jump to navigation search hadassah the women s zionist organization of america founded 1912 founder henrietta szold type 501 c 3 focus women s rights feminism reproductive rights zionism tikkun olam public health middle east and israel 1 location new york city new york key people marcie natan president 2 slogan the power of women who do website hadassah.org hadassah the women s zionist organization of america is an american jewish volunteer women s organization . founded in 1912 by henrietta szold it is one of the largest international jewish organizations with 330 000 members in the united states . 3 hadassah fundraises for community programs and health initiatives in israel including the hadassah medical center a leading research hospital in israel renowned for its inclusion of and treatment for all religions and races in jerusalem . 4 in the us the organization advocates on behalf of women s rights religious autonomy and us israel diplomacy . in israel hadassah supports health education and research women s initiatives schools and programs for underprivileged youth . 5 former headquarters of hadassah in manhattan in 2012 hadassah opened the sarah wetsman davidson hospital tower a 500 bed facility with 20 operating theaters as well as five below ground floors for protection from terrorist attacks . in 2014 national president marcie natan was named one of the jerusalem post s top 50 most influential jews . 6 contents 1 history 1.1 origins 1.2 the first years establishing healthcare in palestine 1.2.1 drop of milk station 1.2.2 school lunch program 1.3 youth aliyah 1.4 advocacy in the u.s. 1.5 1941 1970 building healthcare in israel 1.5.1 hadassah women in wwii 1.5.2 impact of un partition plan 1.5.2.1 hadassah medical convoy massacre 1.6 israel s birth 1.6.1 new medical center 1.6.2 operation reindeer 1.6.3 israel s first open heart surgery 1.6.4 israel s first kidney transplant 1.7 postwar 1.7.1 un general assembly resolution 3379 zionism equals racism 1.7.2 israel s first emi scanner 1.7.3 building hospitals in africa 1.7.4 marching for reproductive rights in the u.s. 1.7.5 operation exodus 1.7.6 israel s first heart lung transplant 1.7.7 advocating for the violence against women act 1.7.8 to save a life program 1.8 2001 present 1.8.1 ecosoc recognition 1.8.2 henrietta szold s induction into national women s hall of fame 2 list of national presidents 3 other ventures 3.1 international programs 3.2 hadassah magazine 4 madoff scandal 5 see also 6 references 7 external links history edit origins edit at a meeting at temple emanu el in new york city on february 24 1912 henrietta szold together with other zionist women proposed to the daughters of zion study circle that they expand their purpose and embrace proactive work to help meet the health needs of palestine s people . the goal was to promote the zionist ideal through education public health initiatives and the training of nurses in what was then the palestine region of the ottoman empire . because the meeting was held around the time of purim the women called themselves the hadassah chapter of the daughters of zion adopting the hebrew name of queen esther . henrietta szold became the first president . within a year hadassah had five growing chapters in new york baltimore cleveland chicago and boston . its charter articulates twin goals to begin public health initiatives and nurses training in palestine and to foster zionist ideals through education in america . the first years establishing healthcare in palestine edit 1913 hadassah sent two nurses to palestine rose kaplan and rae landy . they set up a small public health station in jerusalem to provide maternity care and treat trachoma a dreaded eye disease rampant in the middle east . the core of future hadassah education programs emerged when jessie sampter founded the hadassah school of zionism in new york in 1915 . the school required chapter leaders to take courses instituted a correspondence course and inspires other hadassah chapters to create their own schools of zionism . sampter published a course in zionism a collection of facts essays and reading lists financed by prominent american zionist judge louis brandeis . 1916 hadassah established the palestine purchasing and supplies department later the hadassah supplies bureau to buy and ship items unavailable in the yishuv the pre state jewish community in palestine . although hadassah s first two nurses were compelled to return to america in 1915 the physicians with whom they had co operated drs. avraham ticho and helena kagan as well as the midwives and probationers were able to carry on their work . 7 1918 hadassah established the american zionist medical unit azmu composed of 45 doctors nurses dentists and sanitary engineers . the unit was set up to combat the intolerable health conditions of postwar palestine and to create permanent health and welfare programs . from the beginning it established a principle that it will serve all with equal care regardless of race creed ethnicity or nationality . . the azmu helped to establish six hospitals in palestine which were then turned over to municipal authorities . led by alice seligsberg the unit sails for palestine in june bringing desperately needed drugs medical instruments and supplies linen and clothing . that year hadassah also founded a nursing school to train local personnel and create a cadre of nurses . over the next few years the unit based in the old rothschild hospital in jerusalem initiates american style health and welfare programs with intensive campaigns to wipe out malaria cholera trachoma and scalp diseases in many jewish communities in the yishuv . the unit organizes a sanitation program and founds hadassah hospitals in jaffa tiberias and safed . the nurses training school opens at the rothschild hospital in jerusalem . in 1924 the unit s name is changed to hadassah medical organization . 8 1919 hadassah organized the first school hygiene department in palestine to give routine health examinations to jerusalem school children . during the arab riots of 1920 hadassah nurses cared for the wounded on both sides . henrietta szold moved to jerusalem that year to develop community health and preventive care programs . 