Hadassah
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- For other uses, see Hadassah (disambiguation).
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, is a volunteer women's organization of 300,000, founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, American Jewish scholar and activist.
Hadassah is the largest Jewish women's organization in the United States. It supports The Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO), consisting of two hospital complexes at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus in Jerusalem.
In 2005, Hadassah Medical Organization was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing three areas in which HMO promoted peace in the Middle East:
- Maintaining equal treatment for all despite treating more terror victims than any other medical center
- The model of cooperation and coexistence set by the mixed staff of people of all faiths
- Ongoing initiatives in creating bridges for peace even throughout the Intifada
Hadassah also supports Hadassah College Jerusalem; Young Judaea, a Zionist youth program; the WUJS Arad Institute, in Arad, Israel; Youth Aliyah/Children at Risk; and is the largest supporter of the Jewish National Fund, which plants trees and implements other land reclamation programs in Israel. Hadassah also advocates for issues of importance to women and to the American Jewish community. In the United States, Hadassah promotes health education, social action and advocacy, volunteerism, Jewish education and research, and connections with Israel.
In 1950, members of the Minneapolis chapter of Hadassah asked the Northland Aluminum company to produce the first Bundt pans in order to recreate the porcelain pans used in Europe.
Hadassah is the Hebrew name of the Biblical Esther.
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[edit] Hadassah Hospital
Shortly after its founding, Hadassah established medical clinics in portions of the Ottoman Empire that is now Israel, eventually building the foremost hospital in the Middle East on Mount Scopus in East Jerusalem. During the Arab siege of 1948, the hospital and the adjacent Hebrew University held out against repeated attacks. In May, as a retaliation for the Deir Yassin massacre a convoy of 77 doctors, nurses, and patients on its way to the hospital under a flag of truce, was attacked by local Arabs. There were no survivors.
The cease fire of 1949 left Hadassah Hospital and the university an enclave cut off from the Israeli sector of the city. A new hospital was built in Ein Kerem (Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital) on the west side of the city. The original hospital was reopened following the Six Day War of 1967.
[edit] Hadassah International
Hadassah International is a network of dedicated volunteers, men and women of all faiths and nationalities, founded on the principle that advancement and cooperation in medicine and science transcend politics, religion, and national boundaries. Established in 1983, Hadassah International currently spans the five continents of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australasia. Its mission is to:
- Enhance the image of Israel through the work of the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO).
- Provide support for HMO so that it remains an academic center of excellence for healing, teaching, and research.
- Serve as a bridge to nations through medicine.
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