Media Contact:
Claire Lee
hadassah@rational360.com
860-671-0362
LAS VEGAS, NV – At its midyear meetings in Las Vegas, NV, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, adopted three new policy statements: Denouncing Efforts to Exclude Jews and Zionists, Safeguarding the Whole Spectrum of Reproductive Health Care and Ending the Silence on Gender-Based Violence.
“Hadassah’s leaders and members are passionate advocates, driving action around the world,” said Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz. “We are proud to continue to update our policy positions so that we can lead the charge on the issues that matter most to us, like protecting reproductive health care, cultivating pride in Zionism and demanding justice for victims of sexual violence.”
Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism – In the face of an alarming 140% rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2023, Hadassah adopted the policy statement Denouncing Efforts to Exclude Jews and Zionists. This statement reaffirms the organization’s commitment to combating antisemitism in the US and around the world. Hadassah condemns the use of discriminatory and inflammatory rhetoric which, in addition to being reprehensible, can have deep impacts, resulting in mental health effects, social exclusions, lost relationships and professional ramifications.
Many civil society groups and professional associations have made declarations about Israel and the ongoing war that ignore or deny Hamas’ role as a terrorist organization. Such statements isolate Jews and Zionists, and Hadassah denounces this exclusion. Hadassah will continue to empower its members and supporters to take pride in their identities and embrace collaboration and cross-cultural ties.
Reproductive Health Care – In the post-Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization policy landscape, there has been a proliferation of attacks and restrictions on reproductive health care, including fertility treatments, postpartum care, contraception and abortion. The Hadassah policy statement Safeguarding the Whole Spectrum of Reproductive Health Care demonstrates the organization’s commitment to advocating, at every level of government, for secure access to and resources for the whole spectrum of reproductive health services.
Bans and restrictions are having negative impacts on already high maternal and infant mortality rates in the US, complicating the ability to seek emergency care while pregnant, and placing health care providers’ jobs at risk. Hadassah will continue to mobilize around legislation and ballot initiatives that increase access to care.
Sexual Violence During Conflict – In 2023, conflict-related sexual violence around the globe increased 50% from the previous year. There is clear evidence that Hamas weaponized sexual violence against Israeli women and girls on October 7 and, in the months that followed, against the hostages. Hadassah’s policy statement Ending the Silence on Gender-Based Violence reaffirms the organization’s condemnation of gender-based violence and the erasure of the victims’ experience by Hamas and the biased United Nations Commission of Inquiry. Hadassah is committed to countering the misinformation and fighting to hold Hamas accountable for its crimes against humanity.
Hadassah continues to call on world leaders and the UN to demand action to counter the disturbing rise in conflict-related violence, including through an independent and thorough investigation into Hamas’ weaponization of rape on October 7.
Read Hadassah’s policy statements: Denouncing Efforts to Exclude Jews and Zionists, Safeguarding the Whole Spectrum of Reproductive Health Care and Ending the Silence on Gender-Based Violence.
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