Joining forces, Hadassah Educators Council Co-chairs Karen Bloom and Gail Hammerman say they are “excited and enthusiastic” to be launching the new National Hadassah Educators Council. And they’re looking forward to sharing their vision with educators and the full Hadassah family this January 31 at the council’s inaugural virtual event, “Hadassah Loves Educators!”
The New Educators Council is working to create a community of empowered educators who share a passion for learning and teaching with the tools needed to support the future and stability of Judaism, Zionism and Israel through education. Karen and Gail bring together decades of experience as teachers to this key moment in setting the new Council’s agenda and focus.
With decades of experience as teachers, they aim to build a “community of Hadassah members with a common professional interest in education” and provide “opportunities for learning together, networking and supporting each other, especially regarding advocacy around issues affecting education."
Gail Hammerman is a retired adjunct political science professor and served as the special assistant to the Brooklyn Borough President from 1978 to 2001. An East Coast grandmother of five, she was a member of Hadassah’s National Executive Committee, National Board and the Governance Committee and served as National Secretary and National Vice President. Karen Bloom is an active middle school math teacher, married to a rabbi, whose mother is, and two grandmothers were, Hadassah life members. Karen has focused her Hadassah efforts on the West Coast and has two children in their early 20s.
As a teacher, Gail says, “The most important thing that I was able to do for my students was to take the ‘textbook knowledge of the ivory tower’ and bring it to life with my experience from my full-time profession working for the New York City government. I was able to give them … a greater in-depth insight and understanding of the institutions they were reading about, and how, in reality, policy and legislation happened in New York.”
About her teaching, Karen says, “I have always had the whole student at the heart of my educational work. This means that I am dedicated to creating an inclusive and engaging math classroom while also participating in activities and events outside of math class like our school’s No Place for Hate club, Gender Leadership Team, and Jewish Club. It’s important, she adds, to remember that “students are individuals with their own thoughts, feelings, struggles, and accomplishments.”
They arrive at this work with a deep new friendship and a breadth of experience that will help them engage a wide range of Hadassah educators in making a difference with Hadassah.
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Please join us virtually on January 31 for the National Hadassah Educators Council’s inaugural event, “Hadassah Loves Educators!”
The Hadassah Educators Council is a free add-on benefit for Hadassah members open to educators of all levels and types, and that interested educators should email educatorscouncil@hadassah.org.
Learn more about our professional councils: the Hadassah Attorneys and Judges Council, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Council and Physicians Council.