L'Shana Tovah! 

We wish you and your family a year full of peace, joy, and good health. 

Happy New Year from the Hadassah Pacific Northwest Region.

Report from Las Vegas Business Meeting 
by Michelle Goldberg

(no, what happens there doesn't stay there!)

In July Susan Glicksberg, Diane Sigel, Julie Chivo, Adena Levi, Helene Hall and I went to Las Vegas for the National Assembly and Business Meetings. I always look forward to hearing speakers from Hadassah Medical Center and Youth Aliyah share what is happening. This year was no different.

We had the opportunity to hear from Shlomo Demma, a soldier who was severely injured on a mission in Gaza. In his prior service in the military, he was a combat medic who was injured in 2014, so he had not been called up for this latest war. He was insistent and the IDF finally accepted him into a new unit. During a mission, he and his unit came under fire. An IED struck near his position and a wall collapsed on top of him. His injuries were severe; he had a hole in his back, his lungs collapsed, and he needed tourniquets on all four limbs. His fellow soldiers were able to evacuate him from the area and he was flown to Hadassah Ein Kerem where he faced multiple surgeries. He is now going through rehabilitation at the new Gandel Rehabilitation Center at Mount Scopus. He shared that not only was he grateful to Hadassah for the wonderful care he received and continues to receive, but he introduced the delegates to his twin brother, Sammy who was treated for cancer at Hadassah Ein Kerem. He was very inspiring.

We also heard from several young social media “influencers”, Montana Tucker, actress, singer, dancer and philanthropist and Emily Austin, an American Sports TV personality. They both discussed fighting misinformation and antisemitism. Look them up on social media and follow them!

Lisa Hostein, executive editor of Hadassah Magazine, interviewed author Talia Carner about her new book, The Boy with the Star Tattoo in a live “One Book, One Hadassah” event. I enjoyed the book and hearing from Talia the difficulties she faced as the book was delayed due to the atrocities of October 7. If you are looking for an enjoyable read, I would recommend this book.

Evolve Hadassah in Portland
If you know a young woman or are a young woman, join Evolve Hadassah!

Our Evolve Community in Portland continues to shine. These young women are connecting and forming friendships while finding meaning and value in Hadassah. The circle continues to grow, with varied events to attract a wide range of interests. Earlier in August, they held a family picnic in Jackie Husen Park. Over 50 people, including multi-generational families, kids, teens and babies attended. There was a bounce house, fun and games, dancing and babysitting available. Dori and Noah Jacob catered the bagels, lox, salads and sweets. Tamara DiVirgilio, our Evolve Experience: Israel and Empowerment participant, provided education about our Youth Aliyah Villages. In September, there will be a honey tasting event celebrating the new year, and they are planning an antisemitism program in partnership with the Jewish Federation in October. This new community of empowered, like-minded women, are supporting Israel, women’s health, and combating antisemitism while making an impact in their own community.

Seattle Chapter

The Seattle Chapter held its Annual Givers Brunch on July 21. We honored our newest Golden Keeper, Anat Brovman, and her husband Henrich Gad Brovman.

It took place at the beautiful home of Karen Mannering in Kirkland where we also heard from Dr. Tamara Tilleman who did her residency in plastic surgery at Hadassah Hospital.

Seattle Chapter Annual Givers Brunch: 
Beryl Cohen, Cindy Garbell, Susan Adler, Julie Chivo and Adena Levi

2024 Annual Givers Brunch Honorees:
Henrich Gad Brovman and Anat Brovman with their daughter Liel (on left)

Annual Givers Brunch:
Julie Chivo and Jacquie Bayley

The following week, 6 members of the Chapter attended the National Hadassah Conference in Las Vegas where we heard from Hadassah doctors, nurses, and patients as well as leaders in the Jewish Community and of course our national leadership. At the Conference, Hadassah launched Everyday Antisemitism: Women’s Stories, its first-ever antisemitism survey.

