When Hadassah Vice President Peg Elefant, a fourth-generation Californian, moved from San Francisco to Corvallis, OR, nearly 50 years ago, she had never even heard of Hadassah.
“What a shanda,” she said.
After a few months in town, the local Hadassah women had learned about the “fresh” new arrival, and a dear friend of Elefant’s took her to a Hadassah luncheon. “She had to go through this whole long explanation.”
That’s all it took.
Nine months later, Elefant became her chapter’s president.
A staunch supporter of Israel, she found her new town separated from the core of the Jewish world, and she was seeking a connection to Israel. “Hadassah keeps that connection alive.”
For Elefant, Hadassah is also about the human connection.
“Like-minded people. Like-minded women, my closest friends here in the States, people who care about me, people who love me, people that I care about, people that I love, women who support me, women who helped me get through a very difficult region presidency. I mean, that's Hadassah. We support each other. We're very, very, very close.”
This community even hosted and catered a wedding for Elefant and her husband, Steve, in a member’s home.
Elefant is an educator by profession. She taught English and international studies at the high school and university levels for over 30 years, and she even created her own textbook-style resource for her own use after finding the ones that already existed to be “woefully remiss and woefully insufficient.”
She was also involved in curriculum development, innovation and strategic planning for an Oregon school district. Elefant carried this expertise over to Hadassah, where she created the bulk of Hadassah’s national online trainings for volunteers.
Twenty years into her career, Elefant’s involvement with Hadassah went national. As a national vice president, some of her proudest moments were the times she introduced sessions at Hadassah national meetings that connected to Jewish learning and Jewish values.
Her most memorable moment was “looking at the sea of hundreds of faces and realizing, I’m part of this community. Wow.”
Elefant also counts her first fundraising attempt pre-VP — a $250,000 gift in coordination with former Hadassah National President Marcie Natan — as a pride-filled occasion.
“Fundraising is the responsibility of every single member in Hadassah,” Elefant said. “We are all ambassadors for Hadassah. Fundraising is not limited to people in philanthropy, to people who are national officers…. As ambassadors, we promote the extraordinary work we do at the Hadassah Medical Organization and Youth Aliyah. And as we promote it, we inspire others. We motivate others. People who are inspired and motivated become aligned with our cause and want to be a part of us and contribute to our cause, so we are all responsible.”
Elefant, who’s also an artist, has even taken her fundraising duties to another level, raising more than $30,000 for Hadassah in the last three and a half years through sales of her vibrant watercolor landscapes.
As VP, she was able to have a very strong voice in influencing initiatives. “It's just astounding to me to be able to have a voice to make a compelling, meaningful contribution to an organization that's such a world leader in Israel and in medical research.”
Speaking up is key to making your time as VP count, according to Elefant. To incoming VPs, she says, “You were elected because you have a broad knowledge and deep experience. Speak up! For the sake of our beloved Hadassah, do not remain silent.”
Elefant’s elected term as VP is coming to a close, but the door to her involvement with Hadassah remains open. She loves working with creative and open-minded people and intends to devise innovative ways to help improve the organization. “My strengths and my interests are in organizational culture and organizational change and innovation, so my work will continue in those arenas.”
Overall, Elefant’s pride lies in her “ability to promote Israel thanks to Hadassah, to promote the Hadassah Medical Organization’s pioneering lifesaving work and Youth Aliyah’s extraordinary legacy work in saving and bettering the lives of children. Those two, that's what I'm most proud about.”
The Fun Facts
Gefilte fish, yes or no?
YES! Only Steve’s homemade gefilte fish. (My husband! The one and only cook in the house.)
Favorite Jewish holiday treat?
Matzah crackers with goat butter. (No kidding!)
Favorite Jewish author?
So many… Elizabeth Graver, Michal Lemberger, Miriam Libicki, Rosa Nissán, Daniel Levi De Barrios. And that doesn’t even scratch the tip of my favs!
If you could have dinner with any historical Jewish woman, who would it be?
No one famous. An emigrant during the Inquisition from Spain going to Amsterdam.
Hadassah vice presidents play a critical role in setting organizational priorities, raising funds and serving as representatives for Hadassah at the national level. There are six vice presidents on the Hadassah National Board at any one time, and each brings her own unique experience and skill set to the position. In this series, we invite you to get to know these Hadassah vice presidents.
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