Dear ,

Hadassah National President to Visit in November

Ellen Hershkin, Hadassah National President, will join us in the Twin Cities for the both the Education Program and the Big Gifts Dinner on Sunday, November 11.  Ellen is the 26th National President of Hadassah, beginning her term January 1, 2016.  She is a Woman Who Does whose passion for Hadassah and Israel is evident in her long Hadassah history.   Prior to her election, she was the Coordinator of the Hadassah PRAZE (PRogramming, Advocacy, Zionism & Education) Division.  She served as the National Secretary and as such, was a member of the Executive Committee.  Her dynamic personality and wicked sense of humor make everything she does look easy and fun, but her hard work and dedication to whatever portfolio she holds that has earned her the highest position in National Hadassah.  This is a great opportunity to meet and greet her here in Minnesota!

Program Preview:  Health, Technology, and Cybersecurity - How Safe are You?

In this day and age where more and more aspects of our lives are managed digitally, it is important to understand how to protect ourselves and our personal data.  At our next Education Program, Health, Technology, and Cybersecurity:  How Safe are You?, we will learn from an all-star panel of experts in the fields of medicine, cybersecurity, social media, and information technology as they discuss some of the wonders of modern healthcare technology as well as related cybersecurity challenges and personal privacy risks.  This program, sponsored by Hadassah Upper Midwest, Hadassah Minneapolis, and Hadassah St. Paul, will take place at Beth El Synagogue, Sunday, November 11, from 10 a.m. - noon, including a light continental breakfast.

Our distinguished panel will be:

•  Dr. Archelle Georgiou, Moderator, is a nationally recognized physician, advocate and author.  She hosts weekly health news segments and healthcare specials on KSTP-TV.
•  Brigid Bonner, Panelist, is Chief Experience Officer at CaringBridge, and she has extensive experience in healthcare, healthcare technology, and e-commerce.
•  Darel Gustafson, Panelist, is Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at HealthPartners, responsible for information security in the HealthPartners hospitals and clinics.
•  Daniel L. Mooradian, PhD, Panelist, is the Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Minnesota Technological Leadership Institute and is also a leader in medical device product development.

Topics the panel will address include the following.  How is patient privacy and medical data safeguarded?  How can we protect ourselves against identity theft and avoid medical scams?  Who is protecting the information transmitted by medical devices and apps?  Why is medical information so valuable to hackers?  Is it safe to share personal information on social media and in online medical support groups?  Can you trust commercial DNA testing companies?  What can individuals do to insure their own security and privacy?  And more:  YOU may also submit your qustions for the panel’s consideration to hevents60@gmail.com.

In addition, a very special guest, Ellen Hershkin, Hadassah’s National President, will be in town and will give us a Hadassah update at this event.   Invitations will be arriving soon.  Plan to attend this important, thought-provoking program, bring your family and friends, and spread the word. All are welcome!

It's Fundraising Time!

Most of you should receive a solicitation letter via “snail mail” very soon, asking you to be generous with your annual contribution to Hadassah.  Instead of Spring & Fall campaigns, we’re only asking for your donation once this year!  Please give generously – Hadassah Hospital needs our money to help with its lifesaving work and important research.  Remember that Hadassah Hospital accepts ALL patients, regardless of faith or ethnicity.  Hadassah’s researchers are working on important breakthroughs in MS, Alzheimer’s, ALS, heart disease, diabetes, and much more.

Whether you give $10 or $100 (or more!), we appreciate all donations.  Watch for your letter – you can donate online, too!  For more information, contact fundraising vice presidents Stacey Bush (staceyrbush@gmail.com) or Linda Ward (ward4858@yahoo.com).

Region News:  Big Gifts Dinner to Honor Three Women Who Do

Join the Upper Midwest Region as it honors three Women Who Do!  The Region is excited and pleased to announce that the annual Big Gifts Dinner will be held on Sunday, November 11 at 5 p.m., at the Airport Hilton.  The event will honor three women:  Janet Gabor from St. Paul and Rhesa Shapiro from Minneapolis, for their lifetime dedication to Hadassah, and Special Guest Hadassah National President, Ellen Hershkin.  All are shining examples of Women with the Power to Do!

Janet Gabor is a Past President of the St. Paul Chapter, and has held a variety of portfolios on the Upper Midwest Region Board.  She has been a mainstay of the St. Paul Chapter, both as a generous donor and the unofficial record keeper, chairing the roster publication for many years.  She also hosted or co-hosted the St Paul Godparents luncheon for many years, maintaining a long St. Paul tradition.