Seattle Chapter Delegates at the 2024 National Conference in Las Vegas: 
From left to right: Susan Glicksberg, Julie Chivo, Michelle Goldberg, Carol Ann Schwartz (National President), Diane Sigel, Adena Levi, Helene Hall.

The Chapter is proud to have launched "Seattle Hadassah Walks," a special interest group, this summer. The 21 members of the group have taken walks on local trails in Seattle, Mercer Island, Redmond, and Bellevue. It has been a great opportunity for members new and old to meet informally and enjoy great conversation while we walk.

Seattle Hadassah Walks Special Interest Group at Green Lake in Seattle:
(Front left to right) Julie Chivo, Ruth Raskind
(Back left to right) Adena Levi, Susan Glicksberg, Michelle Goldberg, Nancy Lichter, Diane Sigel, Ilyse Rosenberg

Save the Date

On October 27 we plan on holding a Women of Valor Event. The purpose is to ignite women’s confidence, creativity, and self-expression while sharing information about Hadassah.

Seattle Chapter Meetings

Our Chapter Meetings are now held on Zoom each month and are open to the general membership. It is a way for members to learn more about the Chapter and become actively involved.

Shalom Chapter in Vancouver

The Shalom Chapter is wrapping up its annual Honey from the Heart fundraiser. We would like to thank all of the people across the Pacific Northwest Region – and the country – who made this another successful year. We are excited to announce a new study group, led by our Membership Chair Emerita, Robbie Grimstad. She will be facilitating a discussion of Global Jewish Communities. (This event will be held on Zoom.) We are also continuing our monthly Talmud Study and Book Group. Our vibrant and vivacious Ladies Who Lunch continue to meet, eat and schmooze at a local restaurant once month. In addition, the Chapter is having a Membership Luncheon in September. The guest speaker is a former IDF member and public speaker, Oren Raz.

Gandel Rehabilitation Center

The events on and since October 7 continue to take a heavy toll on the physical and emotional health of Israelis. There is a dramatic increase in the need for rehabilitative care among wounded civilians and soldiers; hundreds will require specialized inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation — for weeks, months, or even years to come — for severe physical injuries as well as psychological and mental health treatment.

In January 2024, Hadassah Medical Organization began an accelerated phased opening of Gandel Rehabilitation Center since the war. Now completed, the 323,000-square-foot, eight-story Gandel Rehabilitation Center offers comprehensive, holistic care for 10,000 patients annually in four in-patient units with a total of 140 beds – a 250% increase across our hospital campuses – and an out-patient clinic able to serve 250 patients a day.

Rehabilitation is a long journey, often lasting months to years, a period often paired with essential mental health support. Among Israelis, the magnitude of the October 7 attack and ongoing war is without precedent, and an unparalleled proportion of the country’s population are experiencing mental health issues. It was estimated that over 600,000 people will need mental health treatment for years due to this mass trauma event, according to the Forum for Public Psychology statistics. In addition to neurologists and orthopedic specialists and other specialists, caregivers at the Gandel Rehabilitation Center include psychologists and social workers. In the Jerusalem area, Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) provides more mental health services than all of the health organizations together. With a dedicated team of 120 psychologists, which far exceeds the resources available at other major medical centers, Hadassah hospitals are the leading provider for mental health services both regionally and nationally.

"The first patients early this year, all of whom were wounded in the war — heroes and heroines to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude — began their journey in the new center in a designated department with advanced equipment and systems that were built and installed especially for them," said Prof. Yoram Weiss, director general of the Hadassah Medical Organization.

The Gandel Center offers a host of special treatments along with physical and occupational therapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and respiratory and orthopedic rehabilitation. There’s a PTSD center and rehabilitation for neurological problems caused by brain, spinal cord and nervous system injuries. The 323,000-square-foot eight-story center, named for John Gandel and Pauline Gandel of the Gandel Foundation in Melbourne, Australia, will care for 10,000 patients annually. The center features 140 in-patient beds — a 250 percent increase for the Hadassah Medical Organization — and an out-patient clinic able to serve 250 patients a day.

To learn more about the Hadassah's Gandel Rehabilitation Center click here.

