Empowering Leaders: Incoming Region Presidents Come Together as Cohort at NYC Orientation

December 9, 2024

Empowering Leaders: Incoming Region Presidents Come Together as Cohort at NYC Orientation

Ten Hadassah women from around the country gathered at Hadassah headquarters in lower Manhattan for an intensive orientation to prepare them for their new roles as Hadassah region presidents and region coordinators, which they'll assume on January 1, 2025.

“Getting to know my fellow members of the presidents class of 2025 was great,” said Hadassah Southern Seaboard Co-President Elect Rebecca Young. “We each bring a different skill set and come from different backgrounds, and it was great learning from each other.”

“I am so honored to have been selected by all these amazing women to be region president,” said Kimberly Mager of Hadassah Northern New England on her election.

Mager is one of 13 total region presidents in the class of 2025. The orientation brought them together to help build a strong leadership cohort and to help equip them for these key positions at the largest Jewish women’s organization in the US. They learned about the duties and responsibilities that accompany their new titles and Hadassah's organizational structure and participated in leadership skills training, covering everything from communication to delegation.

While working in separate Hadassah regions, the presidents will collectively be building a stronger Hadassah. They’ll be promoting Hadassah internally and externally, overseeing and implementing their region’s annual plan, managing the region board, overseeing leadership training and collaborating with their geographic area leadership. Though the titles are different, region presidents and region coordinators carry the same weight. Their differences lie in the duration of their terms and appointment process: president is a three-year elected term, while coordinator is a one-year volunteer position.

From November 17-19, the region presidents’ orientation covered all the bases — including homework.

Speaker Effectiveness, for example, was the culprit for the assignment. The new officers were tasked with drafting the first paragraph of their installation speeches to be read before and critiqued by their fellow incoming officers. One by one, the women drew applause, laughs and positive feedback for their words — personal and moving stories revealing their motivations, experiences and family influences.

“First and foremost, my passion for and commitment to Israel are what bind me to Hadassah,” said Young, who represents the fifth generation of a six-generation Hadassah life member family, and whose own journey has been long. “I am a proud Zionist, and this started as a Young Judaean!”

Following her YJ days, her involvement in young women’s groups led to a string of positions, including co-president of the Richmond Chapter and recording secretary on the region board. And now, as the new region co-president, the North Chesterfield, VA, resident hopes to strengthen Hadassah’s role in the community at large. She said, “Hadassah's missions align with those of so many other organizations, both religious and secular, and there is no reason Hadassah cannot be a more active community partner. By strengthening those partnerships, membership would grow, and the impact Hadassah has on the world would increase.”

At the same time, she’s inspired by how Hadassah empowers women to take action and be a force for change. “Change starts with one person speaking up, and Hadassah connects all those single voices into a loud force. It has been an honor to be a part of some of the advocacy work Hadassah does.”

Young felt privileged to do her part when she presented Hadassah’s position and policy statement on women’s health at the Richmond Chapter’s Women’s Reproductive Health From a Jewish Perspective program, with several members of Virginia’s local and state government participating in the event. She cites this as one of her finest Hadassah moments. “I was proud to also have my mother and daughter in attendance.”

“I was thrilled and more than a little nervous,” said Mager of Hadassah Northern New England on her election.

In this new role, Mager of Westford, MA, wants to engage less active and even inactive chapters and inspire them to reinvest in Hadassah. “We have so much to offer, and I want to help our Hadassah members take advantage of some or all of those offerings.”

For Karen Bloom, tackling Jewish hate is at the top of her priority list as region president of Hadassah Central Pacific Coast. “My number one goal is to bring together Zionist women for support and connection during this challenging time of increased antisemitism.”

“I am a Zionist, a rebbetzin and an educator, so naturally, I am most connected to and passionate about Hadassah's work in Israel and how we support Israel from afar not only financially, but also emotionally,” the Oakland, CA, resident said.

Though Bloom’s mother made her a Hadassah life member in 1977 when she was just 7 years old, it was about 25 years later that the spark of activity ignited; she went from being involved in a young women’s group in Hadassah’s Oakland Chapter to the chapter’s president, secretary and ultimately to regional Jewish Education chair of Hadassah Central Pacific Coast. She now also co-chairs the new Hadassah Educators Council, which has grown to over 3,000 members since its inception.

Bloom added, “Having been a part of the Hadassah Central Pacific Coast for nearly 25 years, I have really enjoyed seeing the many different ways that our region connects with its members through programming, community-building events and philanthropy.”

The orientation kicked off with an introductory dinner, and a true sisterhood immediately began to take shape. Highlights of the orientation also included meetings with the various departments of Hadassah National, including Philanthropy, Engagement and Education & Advocacy, as well as a presentation on the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) by HMO Vice Chair Stacey Maslow.

“Having lost a child to cancer, I understand how tremendously important it is for our hospitals to care for and support both the patient and the entire family,” said Mager. “The [medical] clowns, the tranquility offered to families and the amazing research Hadassah provides are unequaled and so needed.”

Volunteering has always been a way of life for Mager. After holding several positions at her local temple, she was approached about joining Hadassah. “I have always been a Zionist and a volunteer, so this seemed (and is) a perfect match,” she said.

And now she’s proud of the many achievements of her chapter, including attracting new members, and her own triumph of co-chairing the Hadassah Northern New England retreat in November 2023, whose agenda had pivoted last minute after October 7, 2023, but managed to bring together 100 participants who wanted to be updated on the situation in Israel and comforted by other Jews in a safe space.

The women were also walked through the journey of a collaborative partnership with their Hadassah geographic area (GA) and heard inspirational words from Past Hadassah National President Nancy Falchuk about making an impact as a region president. In a Zoom welcome, Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz said, “Mazel tov and thank you for your extraordinary commitment and contributions to Hadassah and for your leadership as we continue to advance our life-changing work together.”

The closing activity had the women looking ahead with optimism and pride. They wrote letters to their future selves about their legacy, what they’re proud of and how they’re feeling at the end of their terms. The letters will be mailed to them within three years.

“What stood out the most to me was the vastness of the Hadassah organization,” said Young of the orientation. “While I am aware of the myriad projects and missions Hadassah undertakes, and of course knew this involved many people, the complexity of Hadassah was never really explained or made clear to me. Having presentations by all of the different departments and divisions was informative and enlightening.”

“I’m very excited about moving into this position and hope to make a difference in the world through volunteering with Hadassah,” said Bloom. “The region presidents’ training helped tremendously to give us greater insight into the organization and gave us excellent direction about where to go for resources and support. For me, Hadassah has become not just a job but a passion project.”

This orientation isn’t the end for these women. Region presidents’ trainings are ongoing, with monthly Zoom meetings and two in-person meetings a year.

“Being part of Hadassah has always been important and necessary for me,” said Mager. “I am honored to be able to give back to this wonderful organization.”

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