Rhesa Shapiro has served as President of the Minneapolis Chapter and the Upper Midwest Region, and as a member of the National Board of Hadassah.  She is noted most in Minneapolis for her Leadership Training program, which she provided to the Chapter and Region for several years, training most of the women who accepted leadership positions for more than 30 years.

Major Donors, Founders and Keepers of the Gate, or anyone who had made a donation of $1,000 or more in 2017 or 2018 are eligible to attend.  Watch for your invitation in the mail soon.  Questions?  Please call Carole Lebow, 763-545-1999 or Anne Devitt, 763-541-7421.

Planning Underway for the 16th Annual Maj-a-Thon

The 16th Annual Maj-a-Thon is scheduled for Sunday, January 27, with event details coming soon.  In the meantime, it would be greatly appreciated if you would click here to take a brief survey about the Maj-a-thon.  If you would like to help out with this event, please contact Marci Wasserman at marsala113@hotmail.com.

Cultural Clique

During the month of October, we encourage people to attend the play The Great Society at the History Center in St. Paul.  The play , the sequel to All the Way, which we saw last year, begins when Lyndon Baines Johnson has just been re-elected and depicts his fall from grace.  You do not have to have seen the first play in order to understand this one.  The show runs October 6-28, and as a group we are going Sunday October 21 at 2:00 p.m.  If you are interested in going with the group and getting the group rate but have not sent in your RSVP yet, please contact Ella Mogilevsky at ellamo1@msn.com to see if there still are tickets available.  We will discuss the play at Rosa Liberty’s home, 2924 Boone Ave. S. on November 3 at 2:00 p.m.  RSVP to Rosa at librp68@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Book Chavurot

The Night Club Bookclub meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.  Our next gathering will be October 4 in the Plymouth Library, 15700 36th Avenue N.  We will discuss Someone is Watching  by Joy Fielding.  On November 1, we'll discuss The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena.  Please bring family and friends — we always welcome new members.  If you are interested or have questions, please contact Shelly Levine at shellyilevine@msn.com or 612-597-3349.

The next gathering of the Afternoon Book Group is at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17, at the Plymouth Library, 15700 36th Avenue N.  Our October book is Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.  The November book is Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly.  In November, we are meeting on the 14th, a week ahead of our usual schedule due to Thanksgiving.  We ask everyone to lead the discussion on at least one book; please let Sue know your 2019 choice.  We welcome new members.  Questions?  Contact Sue Garnett, 952-545-1435 or at  nettgar1@gmail.com.

The Henrietta Szold book group is a lively bunch of men and women who meet at 1 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of every month in the Knollwood Place Apartments boardroom.  Our book list is varied, and all the book titles chosen are available in regular and large print, audio, and downloadable formats with many copies in the Library system.  Many of our participants use the volunteer delivery system offered by the Hennepin County Libraries.  While not everyone finishes reading each of our titles, we have great discussions based on the themes in each book.  The book for October 24 will be The Muralist:  A Novel by Barbara Shapiro.  Please feel free to join us.  If you are not on our contact list, call Debby Wolk at 612-925-7932 or e-mail her at tzvibo@aol.com for more information.

360 Degrees of Healing

National Hadassah has a new capital campaign, “360 Degrees of Healing.”  The three-year Full Circle of Healing will revitalize Hadassah Hospital’s original Round Building. Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) will be able to add 200 new beds, renovate 17 operating rooms, expand treatment offerings, create larger rooms to give patients more privacy – and reduce the risk of infection – help better protect the hospital from earthquakes or attack, and more.

Donations, which are separate from other giving, are vital to this effort.  If you’d like to be part of the opportunity, go to http://www.hadassah.org, click on the “Health & Medicine” button, and scroll down to the “360 Degrees of Healing” information.

