NEW YORK, NY — Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, and its Israeli hospital system, the Hadassah Medical Organization, have signed a sponsorship-and-cooperation agreement with Hapoel Lev Jerusalem, an Israeli women’s basketball team and a member of Israel’s Women’s Premier Basketball League. Under the agreement, Hadassah will support the club’s youth and community programs, Hadassah hospitals will provide medical care for the team’s players and Hapoel Lev Jerusalem will bear Hadassah’s logo, which will also appear on the court.
The organizations were brought together by a shared belief in the importance of empowering women and helping them to become leaders. Hadassah helps women and girls advance in many different spheres while Hapoel Lev Jerusalem does the same through its basketball clubs. The team is known for promoting gender and demographic equality and personal and communal responsibility, and for aiming for excellence on and off the court.
The largest female basketball club in Greater Jerusalem, Hapoel Lev Jerusalem has hundreds of women and girls from all sectors of Israeli society, including Jews and Arabs; the secular, the religious and the ultra-orthodox; and special needs and at-risk youth. Hapoel Lev Jerusalem is the only Women’s Premier Basketball League team in Israel with feeder clubs, a flourishing teen division and a basketball academy for girls (which practices at the Hadassah-founded Israel Goldstein Youth Village in Jerusalem).
“Hapoel Lev Jerusalem promotes values which Hadassah shares, going above and beyond to bring girls and young women onto the basketball court,” said Carol Ann Schwartz, National President, Hadassah. “And as we have seen in the US, giving equal opportunity in the sports arena leads to gender equality and the advancement of women in society as a whole.”
Said Neta Abugov, Chairwoman, Hapoel Lev Jerusalem, “Our collaboration with Hadassah and its hospitals is a significant milestone for both the team and for Israel because of our shared commitment to social activism and our contributions to society. I am excited to join forces to create a path to a better future.”
“Hadassah’s decision to support Hapoel Lev Jerusalem grew out of many things, including a belief in the potential of sports to help girls and women rebuild resilience and peace of mind following October 7 and its aftermath,” said Suzanne Patt Benvenisti, Executive Director, Hadassah Offices in Israel. “As a Zionist women’s organization, Hadassah places great importance in empowering the next generation of Israeli women. To us, the collaboration is a long-term investment in Israeli society.”
Said Yoram Weiss, MD, Director General, Hadassah Medical Organization, “We are an organization created thanks to the distinctly female initiative of Henrietta Szold, who founded Hadassah 113 years ago by leading a movement of groundbreaking women. We are proud that our hospitals will provide medical care for a group of athletes who, in addition to being top-notch professionals and champions, share our belief in the importance of empowering women."
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About the Hadassah Medical Organization:
For more than a century, the Hadassah Medical Organization, the Jerusalem-based hospital system founded and owned by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, has set the standard for excellence in medical treatment and research in Israel. The experience and ingenuity of Hadassah’s doctors and scientists have led to new tools and treatments in all areas of medicine, including therapeutics, diagnostic medical devices and digital health.