Hadassah Great Plains
E-Bulletin
December 2015
No. 4
A Word from the Region President
Dear Hadassah Friends,
We always have choices. Some choices are unavoidable, some may be
postponed and some will never present themselves to us in the same way
again.
Voting is a choice we do have. Raising our voices about the issues that concern us is a choice we do have. Hadassah counts Advocacy as a core issue
and myHadassah has information to help you make your voice heard, by
making it easy to write your representatives about the issues we care so
deeply about. While Hadassah members cannot endorse any particular
candidate as an official “Hadassah” candidate, we do endorse legislation to
prevent domestic violence, to add women to medical research studies, and
to support the peace and security of the State of Israel.
Hadassah - Choices! How will I connect with my Hadassah sisters? Which of my chapter events will I attend this
year? How much of my valuable time and talents can I give to Hadassah this year? Is this the year I can become a
Keeper of the Gate or a member of Chai Society? Is this the year I honor a friend or loved one with a donation to
Hadassah instead of shopping for a gift?
If you’re going to choose a Hadassah event, consider asking someone to go with you. If you’re going to choose an
annual giving level, please call your Chapter or Region Fundraising Chair, President or Treasurer. If you want to expand your mind and get to know your Hadassah sisters, contact your Chapter or Region PRAZE Chair or President. If
you are a life member of Hadassah and choose to give the special gift of a one-year annual membership to a nonmember, the Chapter or Region Membership Chairs will be glad to help you, but you must act by December 31,
2015. Why make these choices? Please read the story below.
*Inbar Azrak and her husband Ori, a young sabra couple with three small children, made a fateful choice to take a
two-day holiday. Unable to afford a hotel, they decided to stay with Inbar’s savta (grandmother) in Jerusalem. They
could take long walks in the city, do some back-to school shopping and go out to dinner. With Inbar’s parents taking
charge of the grandkids, she and Ori had a wonderful two-day vacation. But, on their way home, they passed
through Pisgat Zeev, a neighborhood in northern Jerusalem. With a deafening boom and a flash of red hot fire, a
Molotov cocktail exploded in their car. The glass on Inbar’s side shattered. Ori’s IDF training kicked in and he exited
the car in seconds, but Inbar’s seatbelt was stuck. Although the metal buckle was scorching and her skirt was on
fire, Inbar managed to press the button and jump out. Rolling on the ground to extinguish the flames, Inbar
thought, "I'm alive, I'm alive. I can take the pain." Incredibly, their driverless car began rolling towards her, but a
passerby rushed to pull her out of the path of the burning car. She thought of her children safe and sound at her
parents’ house as she was loaded into the ambulance bound for Hadassah Hospital.
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A Word from the Region President (Continued)
Inbar was familiar with Hadassah. Her grandmother worked in the hearing clinic. Her great grandfather was a clerk in
Hadassah. She had given birth to two of her three children there. First, she was treated at the Swartz Center for
Emergency Medicine. Then, she was moved to the seventh floor plastic surgery department in the Sarah Wetsman
Davidson Hospital Tower, where her lower body burns were treated. She needed the Tower isolation room to prevent infection. She needed the couch for a family member to sleep on to provide the emotional support. Hadassah
Hospital staff has long experience with the treatment of burns from war and terror. "We need to control infection
and to minimize the area that will need skin grafts," said Dr. Tomer Tzur, a senior plastic surgeon. Inbar was sedated
to change the bandages, which otherwise would have been extremely painful. ”From the moment we arrived at
Hadassah Ein Kerem, we had the most compassionate and most professional care. What a gift to have this beautiful
and comfortable room where my family and guests can feel comfortable. It’s as if I got a hotel in Jerusalem after all. I
don't know whom to thank first among the angels at Hadassah," said Inbar.*
I know she has you to thank, my Hadassah colleagues, for choosing to support the life saving work of Hadassah.
Choose life, choose Hadassah,
Teree Farbstein
President
Hadassah Great Plains
*Thank you to Barbara Sofer of Hadassah in Jerusalem for Inbar’s story.
In this Issue
Hadassah Quick Links
2
Every Step Counts
3
Young Judaea
3
Hadassah Quick
Links
Make a Donation
Save the Date: Spring Meeting 4
News from Israel and HMO
5,6
Million Dollar Match
7
Annual Giving
8
Chapter Chai Lights
9,10
Give the Gift of Life
Membership
Hadassah Medical
Organization
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Page 3
Remember Every Step Counts?