Ronald McDonald House Is Looking for Your Help

Hadassah has been serving meals every Thursday at the Ronald McDonald House on the University of Minnesota campus (East Bank) for over 30 years.  We’ve had captains and teams preparing, warming and serving up to 100 people--patients and their families, all this time quietly fulfilling a Hadassah mission of helping to heal and support the sick here at “home.”  We have lost several teams for various reasons and need more teams, so we are reaching out and asking you to step up, pitch in, and have fun at the same time.  Tasks include cooking on site or providing cooked food that is purchased from a professional resource such as Costco, Sam’s Club, Cub, etc., delivering the meal to the House and providing servers to dish up, clean up, and smile with good cheer and well wishes to family, staff, and most of all the patients undergoing treatment in nearby University hospitals.  Talk to one of our captains, Terry Hallfin at 763-588-5597 or e-mail her at terrybmn@visi.com to find out how you can be a part of this worthwhile endeavor.  Ronald is waiting to hear from you.  Don’t think about it -- just give it a try!

Craft Co-op Alive & Kicking

Our knitters and sewers already have been busy creating new additions to our inventory for our sale on November 11 at Beth El Synagogue.  Please add that date on your calendar, and be sure to bring your Hanukkah shopping list as there will be something for everyone whom you hold dear to gift with a lovely handcrafted specialty item such as velour scarves, fashion hats, comical toys and gorgeous needlepoint home décor.  There are also aprons, kitchen towels, hospitality gift towels and much more.  Remember that all proceeds go directly to Hadassah projects so you are joining in a win-win situation as our “makers” also donate their time and materials.  We take cash, check or credit card, so we’ve got all methods of payment covered for your convenience.  We can’t wait to show off our goodies!

Membership Update:  Your Hadassah Dollars at Work

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and what better way to get children to laugh than seeing a clown acting silly!  When you think about clowns, you probably think circus.  However, Hadassah University Medical Center uses clowns to add humor to help sick children get through some of the tough times.  Stories of sick children are heartbreaking.  The way that the medical clowns are able to help is heartwarming.

A few "Clown Tales" from Hadassah:

•  A pediatrician was losing the battle trying to measure a squirming, wriggling, screaming toddler. Summoned by a nurse, Shlomi, the clown, produced a tape measure of his own and began measuring the doctor while the doctor measured the child, aping the physician's every move.  Soon the child was laughing.
•  When day after day, a six-year-old patient steadfastly refused to eat, Jerome, the medical clown, was apprised of the problem.  He went to see the little boy, and produced a collection of rubber animals. "They're delicious!" he told the child, pretending to eat one up.  "Let's have a race, and see who can eat the most."  From their competition over the virtual eating of rubber animals, clown and child moved on to real food, and the youngster now eats well--when Jerome is with him.
•  "I try different things until I get it right," says Medical Clown Jerome. "I have a photo of a dog wearing a wig that many children love.  I tell them it's my wife."

Did you know that you can gift an annual membership to someone for only $36?  For more information about membership, you can contact Terry Hallfin at terrybmn@visi.com or Rosa Liberty at librp68@gmail.com.

Walking Group 

Why join the walking group?   It’s fun.  It’s easy.  It’s not expensive.  It’s a great way to be with fun, intelligent, caring Hadassah women.  We still have a few more weeks to enjoy being outside before the winter forces us inside.  We meet at 10:30 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and walk for about an hour.  For more information, contact Terry Hallfin at terrybmn@visi.com.

National News:   Women Who Learn, Fall 2018 Edition

Click here to check out the latest edition of Women Who Learn, a very interesting on-line publication from National Hadassah.  Learn more about Israel's Druze community, an American Zionist Leader, and Israel's national poet.

Community Event:  JFCS Mental Health Conference

The Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis 18th Annual Jewish Community Mental Health Conference, "Hope, Humor and Healing: Finding Light in Dark Places,” will be held Sunday, October 21, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Temple Israel.  The event is free and open to all.  For more information click here.

Save the Dates

The Hadassah mission From Dream to Innovation: Milestone Mission to Israel is scheduled for October 7-15. Subventions are available from the Upper Midwest Region.  For more information on the program, click here.  For information on the subventions, please contact Debby Jewett at debby.jewett@gmail.com.

2019 Israel Missions -- fabulous discounts!   Hadassah is proud to announce that generous discounts for most of our 2019 Missions are now available!  With one of our most exciting selections in recent years, participants may choose from a Youth Aliyah-focused Mission, a Purim Mission, a Yom Ha’Atzmaut Mission, a first-time joint Hadassah/JNF Family Tour, and more.  Most missions have discounted rates, and further reductions are available for early registrants.  Don’t forget to invite your family and friends!  For more information, click here.

Midterm elections are Tuesday, November 6 with absentee and early voting already underway.  Your vote is important.  

