by Rebecca Honig Friedman

Anticipating the Hadassah convention. “An overflowing plate of activities, from Shalom Yoga exercises at 6:15 a.m. to festivities lasting until midnight, will be served up to some 2,000 energetic delegates attending the 94th annual convention of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, in Los Angeles.” [LA Jewish Journal]
Hadassah convention - Video Jew-style.

[LA Jewish Journal]
Young women find it’s not their bubbe’s Hadassah. “A spiritually attuned mother of two with a background in software sales, [Holli] Rabishaw might not seem like your typical Hadassah member. Then again, many young members say, this isn’t your grandmother’s Hadassah.” [LA Jewish Journal]
‘Think of Zionism as an answer for materialism’: Hadassah gets philosophical. “Speaking on Monday, the second day of the 94th annual Hadassah convention at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, [McGill Professor Gil] Troy and other speakers at a plenary session “Is Israel on Your Radar Screen?” bemoaned the fact that the younger Diaspora Jews are, the less likely they are to care about or identify with Israel.” [JPost]
Pelosi, Itzik talk tough at Hadassah. “As the personification of women’s empowerment, two of the most influential female politicians in the United States and Israel stood on the stage, greeted by the cheers of more than 1,800 delegates to the 94th national Hadassah convention.” [LA Jewish Journal]
McCain campaign rebuffs Hadassah. “When choosing a representative to send to Hadassah’s 94th convention the McCain campaign sent someone who represented the kind of politics that so many of the conference’s Jewish women have fought against all their lives.” [National Jewish Democratic Council’s Blog]
Obama represented at Hadassah. Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz spoke on behalf of Barack Obama at the convention: “Although he was unable to be here, Senator Obama wants to make sure that we all know that he shares our passion and dedication to the issues we hold so dear and that he looks forward to meeting with you in the near future.” full text of the speech is available online. [DWSfor Congress]
Pelosi: Iran threat goes beyond Israel. “In a recent speech to the Hadassah Zionist Women’s Organization, Pelosi described Tehran as a major threat not only to Israel but also to the entire world.” [PressTV.ir]
Former Paramount Pictures chairwoman Sherry Lansing shares her charitable epiphany. “By 8 a.m. last Wednesday, when Sherry Lansing took the stage at the downtown Bonaventure Hotel, the women of Hadassah were hollering as if they were in a gospel service.” [The Jewish Journal]
Convention in sum. “Hadassah, the influential Jewish women’s organization, gathered in Los Angeles this week for its 94th annual national convention, attracting A-list speakers who addressed anti-Semitism, solidarity with Israel and the upcoming presidential election.” [LA Times]
Hadassah tipping into decline? “Hadassah just concluded their 94th national convention in Los Angeles. And at the closing dinner Tuesday night, a prominent Medical Center board member warned the organization was on ‘the tipping point’ into decline.” [E-Jewish Philanthropy]
Hadassah confronts financial problems, dwindling membership. “Warning that the largest Jewish organization - and largest women’s organization - in the US was on “the tipping point” into decline, a leading supporter of the Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization urged immediate efforts to bring in new members and additional income.” [JPost]

Posted on July 27th, 2008 Filed under: Roundups |