Hadassah’s Heart Health Program to resume.
We walked to Jerusalem in 2015 – in 2016 we are walking back – to Atlanta. Starting on
April 11, 2016 we will leave HMO and arrive at Hadassah’s 98th National Convention in
Atlanta on July 21, 2016.
It was fun, it was healthy, it was a way to build comradery
and a great way to outreach – if you didn’t join in last year,
promise yourself right now you will sign up when enrollment starts in February – Heart Health month.
Hadassah and Young Judaea
Leaders of Tomorrow Award for Young Women
Know a high school sophomore or junior who has strong leadership experience, excellent communication skills and
solid academics? Recipients of this merit based award will receive full tuition to a life-changing, four week Young
Judaea summer Israel program. Learn more at www.hadassah.org/LeadersOfTomorrow
Important Dates:
Program begins July 2016
Application Deadline is January 21, 2016
Final Award Notification will be end of March 2016
Have you heard of A GAP YEAR?
Live, learn, grow, succeed! Learn more about Young Judaea’s Year Course at: www.youngjudaea.org
Support Young Judaea Scholarships: Provide a U.S. camp experience to grade school aged children or help a
teen participate in a Young Judaea Israel Program.
Your donation will ensure Jewish continuity and future leadership.
Designate your donation to Young Judaea Scholarships and your chapter
gets credit toward their cash goal AND if you like jewelry buy and wear
the fabulous bracelets available now.
Click here to view the Young Judaea Bracelet Flyer
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Spring Meeting
Thought Provoking Education
Always Relevant, Always Engaging
When: March 5th- 6th, 2016
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton, Skokie, IL
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News from Israel and HMO
Appreciative Parents Thank
“Dear Prof. Zangen,
To he who took on himself when all others refused;
To go to war against all odds, who didn't sleep nights,
who gave us hope, and the spirit and strength to fight;
To the one who continued to fight when everyone
around had long ago given up, to he who in the end
was victorious.
We will be thankful for the rest of our lives for the
greatest gift we received in our lives. We'll never forget
the day we met you for the first time. From our point
of view you were our last hope.
Everyone unanimously around us told us that this was the end, that it was over, that we should prepare ourselves to
say goodbye to our son, Raphi. Click here to read more
Three-Year-Old Saved by Hadassah After Scorpion Bite
Ariel, age three, was in the outdoor play area of his nurse- Ariel’s parents noted. “We were updated at every stage
ry school when a yellow scorpion--the most dangerous of and felt Hadassah’s compassion and professionalism."
Israel’s scorpions-- stung him.
When Ariel arrived at the Pediatric Emergency Room at
Hadassah Hospital-Mount Scopus, he was breathing with
great difficulty. The scorpion venom, as with a snake bite,
impacts the nervous system, heart, and blood vessels.
Hadassah’s medical team started immediate antipoisoning treatment and stabilized him before transferring him to the Intensive Care unit.
"We felt safe as soon as we entered Hadassah’s doors,”
Hadassah Saves Life with Artificial Heart Implant
"When I got to Ziv Medical Center in Safed,”
recalls Prof. Oz Shapira, head of Hadassah
University Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Unit, "I
found a man at the cusp of death.”
Prof. Shapira had been called in as a consultant for 58-year-old Zion Farjan, who had just
had a heart attack and was experiencing an
extremely irregular heart rhythm. As his situation deteriorated, his bodily systems began
failing. The patient’s family and Prof. Shapira, in consultation
with his colleagues at Hadassah, decided it was best to fly
Zion to Jerusalem and bring him to Hadassah’s Intensive Care
Unit, while he remained on life support.
The left chamber of Zion’s heart was the weakest, having
been damaged by scarring from previous heart attacks. At
Hadassah, Prof. Shapira and his team managed to halt the
deterioration and bring the patient back to consciousness, no
longer in need of a breathing machine.
As Prof. Shapira explains: “We decided to implant an artificial
heart. So far, the surgery has been a success and the patient
is walking around the unit. He's waiting for a donation of a
human heart, but the artificial heart will bridge the waiting
gap.”
Prof. Shapira adds: “Hadassah can perform the most complicated procedures, thanks to a range of distinguished staff,
who provide high-level medical and nursing care. We can
give hope to the sickest patients--both from Israel and
around the world.”
