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Mostly Cloudy Hadassah continues to grow
Local chapter has 900 members
For the East Meadow Simcha Chapter of Hadassah, the next two months will be spent fundraising for health education, while also honoring its own members who devote much of their time towards community activism. In other words, it’s just business as usual for the local chapter.
The group is an extension of Nassau Hadassah, which in turn, is an arm of the national Hadassah organization. Hadassah is the women’s Zionist organization of America, aiming to promote health education, social action, volunteerism, Jewish education and research, while furthering connections with Israel among Jews. Hadassah’s national chapter is headquartered on 58th Street in Manhattan.
East Meadow Hadassah has 900 members, according to co-president Zepora Katz, some 100 who regularly attend monthly meetings. The group meets at the East Meadow Public Library on the third Monday of each month, beginning at 7:45 p.m.
It costs $36 annually to join Hadassah, or $212 to become a lifetime member. Men are also welcome to join the organization as associate members.
Katz said the East Meadow chapter strives to raise money for the Hadassah Medical Organization, which operates two hospitals in Israel. The medical organization was founded by Hadassah, and provides nearly one million people of hospital services annually, regardless of their nationality, race or religion.
According to its website, the majority of Israel’s medical breakthroughs have taken place at Hadassah hospitals, including the first successful heart transplant, the first robotic surgery and the world’s first computer-assisted hip replacement surgery. “Hadassah Hospital is known for their research,” said Katz, who has a daughter who lives in Israel. “Everyone in Israel is welcome there. People think it’s all Jewish.”
The group will soon be honoring two of its members. On April 24, Irene Levine will be given the Myrtle Wreath Presidential Award for her community leadership. The following month, Nassau Hadassah will honor Women of the Year from each local chapter at the Marriott Hotel in Uniondale. This year’s East Meadow honoree is Anne Sharkis.