The 16th Annual Maj-a-Thon is scheduled for Sunday, January 27, details TBA.

Office Depot Discount for Hadassah Minneapolis Members

Office Depot has offered our members a non-profit discount on over 2,000 items. The flyer with the discount card can be viewed and printed by clicking here.  Take it to Office Depot.  They will laminate the card for free, too.  You still will have to pay taxes on your purchases.  This card entitles you to a discount if available.  Contact Judy Edwards, Office Manager, Hadassah Upper Midwest, 612-759-5357, if you have questions.

Perpetual Yahrzeits at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem

When a loved one dies, please consider directing memorial gifts to Hadassah.The spirit of your family member or friend will live on in the lives that you help to enrich and to save! All donations will be promptly acknowledged to the donor and provided to the family of the deceased.  A “Perpetual Yahrzeit” can be purchased with a one-time contribution of $1000. Kaddish will be said annually in the Abbell Synagogue at the Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem. Advance yahrzeits can be purchased at any time for yourself or a loved one.  We Americans are culturally deprived when it comes to death and dying.  For information on Hadassah's Perpetual Yahrzeit program call the Hadassah Minneapolis office at 952-924-4999 or click here.  Memorial contributions of any amount may also be mailed to Hadassah Minneapolis, 5905 Golden Valley Rd. 

It's a Win-Win for You and Hadassah!

Become a taste-tester for Tasteocracy, formerly Food Perspectives, Inc. Every time you qualify for and participate in a survey, you will be paid an incentive of approximately $35 to $85, based upon the time the survey session takes. In addition to that amount, Hadassah Minneapolis will be paid $10. Men and women who sign up to be testers must be between the ages of 18 and 84.  If you are interested in participating -- or know someone (friend, relative, son, daughter, grandchild, etc.) who would like to participate -- registration can be done on-line at www.tasteocracy.com.  To sign up, click on Join button at the top. After you enter your personal information, choose Plymouth, MN as the “Closest testing location," select Yes in the "Make Donation" space, “Religion HADASSAH-MINNEAPOLIS CHAPTER” in the “I am fundraising for” space, and "Partial payment of $10" in the following space.  If you prefer to register by phone, please call Tasteocracy at 763-354-2776.  Remember, this is a fundraiser that is a “win” for Hadassah and for the participant.

Cards, Certificates, and JNF Trees and Blue Boxes

Have you noticed greeting card prices going higher and higher?  Do you know you can send cards through our chapter that will support Hadassah and Israel instead of a business?  Support our Hadassah Chapter by buying your birthday, sympathy, get well, mazel tov and other greeting cards through your Hadassah card contacts listed below.  Our prices are the most reasonable around and all the money goes to Hadassah!! Prices are $5 each or 3 for $12. JNF certificates are $18.  Cards are available at board meetings and Hadassah events.  If you wish you can call or email card contacts below who will sign and mail the card out upon receiving your check. Malinsky cards for cancer research are available for $10 each. We have a large selection of attractive certificates ranging from $10-$500 and up that are customized to the message you wish to send. There is $1.00 charge for postage. Please contact the Certificate person below to honor/remember someone with a beautiful Hadassah Certificate.  You can also order certificates online through Hadassah website at www.hadassah.org, click on Donate, then Other Ways to Give, then Personalized Certificates. Be sure to designate Hadassah Minneapolis when prompted.  There you can choose to send certificates to be sent via email or through the mail.

Malinsky Cards: Ronna Locketz ronnalocketz@gmail.com or at 612-730-6418

Cards (Knollwood Place): Maurine Ziv maurineziv@gmail.com or 952-938-2550

Cards or Certificates: Ronna Locketz ronnalocketz@gmail.com or 763-544-5439

JNF Trees: Sheryl Cohen stelladoob@gmail.com or 612-298-5597

Contribution envelopes or Bea Rossen Youth Aliyah Fund: Sheryl Cohen stelladoob@gmail.com or 612-298-5597

If you have a full JNF Blue Box that needs to be emptied, contact Ellen Etzkin at etzkin44@gmail.com or 952-935-7767.

E-mail Addresses

If you have Hadassah member friends not receiving the monthly Hadassah Minneapolis emails, please forward this newsletter to them and encourage them to sign up by contacting the office at 952-924-4999 or at umregion@hadassah.org.

View our Hadassah Minneapolis website at www.hadassah.org/minneapolis.

Like Hadassah on Facebook.