To donate to the Gandel Rehabilitation Center click here. 

One Book, One Hadassah

Did you know Hadassah also has a national book club led by the editors of Hadassah Magazine? They invite prominent Jewish authors to speak about their books. The conversation is both interesting and lively and there’s usually time to ask the author questions.

Join us on Thursday, September 19 at 4:30 PM PT when Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein moderates a discussion with Rabbi Dov Linzer and journalist Abigail Pogrebin, co-authors of the soon-to-be released It Takes Two to Torah: An Orthodox Rabbi and Reform Journalist Discuss and Debate Their Way Through the Five Books of Moses.

As Jews prepare for the High Holidays, anticipate the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 terror attack and reflect on the frightening, painful and tumultuous year that followed in Israel, America and around the world, Linzer and Pogrebin will share their observations and strategies for how American Jews might meet this moment with Jewish and spiritual resilience.

This event is free and open to all. Zoom captioning will be provided. 

Register Here:

https://events.blackthorn.io/en/8c4sgS87/g/tws32mT8YD/how-are-we-doing-a-spiritual-check-in-a-year-after-october-7-4a3dPbBtPN/cart-v2

Hadassah On Call: New Frontiers in Medicine, Season 5, Episode 12

Immunity Unraveled

In this month's episode Dr. Yuval Tal, director of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem shares the latest advancements in clinical immunology, focusing on personalized treatments and biological medicine.

Listen Now:
https://www.hadassah.org/episode/immunity-unraveled

Advocate with Hadassah

Advocate and take action for the issues you believe in with Hadassah at hadassah.org/get-involved/advocate-take-action.

Hadassah has members in every Congressional District. If you are interested in having your voice heard, visit Hadassah’s National Action Center providing email messages to elected officials on many issues, including women’s health care, support for Israel, standing up to antisemitism on college campuses and in our communities. Enter your information and the emails will be sent for you. Let your elected officials know where you stand on the issues that are important to you.

Visit the National Action Center regularly and sign your name to the initiatives that have been added since your last visit. It takes only a few minutes of your time to speak your mind and impact outcomes. Together we can bring about change through legislation that matters.

Are you looking to get involved with Hadssah in your community?
Contact us here: pnwinfo@hadassah.org

VOTE! - Update on Advocacy

Washington and Oregon are vote by mail states. Other states, check your Secretary of State website for voting information and deadlines.

This is a very important election year so be aware of significant dates for voting:

Washington State:

October 18 - Start of 18-day voting period (through Election Day). Ballots are mailed out and Accessible Voting Units (AVUs) are available at voting centers.
October 28 – Voter registration: Online and mail registrations must be received 8 days before Election Day. Register to vote in person during business hours and any time before 8:00 PM on Election Day.
November 5 - Deadline for Washington State voter registration or updates (in person only).
November 5 - General Election - Deposit your ballot in an official drop box by 8 PM on Election Day.

Oregon State:

Registration Deadline
A new registrant must submit their online registration by 11:59:59 PM. Pacific Time on the 21st calendar day before an election to be eligible to vote in that election.

Alternative to Registering Online
Instead of registering to vote online you can complete a Voter Registration form and return it to your county elections office.

Already Registered to Vote?
If you are already registered or think you might be registered to vote, use My Vote to:

• Check if you are registered to vote
• View your voter registration information
• Update your voter registration
• Check the status of your ballot
• Find contact information for your county elections office
• Find contact information for your elected officials
• Find a ballot drop site

Support Hadassah's Projects - Become an Annual Giver

Annual Givers embrace the message “Hadassah Annual Giving – where compassion meets commitment.” Consider the impact that a commitment of only $15 per month can make. To become an Annual Giver, enroll online or complete the application and choose the Hadassah project you want to support.

If you are a young woman living in the Pacific Northwest and are looking to connect with like-minded women, build life-long friendships and make an impact in your community and in Israel, we want to hear from YOU! Contact us at pnwinfo@hadassah.org or call 310-276-0036.