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News from Israel and HMO
Page 6
Aftermath of a Terrorist Wave: Reaching Out to Traumatized Children
As Israeli children and their parents cope with the latest
wave of terror, the Hadassah Medical Center’s trauma specialists are providing expertise and comfort in the Emergency Room, the outpatient Jerusalem Crisis Intervention
Center (JCIC), inpatient wards, and local community
centers.
Dr. Fortunato Ben-Arroch, Director of Pediatric and Adolescent Post Trauma Treatment, explains: “When there is a
terror attack, everyone who is exposed to the attack is
brought to the Emergency Room.” He or his colleagues
meet with both the children and their parents in the ER to
help them deal with their anxiety and to advise parents as
to how to help their children in the aftermath of the terror
incident.
Once the parents and children leave the ER, Hadassah’s
psychiatrists often follow up with the family, knowing that
anxious parents don’t always pick up the phone to reach
out for further help, although they could use more help.
Those that are admitted to the hospital with physical
injuries also need continued psychological support, Prof.
Esti Galili, Director of the Division of Child Psychiatry and
the JCIC, emphasizes.
Following waves of terror, Dr. Ben-Arroch relates, their
regular patients frequently come to the outpatient clinic
with an exacerbation of their symptoms. By the same token, Prof. Esti Galili notes that parents bring their children
in to the clinic a few days after the terror incident because
they notice that their children are experiencing increased
levels of anxiety.
Dr. Ben-Arroch recalls one family that was traumatized at a
shopping center when a terrorist approached the children
with a knife. At the last minute, the terrorist turned and
stabbed someone else. Nevertheless, these children were
traumatized, even though they were not physically
harmed. At the same time, close relatives of the terror victim also suffer from distress, even though they were not
on the scene.
Click here to read more
Hadassah Goes to Open-Air Market to Screen Smokers for COPD
The sign, which was used to attract shoppers, read: “Are you
a smoker? Come and be tested by Hadassah lung experts to
see if you are in danger of COPD.” It turned out that 25 individuals showed signs of the disease.
This was the first time Hadassah physicians went out into the
community to test smokers for this serious condition, rather
than inviting them to come to the hospital for screening. The
initiative was part of Hadassah’s way of marking World COPD
Awareness Day.
Handing out kits about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD).
Amidst the tomato, cheese, and halva stands in Jerusalem's
open-air market, Machaneh Yehuda, more than 150 shoppers and vendors were screened by Hadassah Medical Center lung specialists to see if they had Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
The screening aims to diagnosis the disease early and assess
the person’s future risk of contracting it. COPD, characterized by poor airflow and respiratory difficulties in the lungs,
occurs almost exclusively in smokers. Early diagnosis of
COPD can prevent the disease and its many complications,
explains Prof. Neville Berkman, Director of Hadassah’s Institute of Pulmonology and head of its Adult and Invasive Pulmonology Unit. And, he says, the test and assessment together take only a few minutes!
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Click here to join Hadassah’s one million dollar matching gift challenge
Page 7
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Can YOU Give $180 or more annually to a Cause you care about?
Will YOU?
During this time of year we reflect on the past year and look forward to the New Year in anticipation
of good health and prosperity. Tzedakah is often in the forefront of our mind as we think about donating to
those who are in need. As 2015 draws to a close, please consider an Annual Gift and become a Keeper of
the Gate or a member of Chai Society in January 2016. During these challenging times for our families and
friends in Israel it is more important than ever that Hadassah knows we can count on our members who
take the pledge.
Picture yourself among those who have chosen to "keep" Hadassah going. Become, renew, or step up now.
Traditional Keeper: $1,000 - $1,799. Chai Keeper: $1,800 - $4,999 and Golden Keeper: $5,000+
After 5 years, your name will be inscribed on the prestigious Keeper of the Gate Pillars at Hadassah HospitalEin Kerem.
Got an Associate in the family? He can become a Keeper too!
Chai Society: $180 - $359 and Silver Chai Society: $360 - $999
Choose where to make your impact: Hadassah, Medicine & Healthcare, Youth Aliyah, Young Judaea, U.S. Initiative.
Pay annually, semi-annually, quarterly or monthly.
Questions? Barbara Hecht - the Region Keeper/Chai Chair or go to www.hadassah.org to make your donation today.
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Chapter Chai Lights
Looking at the chapters locations in this quarter’s Chapter Chai Lights is like taking a tour around our Region
Northwest Chapter
BINGO ANYONE?