1920 the british mandate of palestine begins . 1920 1948 back in new york alice seligsberg forms junior hadassah providing innovative programs for young women who want to participate in hadassah s zionist mission . henrietta szold moves to palestine to lead the medical work started by the unit . she remains based in jerusalem for the rest of her life involved in medical and youth work in the yishuv . drop of milk station edit 1921 hadassah nurse bertha landsman creates palestine s first permanent infant welfare station tipat halav drop of milk in jerusalem . overwhelming success inspires hadassah to expand the program delivering fresh milk to needy families by donkey express . hadassah opens a hospital in tel aviv that city s first house of healing . under hadassah s philosophy of devolution it initiates and develops a number of facilities and projects and then transfers them to the appropriate municipalities . hadassah transfers administration of this hospital to the tel aviv municipality in 1931 . the first 22 young women graduate from hadassah s nurses training school . each receives her diploma from henrietta szold . school lunch program edit 1923 hadassah institutes a school lunch program to teach nutrition and serve healthy meals to children and teenagers in palestine . pennies are collected by american hebrew school students to fund this project which is devolved to the israeli government in 1950 with hadassah s support ending in 1954 . 1924 nathan straus contributes 10 000 with which hadassah develops its infant welfare stations into a complete network extending from jerusalem to tiberias . pamphlets were distributed to all hadassah chapters for five cents each . 8 1925 junior hadassah assumes sole support of the meir shfeyah children s village a youth village housing world war i orphans and socially disadvantaged children devolved to the israel ministry of agriculture in 1953 with hadassah continuing limited financial support . 1926 hadassah forms a partnership with the jewish national fund jnf also known as keren keyemeth leyisrael kkl an organization established in 1901 by the fifth world zionist congress to purchase and transform land in palestine for jewish farming housing roads and recreation . jnf immediately becomes and has remained a major hadassah project in israel . hadassah opens palestine s first tuberculosis ward in its safed hospital which becomes the region s tuberculosis center in 1935 devolved to the israeli government in 1957 . 1927 the cornerstone is laid at a solemn ceremony for the nathan and lina straus health center in jerusalem conceived as a model for future health centers in palestine with funding from nathan straus . according to dr. e. m. bluestone then director of the hadassah medical organization this center would serve as the headquarters of the health welfare department of the hadassah medical organization with space devoted to new health activities . through the decades many preventive health programs were housed in this building a dental clinic children s exercise programs and nathan straus milk pasteurization plant among others . 1928 hadassah s urban recreational activities program begins with the supervision of the guggenheimer playgrounds with funds from the estate of bertha v. guggenheimer . by 1950 when the playgrounds were devolved to the israel government s department of education the program had grown to fifty playgrounds throughout the country where urban children had a safe sanitary place to play . 1929 hadassah medical organization hmo opens the nathan and lina straus health center to serve jerusalem s growing population made possible by a large gift from the straus family . operates today as an outpatient facility in downtown jerusalem youth aliyah edit 1933 recha freier begins youth aliyah jugendaliyah aliyat hano ar in berlin working with german youth leaders to resettle jewish children in palestine . henrietta szold is appointed the first director of youth aliyah by the governing council of the yishuv the va ad le umi . 1934 youth aliyah s first 43 wards arrive in haifa . in what becomes a lifelong practice henrietta szold greets them at the dock and accompanies them to kibbutz ein harod.the cornerstone is laid on mount scopus for the rothschild hadassah university hospital rhuh and new quarters for hadassah s nurses training school . 1935 spearheaded by national president rose jacobs convention delegates accept youth aliyah as an official hadassah project and establish hadassah as its sole american sponsor . palestine s first social service programs begin when hadassah opens the nettie lasker social service department in jerusalem . 1936 in honor of henrietta szold s 75th birthday the name of the nursing school is officially changed during graduation ceremonies to the henrietta szold hadassah school of nursing . october 21 is the groundbreaking ceremony for the hadassah hebrew university hospital and medical school on mt. scopus attended by henrietta szold david ben gurion hospital architect erich mendelsohn and others young judaea the oldest zionist youth movement in the u.s. founded 1909 joins the hadassah family when hadassah agrees to provide partial funding for the movement . the british royal commission known as the peel commission praised the work of hadassah in its 1937 report the hadassah medical organization has developed a widespread system of clinics in jewish centres and hospitals in the principal towns ... though naturally the jewish population benefited most the hadassah medical services were available to all the communities in palestine and many of the poorer classes amongst the arabs received much assistance from the work of the organization . this disinterested philanthropy of hadassah deserves recognition it was a real step towards the promotion of good feeling between the two races ; but unhappily the effect of its work was impaired by other influences . 1939 the rothschild hadassah university hospital on mount scopus the first teaching hospital and medical