Message from the President, Ellen Burke

Happy New Year to all!

I know it’s a new year, but I want to return to an old subject – though it might be new to some of you. Mentorship. Have you ever been a mentor? Have you ever been mentored? It’s not always a formal relationship. Your parents were your mentors, or your older brothers and sisters or cousins. They helped you become who you are. As you got older, you undoubtedly became a mentor to your children, even though we don’t think of the relationship that way.

The point is, helping someone to grow is mentorship. Asking others to help you along the way is asking to be mentored. In Hadassah, the growth we seek and are delighted to see in others is both a personal growth and a learning experience. I know that I feel stronger as a leader because of the mentorship I received over the years from some of our past Hadassah Presidents and others. I hope that I have helped others to grow, sometimes directly and sometimes by example.

A true mentor/mentee relationship is more specific. Each side of the partnership knows what their role is and has discussed entering into the relationship. For example, each new portfolio holder on our board is matched with a past DMR President as her mentor. The mentee knows she has someone to go to when in a quandary or just needs to vent. And her mentor is watching out for her mentee to be a sounding board and advisor.

So now I’m asking you: Are you ready to be a mentor to anyone in your Chapter? Perhaps you’re somewhat new to Hadassah and, while likely being a mentor in your personal life, are you now in a position of looking for a Hadassah mentor. Look around, as Mr. Rogers said, the helpers are there.

Together We Will Heal
Hadassah ad shown on i24 in Israel, click here to watch.

Attention all Colorado Hadassah Women!

Dafna Michaelson Jenet, past president of Denver Chapter, has been named President Pro Tempore of the Colorado Senate. She is having a mezuzah hanging ceremony for her new Senate office on January 8th at 9:00 am, followed by a swearing in of the Senate at 10:00 am.

“It’s going to be a fun morning and I’d like to invite all of my Hadassah sisters whether they know me or not!” said Dafna.

Hadassah in the Headlines
Month after month Hadassah makes the news with fantastic, innovative, lifechanging achievements. Each question below refers to an amazing Hadassah Headline.
Can you tell which headline is real?

There are times when we each ask ourselves, what can I do that will make a difference? Hadassah offers many options.

Make a donation (you knew this was coming). Hadassah is first and foremost a fundraising organization. Hadassah runs hospitals and clinics, does groundbreaking medical research, and works to rehabilitate patients into wellness. The list goes on. Hadassah changes lives by being life changing.

You have so many choices where your money can go: HMO, Gandel Rehabilitation Center (Hadassah needs donations for Gandel after the horrific events of October 7), Young Judaea scholarships, Youth Aliyah. Or you can buy a Yarhzeit. You can donate stock. You can become an Annual Donor. Click here to make a donation.

Volunteer. You can volunteer for your chapter in a wide variety of positions, some small, some huge — you get to choose what works for you. 

What do I get from volunteering? Satisfaction. Pride. A sense of purpose. Improved mental health. New skills. New friends. Research shows that volunteering has physical health benefits —an increased level of fitness and activity, lowered blood pressure, decreased pain levels, reduced stress. And you will most likely live longer. So what are you waiting for?

Advocate. You can literally change the world — and you can do it all from the comfort of your couch. The topics are broad: supporting Israel, women’s health, fighting antisemitism, infertility, End the Silence, and many more.

For a complete list of advocacy issues, just click here. All you have to do is fill in your name and address. Hadassah has written the letter for you, or you can go in and edit it if you so choose. Hadassah knows the names of your reps and senators. You just click on Send Email.

Meet people your age with Evolve. Evolve is designed to attract and engage younger members (up to the age of 55). We are building active Evolve communities across the US — Evolve is Hadassah’s future and represents the next generation of Hadassah leaders.

Who do I talk to about Evolve? Click here to get in touch with Hadassah Evolve.

Professional Councils. Join one of our esteemed Professional Councils — Attorneys & Judges, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals, Physicians and Educators.

Professional Councils provide an outstanding way to support one another, network and learn from colleagues in your field. Benefits include exclusive webinars featuring experts, in-person local events, online discussion groups, networking opportunities and industry-specific newsletters that are inspiring and help connect you to our work. Interested? Click here.

Hadassah Associates are men who are committed to the Hadassah mission of healing, and they make a vital impact. Associates work to educate and engage men in communities around the country, develop and support fundraising initiatives and events that advance medical breakthroughs at the Hadassah Medical Organization. Talk to your chapter about an Associates Group or click here to learn more.

Membership. As a member of a passionate group nearly 300,000 strong, you stand side by side to support our mission to help heal our world. Together, we’re advancing women’s health, supporting Israel and instilling Jewish values in future generations.

To share Hadassah with someone new, click here to buy someone you care about a one year, two year, three year, or life membership.

One Book, One Hadassah

One Book, One Hadassah
Margalit Fox, author of ‘The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss.’

