HADASSAH CONVENES 88TH NATIONAL ANNUAL CONVENTION TO HELP ISRAEL BUILD TOMORROW TODAY

July 21-24, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida

(New York, NY -- July 10, 2002) -- Hadassah, the country’s largest Zionist organization, will hold its 88th annual national convention, Sunday July 21 through Wednesday, July 24, at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The theme of the convention, “Build Tomorrow Today,” directly addresses Hadassah’s historic, present and future relationship with Israel, and is particularly relevant considering the difficulties Israel has experienced since Hadassah’s last convention, which was held in Jerusalem in August, 2001.

Last year, we were the only major American Jewish organization to hold our annual convention in Jerusalem. This year, with Israel still in terrible crisis, we are devoting all of our energies to helping her in this time of great need,” said National President Bonnie Lipton, announcing that Hadassah will be launching a fundraising campaign to expand and rebuild the current trauma and emergency units into a state-of-the-art Center for Emergency Medicine.

More than 1,500 delegates are expected to attend the national convention, which serves as a forum to examine the most important issues on the organization’s agenda. Its delegates elect officers and pass policies and resolutions on Zionist and American issues. Decisions made at the annual meeting are incorporated into the activities of the organization’s 1,500 chapters and units nationwide during the coming year.

A roster of political strategists, academic experts, and other celebrities will serve as speakers and participate on discussion panels. The keynote speaker for the opening session on Sunday evening will be Martin Indyk, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and currently a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Also appearing will be Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, author Gil Troy, playwright Wendy Wasserstein, and Rabbi Daniel Gordis, who will serve as the scholar in residence.

The convention will be the venue for the presentation of two major awards. The Henrietta Szold Award, Hadassah’s most prestigious honor, named for its founder, will be given to Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert. Hadassah’s Women of Distinction Award will go to prolific author Dr. Ruth Gruber, who, like Hadassah, turned 90 this year.

There will be several panels of particular interest:

“Behind the Headlines and Between the Lines,” will focus on media bias in the coverage of Israel, featuring Kevin Klose, President and CEO of National Public Radio; Columbia University Journalism professor and New York Times contributor Samuel G. Freedman; and Zev Chafets, former director of the Israel Government Press Office and Daily News columnist.

“Dolly and You: The Jewish View,” on genetic therapy, featuring Rabbi Moshe Tendler; author Gloria Goldreich; and Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director general of the Hadassah Medical Organization.

“Whose Right is it Anyway? The ABC’s of religion in the Public Schools,” with J. Brent Walker, Executive Director of the Baptists Joint Committee on Public Affairs; William A. Gralnick, Director of the Southeast Region of the American Jewish Committee; and Dr. Jack Wertheimer, professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

“Women Take Heart,” about the latest developments in cardiac care for women with Dr. Nanette Wenger of Emory University Medical School; Dr. Chaim Lotan, of the Hadassah Medical Organization; and Katy Elliott-Attebery, a broadcast journalist and heart attack survivor.

Throughout the convention, delegates will encounter Zionism in action with sessions that highlight Hadassah’s ongoing projects in Israel, including the Hadassah Medical Organization, the Hadassah College of Technology, the Hadassah Career Counseling Institute, Youth Aliyah, Young Judaea, and the Jewish National Fund.

The chair of Hadassah’s 88th National Convention is Maureen Schulman, of Great Neck, NY, with Annette Meskin, of West Bloomfield, MI, as co-chair. The dynamic team also headed last year’s convention in Jerusalem.

The Hadassah Associates, the men’s organization associated with Hadassah, will also be holding their annual business meeting concurrently with the Hadassah national convention.

As a sign of support for Hadassah’s mission of supporting Israel through medical and educational facilities and programs and providing 300,000 American women with meaningful opportunities for volunteerism and self-empowerment, nearly 30 corporations from such diverse fields as banking, insurance, real estate, management, and healthcare have provided sponsorship for the convention. Among them are Apollo Real Estate Advisors, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Polar Rampart International Brokerage and Genzyme Therapeutics, and Bernard L. Madoff.

Founded in 1912, Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America is the largest women’s, largest Zionist, and largest Jewish membership organization in the United States. In Israel, it supports medical care and research, education, and youth institutions, and reforestation and parks projects. In the US, Hadassah promotes health education, social action and advocacy, volunteerism, Jewish education and research, Young Judaea and connections with Israel.