By Carol Ann Schwartz
At this time of Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful to the women and men who support our Hadassah mission with not just their voices, passion and time, but with their giving. It's a mitzvah to give thanks; the Hebrew term for gratitude, hakarat hatov, means "recognizing the good.” In that spirit, I give thanks for each of you. Together, we save lives. Together, we save souls. Together, we stand up and speak out.
When George Washington made his first presidential proclamation in 1789, it was to create “a day of public thanks-giving” for “the People of the United States,” intentionally inclusive of all faiths. Washington was explicit in his gratitude for a new government committed to protecting its citizens. "For happily the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens,” he wrote in 1790 to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, RI, just a year before the First Amendment enshrined religious liberty in the US Constitution.
Today, these words resonate as Jewish Americans face a terrifying tide of antisemitism and hate. As we gather for this Thanksgiving holiday, that is what we must do: find our gratitude, recognize the good.
Hadassah reaffirms our unwavering commitment to championing support for Israel, women’s health, reproductive rights and the fight against antisemitism. Our mission transcends politics, and we are dedicated to working alongside leaders across the spectrum to drive meaningful progress on the issues that matter deeply to our members and communities. We are committed to partnering with every administration to advance these priorities and to ensure our voices are heard, just as we have for more than a century. Our dedication to protecting and empowering women and supporting a strong US-Israel relationship remains resolute as we continue our essential work.
Every year, the Women's Philanthropy Institute creates a report called the Women & Girls Index (WGI). This year’s report found that less than 2 percent of all charitable giving goes to the 54,000-plus US organizations dedicated to women, including Hadassah. Yet, according to the report, philanthropic support for women’s and girls’ organizations reached $10.2 billion in 2021, reflecting a 15 percent increase over 2020. (2021 is the most recent year for which IRS charity statistics are available.) We can see the needle moving, albeit slowly. Some of you are helping make it move.
For this too, we can all be grateful. Yet we can do more. Together, we can make a huge difference, especially when we support and empower each other.
Wishing everyone in our Hadassah family a peaceful and hopeful Thanksgiving.