Join us for a look at some of our best 2021 Hadassah podcasts. We think you’ll love this roundup -- a selection of 18, a Jewish celebration of life and our impact! In the mix: Hadassah On Call: New Frontiers in Medicine goes behind the scenes at Hadassah’s hospitals; The Branch takes you into the lives of Jews and Arabs in Israel creating a shared society, and Women of Vision features inspiring women who have seen a need and taken action.
Hadassah Healing
Hadassah’s hospitals stand out as innovative, compassionate global leaders in medical research and care, serving more than a million women, men and children a year, regardless of religion, race or nationality.
1. New Hope in the Fight Against COVID-19: Hadassah On Call, S3, E1
Dr. Dror Mevorach, director of the Rheumatology Research Center at the Hadassah Medical Organization, talks about innovative new protocols at Hadassah's hospitals -- including to help the mental well-being of its staff. "There was a special spirit of coming together, of dedicating ourselves to the mission, of trying the best we can, of caring, volunteering many times, despite the high pressure," he says.
2. Moving Forward: The Branch S2, E10
Arab physiotherapist Dr. Rasha Ghaith of Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus has a seemingly bottomless bag of tricks, blending Arabic and Hebrew, knowledge and warmth, as she helps her Jewish and Arab Hadassah patients move forward, one step at a time. “I could never do this without you next to me,” says her patient Uri, 70, a retired lawyer who is Jewish.
3. The Road to Healing: The Branch S2, E6
For over three years, volunteer Yael Moav has been driving Hebron residents Mohammed and his son Dia, age 5, to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem for the boy’s cancer treatments. In this episode, Yael and Mohammed talk with The Branch host Dina Kraft about their “very human connection.” “The minute you see a person … you really see them, it challenges you to look at things differently.”
Women’s Health
Hadassah has been advancing health and wellness for over a century in the US, Israel and around the world. As advocates for women’s health equity, we offer hundreds of health and wellness programs each year across the United States. And in Israel, our researchers are forging new ground.
4. Breast Cancer: Early Detection, Higher Risks and the Effect of COVID-19: Hadassah On Call S3, E2
Prof. Beatrice Uziely and Dr. Shani Paluch-Shimon from Hadassah’s hospitals are two of Israel’s top breast cancer specialists. In this episode of Hadassah On Call, they talk about new developments in breast cancer research -- and how too many women have postponed routine mammograms during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s a major concern,” says Dr. Paluch-Shimon. “In some cases, even a small delay can be a disaster.”
5. The Myths of Menopause Debunked and Much More: Hadassah On Call S2, E9
No topic was off the table for Dr. Drorit Hochner, a senior physician in the OB/GYN department at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus when she discussed menopause: hot flashes, hormone replacement therapy, sex drive. “I don’t think it’s taboo,” says Dr. Hochner. With exercise, hormone therapy and other medical advancements, Dr. Hochner says, her patients’ best years can still lie ahead, including “more achievements during her menopausal years."
6. Advancing the Cause of Women’s Health: Hadassah On Call S1, E4
“If we're vigilant, the results of our efforts for women's health equity should brighten the health futures of women and men in the 21st century,” says Rear Admiral Susan J. Blumenthal, MD, MPA (ret.), who served as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health. Listen now as she speaks with Janice Weinman (former Hadassah CEO/ED), about women’s health-care challenges and the importance of women’s health equity — a key part of Hadassah’s mission.
Innovation in Israel
Hadassah’s two Jerusalem hospitals -- Hadassah Ein Kerem and Hadassah Mount Scopus – are innovative and compassionate global leaders in medicine: attracting new talent, revolutionizing modern health care, and engaging in cutting-edge research and clinical trials that draw patients from all over the world.
7. Parkinson's Disease: Surprising New Treatments and the Race for a Cure: Hadassah On Call S2, E5
Parkinson’s affects almost 1% of the population, with cases expected to top 12 million by 2040. In this episode, Dr. Dana Ekstein, Chair of the Department of Neurology, and Dr. David Arkadir, Senior Neurologist at Hadassah Hospital discuss Parkinson's research at Hadassah, including genetic markers, stem cell therapy and deep brain stimulation. "We are on the edge of a very exciting era when we'll have much better treatments, and maybe prevention for some of the cognitive issues that we see in neurology,” says Dr. Ekstein.
8. Strokes: Risk Factors, Treatments and COVID-19 Long-haulers: Hadassah On Call, S2, E10
Dr. Ronen Leker, director of the stroke center at Hadassah Hospital, shares expertise on what causes strokes, why young people who had COVID are at risk of strokes, and the latest research on helping stroke victims recover. In the wake of COVID-19, he began to see some unusual new cases: COVID long-haulers with memory issues, concentration impairment and long-term fatigue. While COVID-19 was thought to be primarily a respiratory disease, Dr. Leker found that COVID impacts not only the cells in the lungs, but also in the brain. But now, he sees hope. "A revolution has occurred in neurology," he says, "and I was lucky to be part of that history."
9. Can’t sleep? Here’s What’s Keeping Us Awake: Hadassah On Call S2, E11
It’s probably no surprise that at least one in three people aren't getting enough sleep: stress, anxiety, poor diet and even fatigue can lead to sleep loss. Dr. Joel Reiter, head of the Hadassah Medical Organization's sleep clinic, discusses sleep, lack of it, related disorders, and the uptick in insomnia cases due to the stress of living through the COVID-19 pandemic -- and what we can do to sleep better. “You take something like … insecurity about your workplace, about your parents, about your health, and add to that the quarantines, staying home for entire days and nights, not getting out of bed, and you get an increase in sleep problems,” explains Dr. Reiter.
