and healing since October 7. Register here.

Magazine Discussion: In Conversation With Joan Nathan
Thursday, June 20 at 4:00 PM Pacific

Join us for a special event with Joan Nathan, the grande dame of Jewish cooking in America and author of a new memoir, My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories. Nathan’s more than 50-year career has spanned research trips to multiple continents, two television series, 12 cookbooks and countless accolades, including three prestigious James Beard Awards. Register here.

2024 Edition: 18 American Zionist Women You Should Know

American Zionist women’s voices have played a critical role since Hamas’ attacks and atrocities on October 7, advocating for Israel, building understanding and speaking out against hate and falsehoods aimed at Israel and Jews. 

Like Israel today, Zionism embraces many viewpoints, identities and expressions. And so does Hadassah's 2024 list of 18 American Zionist Women You Should Know. 

From an Emmy Award-winning actress to our own Hadassah superstars, each of the women is a force to be reckoned with. You’ll find a Scottish pop culture journalist turned Israeli advocate, a goat-herding social media influencer, a constitutional scholar with a degree in neuroscience and a Hadassah Ein Kerem midwife. 

Click here to read about them.

ADVOCACY

As antisemitism continues to explode in all corners of the world, silence on Israel and the safety of all Jews is not an option. We must ensure all acts of antisemitism and anti-Zionism are investigated and that students’ rights to a safe and discrimination-free environment are upheld. Please take one minute to urge your senators to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act to combat antisemitism across the country!

This bipartisan bill requires the US Department of Education to use the well-respected International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism when investigating antisemitic incidents at all levels of education. Thanks to your efforts so far, the US House of Representatives recently passed the bill. Now the Senate must act.

Hadassah's Iconic Round Building Reopens Its Doors

With support from donors all over the world, and after many years of planning, construction, and anticipation, Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem welcomed the first patients into the “new” Round Building, including the Alberto and Vicky Saba Internal Medicine Complex.
It significantly enhances the hospital's capacity, providing a modern space for some of Israel’s most cutting-edge medical care and top experts, especially in the fields of internal medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, maternity, oncology, dermatology and more. When fully complete, new features will include an additional 200 beds as well as the modernization of 17 operating rooms. To read and see more, click here.

Social Media

Hadassah Southern California:
facebook.com/HadassahSC

Hadassah West:
facebook.com/HadassahWestGeo
instagram.com/HadassahWestGeo

Easy Ways to Learn More about Hadassah!

• Podcasts
• Video Library
• Virtual Programming