Join in Sunday, January 26 at 3:30 pm ET for a One Book, One Hadassah event as acclaimed author and journalist Margalit Fox talks with Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein. Her captivating book vividly resurrects a little-known figure: a Jewish woman who reigned as one of New York City’s most notorious underworld criminal leaders during the Gilded Age. Click here to register.

One Book, One Hadassah:
Dr. Mimi Zieman, Author of 'Tap Dancing on Everest'

Author and women’s health advocate Dr. Mimi Zieman discusses her engaging memoir, Tap Dancing on Everest, with Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein.

As a young medical student, Dr. Zieman became the medical expert - and the only woman - on a team scaling Mount Everest. In this coming-of-age story, she blends memories of the risky expedition with reflections on her Jewish background and her meditations on risk, adventure and empowerment. Click here to see it.

One Book, One Hadassah:
Lihi Lapid, author of ‘On Her Own’ 

In case you missed it; Lihi Lapid in conversation with Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein about her recently translated book, On Her Own? Now’s your chance to watch the best-selling Israeli novelist discuss this gripping novel. Here’s the video. 

Have you missed previous One Book One Hadassah discussions?
No problem, they’re available here.

Here is just a sampling of some of the discussions you can view anytime:

• Talia Carner, author of ‘The Boy with the Star Tatoo’
• Hanff Korelitz, author of ‘The Latecomer’
• Rachel Sharona Lewis, author of ‘The Rabbi Who Prayed with Fire’
• Author Anita Diamant
• Francine Prose, author of ‘The Vixen’
• Instant Pot Cookalong cooking demos with Paula Shoyer

In case you missed it
The recording of the recent Hadassah Magazine Discussion, "Are Jews Being Written Out of the Book World," is available here.

From Fear to Resilience: Women Facing Antisemitism

Antisemitism Impacts Our Everyday Lives

Of Jewish women responding to Hadassah's survey:

As the largest women’s Zionist and the largest Jewish women’s organization in the US, Hadassah sought to understand how the dramatic rise in antisemitism touches every aspect of Jewish women’s day-to-day lives, from family to work to interacting in their communities. We conducted a survey asking about experiences with antisemitism in the past few years and gathered over 1,000 responses from around the country.

Click here to read about the study.
Click here to read their stories.
Click here to watch the video.

Answers to Hadassah in the Headlines

1. a, Head. A young Palestinian boy from the West Bank named Suleiman Hassan, airlifted to Hadassah Ein Kerem’s Trauma Unit, underwent successful surgery in early June to reattach his head to his neck after suffering a condition commonly known as internal decapitation in a horrific bicycle accident. Read about it here.

2. c, Tumor Removed. A significant tumor was entirely removed from the back of a 16-year-old boy from Jerusalem who had suffered from pain for an extended period, thanks to advanced technology introduced in Hadassah's operating rooms. Read about it here.

3. d, Alzheimer’s. Studies at Hadassah and other hospitals around the world, have found that administering the BCG tuberculosis vaccine may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by strengthening the immune system. Read about it here.

4. b, OCD and Tourettes. The research, published in Molecular Psychiatry, provides “significant insights into the benefits of psilocybin for managing symptoms similar to those experienced by people with OCD and Tourettes syndrome,” Technology Networks reports. Read about it here.

5. a, Suicide. The study found that obese teens who took weight loss drugs were 33% less likely to experience suicidal thoughts, or try to commit suicide, compared with teenagers prescribed diet and lifestyle changes instead. "Obesity in adolescents is known to be associated with an increased risk of both depression and suicidal behavior," Dr. Kerem told Newsweek. “Since weight loss might alleviate these psychiatric comorbidities, it was reassuring to observe a reduced risk of suicidal behavior.” Read about it here.

6. c, Cyprus. The transplant chain was made possible thanks to two altruistic donors who contacted Israel’s National Center for Transplantation, The Jerusalem Post reports. "The extensive experience in kidney transplants at Hadassah has taught us that there is a lot of good in the world,” said Dr. Abed Khalaileh, head of Hadassah’s Transplant Unit. “People are willing to donate a part of themselves to save the lives of strangers." Read about it here.

7. a, Bone Technology. “The latest technology is a breakthrough in the field, and with it we can provide patients with the best treatment, regrowing the bone inside their leg with minimal pain and with the highest chances of success,” Dr. Vladimir Goldman, director of the Deformation Service of Orthopedics, told The Jerusalem Post. Doctors used this technology to help 39-year-old Matanya Olami after a bullet shattered his leg in a terrorist attack in June of 2023. Hadassah’s orthopedists treated him using “bone transport nail,” a procedure to grow new bone in a region where there is a missing section of bone due to infection, trauma or disease. Read about it here.

So now you’re sitting back, utterly amazed at what Hadassah has done. But it can only happen because of you and your donations. Please click here to donate.