Thousands of miles separate Hadassah’s 300,000 supporters and members in the United States from Hadassah’s hospitals in Israel. And because a few Hadassah missions to Israel have been canceled due to the ongoing war, the distance feels even greater.
To narrow the gap, a delegation representing the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) and Hadassah’s Offices in Israel (HOI) brought their work to the US and, in a sense, to life this past summer.
Like the superstars they are, the Hadassah medical professionals set out on a nationwide tour, with stops in a dozen cities. They met with Hadassah “fans” old and new and shared how Hadassah hospitals have provided hope and healing since October 7 and how they have been personally affected by the war. They shared how innovation and compassion are parts of their everyday work in times of both peace and war. At intimate gatherings and large community events, they forged connections with local Hadassah communities, while also inspiring people to give.
“In a year during which we are experiencing an ongoing war in Israel and it has been very difficult for Hadassah’s supporters and members to travel to Israel, it was incredibly meaningful to be able to bring a piece of Israel and our work here to the US,” said Suzanne Patt Benvenisti, executive director of HOI.
“The impact was tremendous,” said Diane Issenberg, who chaired the initiative. Requests for Hadassah leaders to host events throughout the tour were met with eagerness, according to Issenberg. “There was no hesitation,” she said. Hearing directly from the Hadassah professionals about the aftermath of October 7 “infused” them. “They wanted as many people as possible to hear firsthand what was going on from those that were living it.”
For Issenberg, this impassioned response was no surprise, as Hadassah members are steadfast in their support for Israel. “They’re there fighting for us and our homeland, so what can we do here to support that? We’re here, but we can help.” That was the mindset of attendees, said Issenberg.
Tracey Drayer, national co-coordinator for Hadassah’s Philanthropy Division, was impressed by the excitement she saw from Hadassah leaders eager to create opportunities for members, donors, supporters and their greater communities to meet Hadassah. “Bringing Israel to the US really expanded the net of who we could engage, who we could show the amazing work that we do and to inspire them to learn more about Hadassah, to support Hadassah and to really get a firsthand opportunity to see what’s going on in Israel at this difficult time.” It was a chance for Hadassah doctors and nurses to demonstrate their “medical prowess,” she continued.
Michelle Hubertus, a Hadassah national vice president, and her husband, Jim, welcomed Dr. Oded Cohen Arazi to their New Jersey home for a parlor meeting. With a group of more than 20 attendees, most major donors, Dr. Cohen Arazi discussed October 7 from the perspective of a trauma surgeon at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
“We saw the human toll the war has taken on the medical professionals at Hadassah,” said Hubertus. “We hope that they [our donors] understood that, with their support, they are making a difference.”
Before a group of 200 congregants and community members at Temple Sinai of Roslyn in New York, and then at a community event with more than 150 attendees at Congregation Beth Yeshurun in Houston, Dr. Sheer Shabat, senior resident in rehabilitation at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus, spoke about rehabilitation’s role at Hadassah hospitals post-October 7, including the accelerated opening of the Gandel Rehabilitation Center at Hadassah Mount Scopus to fill the growing demand for mental and physical rehabilitation services. In New York, guests also had the privilege of meeting with Shlomo Demma, an IDF soldier who is recovering from life-threatening wounds thanks to a team of Hadassah surgeons, psychologists and rehab specialists, and his twin brother, Samuel.
“The opportunity for us to showcase the important work we do in this very personal way has a profound effect on our members, our donors and the greater community who are exposed to the lifesaving and indeed life-changing care we can provide to those in need,” said Carol Rotenberg, national chair of major gifts and donor experience, who led the New York event. Rotenberg also hosted an event at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas with Clara Gillman, major gifts vice chair, during Hadassah’s July 2024 National Conference.
“The guests who attended these functions were extremely impressed with the level of medical care at Hadassah’s hospitals, especially for those who have been wounded since the attack on October 7, the scientific advancements attached to Hadassah and the breadth and scope of our outreach not only in the Middle East, but to the world,” Rotenberg said.
Rotenberg added that meeting the Demma brothers was special to her, being “able to get to know them in a way that I don’t usually have the opportunity to experience.”
In Newton Center, MA, at the home of Nancy Falchuk, past Hadassah national president and founding member of the Hadassah Medical Organization Board of Directors, more than 30 Hadassah members from across the three New England regions gathered to hear from Hila Shmuel about her experiences as a nurse in the ICU at Hadassah Ein Kerem on and after October 7. Shmuel also spoke before 60 guests at a major donor event at the home of Joan Epstein, a Capital Campaign Team member, in Birmingham, MI. She was joined by Patt Benvenisti, who discussed the impact of the Gandel Rehabilitation Center on the physical and mental health of Israelis today. “The two ladies spoke with immense feelings,” said Epstein. According to her, guests were so moved that they shared their experiences throughout the Detroit community. “The choice to bring our Israeli family to us has had an impact on so many.”
Prof. Yoram Weiss, director general of the Hadassah Medical Organization; Dalia Itzik, chair of the board of the Hadassah Medical Organization, and Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz addressed a group of nearly 50 Hadassah major donors at the Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles — guests of host Moshe Silagi, philanthropist and president of Silagi Development & Management, and his wife, Karen — about meeting urgent needs to expand Hadassah hospitals’ war-ready facilities, including the Gandel Rehabilitation Center and new underground operating theaters. Silagi joked that if he “knew this would be such a nice event, I would have invited more people.”
At a parlor meeting in the Chicago home of Hadassah major donors Darcee and Jamie Rabinowitz, Dr. Ruth Elimelech, head of psychological service at the Gandel Rehabilitation Center, spoke to a group of 25 major donors, region presidents and prospective donors about mental health becoming a greater priority in the medical world, especially for war victims, and how the Gandel Rehabilitation Center has been treating victims of October 7.
The HMO and HOI staff members came together at the ultimate tour stop — Hadassah’s July 2024 National Conference in Las Vegas, where about 400 Hadassah leaders, members, donors, Associates and staff heard them speak on their roles in the war effort. The crowd also heard from teens Mina Levin and Shalhevetya “Shelly” Tannenwald, who shared how their lives have changed for the better from the moment they stepped foot at Hadassah Neurim Youth Aliyah Village. (Read about Mina and Shelly’s journey here.) Mina, Shelly and Hadassah Neurim CEO Ami Magen had also joined the HMO and HOI staffers on tour in Chicago.
While the tour left quite an impression on Hadassah in the States, the Israeli staff had the opportunity to, for the first time, see the magnitude of the Hadassah organization. “They couldn’t believe the outpouring of love and respect that they got from all of us,” Issenberg said.
“For HMO’s professionals, and for our patients and Youth Aliyah students, having the chance to meet Hadassah supporters and members and to learn of this vast operation that stands behind their work was extremely moving,” said Patt Benvenisti. “It reminds them that even though life in Israel is very challenging right now, between their vast responsibilities to care for the wounded and the challenges they face personally raising their children in the midst of a war, they are not alone in this situation. This is very powerful.”
“It was important for the Israeli staff to see how much support there is for Israel right now in the US,” said Hubertus. “We worry that the media only shows the anti-Israel protests and that Israelis are not aware of all that we are trying to do.”
“There’s nothing like talking to someone in the flesh, shaking someone’s hand, giving them a hug and being able to tell them how meaningful it is that they’re representing Hadassah here and to thank them for everything they’re doing by being on the ground in Israel and protecting our beloved homeland,” said Drayer.
Read coverage of Dr. Cohen Arazi’s visit in the Jewish Standard.
Read coverage of Dr. Shabat’s visit in the Jewish Herald-Voice.