10. It’s All in Your Head: Why Headaches Matter: Hadassah On Call S3, E3
It happens to all of us: we’re going about our day and – boom! – we start to feel the onset of a headache. With over 200 kinds of headaches, what to do? When should we seek professional medical help? Dr. Max Bauer, a senior neurologist and Pain Medicine and Movement Disorders Fellow at Hadassah Medical Organization, just helped open a new headache clinic, serving all kinds of patients, including those who have headaches as an after-effect of COVID-19 patients “If a general practitioner says, ‘Sorry, I cannot do anything,’ you should go to a headache specialist. I think it's important not to miss the possible treatment,” says Dr. Bauer.
11. Breakthroughs, Risks and Warning Signs: An Insider’s Tips for a Healthy Heart: Hadassah On Call, S2, E6
Dr. Offer Amir, director of the Milstein Heart Center at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, talks about how genetics, sleep, exercise, gut bacteria and the stress of COVID-19 impact heart health – and a new life-saving Hadassah protocol for heart attack patients. “Half an hour is … time that cells without blood supplies start to die,” he says. “So you can imagine what significance it has to the patient's quality of life.”
Interfaith in Action
Hadassah’s hospitals have long been known for building bridges to peace through medicine. In these episodes, you’ll hear important conversations about what that looks like on the ground in everyday life -- beyond our hospital’s walls.
12. Singing in One Voice: The Branch S2, E11
Singers in the Rana Choir of Jaffa are Jewish, Christian and Muslim, from different educational, socioeconomic and political outlooks. With every song, the choir proves that different voices and views can come together in harmony. And in what has become their anthem: they share a rendition, in Hebrew and Arabic, of the Passover song "Chad Gadya," with a surprise ending that prompts everyone who hears it to confront — and question — the heartache of living in conflict. “People get emotional when they hear us,” says member Lubna Rifi.
13. The Power of Interfaith Alliances: Women of Vision S1, E2
Dr. Georgette Bennett, founder of the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, has shown the world that by working together to bridge religious, ethnic, racial, economic and social boundaries, individuals can have enormous impact. In this conversation, she tells Janice Weinman (former Hadassah CEO/ED) about her humanitarian work assisting Syrian refugees, building interfaith alliances and creating partnerships between Syrians and Israelis. “Every human being is made in the sacred image of God and worthy of infinite respect and dignity, it's a foundation of all human rights.”
14. The Israelis: The Branch S2, E9
Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi ("Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor") and Mohammad Darawshe, a founder of the Arab Israeli Ma'an party, join host Dina Kraft for a timely conversation for all of us who care about Israel. These longtime friends, intellectuals and Shalom Hartman Institute fellows talk about how they've been shaped by their many conversations -- and occasional disagreements -- about the country they both call home.
15. The Code Breakers: The Branch S1, E15
Did you know that Nazareth, Israel’s largest Arab city, is becoming a tech hub, now home to 50 tech companies? Tsofen, Hebrew for “encrypted code,” is an Arab-Jewish initiative founded by Sami Saadi and Smadar Nehab. Since 2008, it’s been integrating Arab Israelis into Israel’s tech industry. “The industry needs people. And we knew how to grow a core community. …. We should have shared society between Jewish and Arab together. And we cannot do it without equal rights…. We have such a model,” says Saadi.
Women’s Leadership
Empowering women is at the heart of our everyday efforts. In these episodes, meet women who are making an impact in very different -- but important -- ways.
16. Bridging Divides Through Holocaust Education: Women of Vision S1, E1
Dr. Mehnaz M. Afridi, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College and Director of its Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center (HGI), describes herself as "a Muslim who believes that we should focus on trying to understand other faiths and beliefs." Hear her talk about the importance of teaching the Holocaust, creating mutual understanding between Muslims and Jews, and what it means to have the state of Israel. “I really believe it's my mission to teach people the history, what the Holocaust was about -- and especially to non-Jews.”
17. This Israeli Midwife Believes Her Job is Her Calling: S1, E23
Gila Zarbiv was the first midwife in Israel to help a COVID-positive woman deliver. But she makes clear that every day in the maternity ward is a team effort. Among the midwives she works closely with is Rahel Najwan Aslan. An Arab citizen of Israel, Aslan grew up in Haifa, and Zarbiv, who is Jewish, immigrated to Israel from Pittsburgh. Zarbiv talks about her lifelong passion for Israel, why she became a certified nurse midwife and her research on the impact of #MeToo on OB/GYNs and midwives. With her devotion to Israel and her patients, Zarbiv personifies Hadassah Hospital through and through. “Women are magical,” she says.
What Do You Think?
18. What was your favorite Hadassah podcast in 2021? Which ones resonated with you? Share your favorites with us!
Hadassah On Call
Host Benyamin Cohen takes you behind the scenes on the latest advances in medical education, care and research innovations at Hadassah’s hospitals in Israel with doctors and specialists, patients and nurses. From striving for peace through medicine to performing surgeries with robots, they're working on medical breakthroughs that are impacting people around the world. Listen and be amazed! Sign up for Hadassah on Call.
The Branch
Hosted by journalist Dina Kraft, The Branch explored the very definition of a shared society through the unlikely and touching stories of Israeli Jews and Arabs laying the foundation for peace, one relationship at a time. Listen to The Branch now.
Women of Vision
Hosted by Janice Weinman, former CEO/ED of Hadassah, this series highlighted women whose visionary leadership and innovative approaches to the challenges in their respective fields have resulted in noteworthy success for their organizations. Listen to Women of Vision now.