I love the creativity of our Northwest Chapter women!!
Here are the directions for their Hadassah Bingo game they debuted at their
September program. It was a great success with about 25 women in attendance
including a few new members.
Equipment needed:



One regular bingo game – be sure to have enough markers for all the players.
Wrapped mystery prizes – one for each game winner.
The games were H for Hadassah, T for Tower, Z for Zionism, S for Szold and F for Fundraising.
Before each game present a short education piece about each topic.
Of course your imagination is the limit for Hadassah topics and prizes.
This sounds like a great membership program – fun for new and seasoned members alike!
For their October program the President of the Village of Buffalo Grove, Beverly Sussman, spoke about Women in Politics.
Beverly is a member of the chapter, but due to her busy schedule, it was quite a special occasion.
Elgin Chapter
Monday evening, October 26 at the Elgin Chapter’s Donor Dinner. Judy Farrah, a nurse, was the keynote speaker and as
she spoke about her time at Ein Kerem and her subsequent trips over the years as a volunteer nurse, I thought – this woman is a hero. Wondering about the bras? The displays were borrowed from Macy’s and the bras had been decorated at a
previous Uplift program. A good meal, a delightful evening with old and new friends.
Next to the bras is a copy of Elgin's Charter
in 1925 signed by Henrietta and Zip Szold.
(L to R) Wanda Pitzele, Teree Farbstein, Debbie
Sternfeld, Shirley Friedman, Nancy Zimmerman
(L to R) Blossom Wohl, Earl Sternfeld, Teree Farbstein,
Debbie Sternfeld, Ron Burstein, Carole Burstein
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Chapter Chai Lights
Indianapolis Chapter
The Indianapolis Chapter had a Keepers event in the lovely home of Mary Smith, Past President. Good food and company
and a new Keeper or two and I would call that an evening to remember.
Mid-Missouri Deborah Chapter
On Sunday, December 6 Mid-Missouri Deborah Chapter held a Coffee, Tea, and Nosh fundraiser at the home of Rebecca
Smith in Columbia, MO. Recipes and traditions were shared and of course our call out for our many wonderful projects
was answered.
Wichita Chapter
More than 20 Hadassah members and their guests celebrated the installation of Judy Gordon as the new president of the
Wichita Chapter. Outgoing president Kim Gollin was presented with a custom wooden challah board made by a husband
of a member. The installation was done by Dr. Lorraine Madway, also the education chairperson for the upcoming year.
The combination installation and new member social was held at the home of Dr. Dale Marcus, past Great Plains Region
president. It was a wonderful evening and kicked off the new year with a great start.
Combining Hanukkah with Installation is a popular theme in our Region!
Indianapolis Chapter
The Indianapolis Chapter held a Hanukkah/Installation on December 8th at the JCC for a Pitch-In
Dinner. Mary Smith, passed Region President conducted the Installation of the 2016 officers. We
are excited to have a full slate for the coming year!
Naomi Pescovitz, WTHR TV co-anchor, was our guest speaker. Naomi has returned to Indianapolis
after working at several other networks across the USA. She addressed the increase of crime in our
city, a serious problem and of concern to our Hadassah members. A Q&A session followed.
DuPage/Will Chapter
The DuPage/Will Chapter held their festive evening on December 10, which featured the lighting of the menorah, potluck
dinner, food collection for Loaves and Fishes and installation lead by Paulette Goodman, former and truly missed member
of the Region board.
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Chapter Chai Lights
St. Louis Chapter
On December 2, the St. Louis Chapter held their 4th Annual Latkes & Vodkas Hanukkah
Celebration and Installation. Linda Gavatin Spitzer will begin her second year as President
while Evie Levine has finished her term of 3 ½ years as Co-President, serving both with
Beth Mayer and Linda. She is looking forward to her role as Past Chapter President and
joins the Region board as the PRAZE Coordinator.
A Message From Teree
Thanks to everyone – looking forward to a new year with less strife and bloodshed – a year filled with
happiness and hope.
Hadassah Great Plains
E-Bulletin
Thank you to the many Board Members and Chapter
Presidents who serve on the Region Board.
You may also want to check out…
Need to contact Hadassah Great Plains?
Hadassah International
Hadassah Great Plains
(C) 314-753-5035
[email protected]
www.hadassah.org/greatplains
Hadassah Magazine
"Charitable Deductions are allowed to the extent provided by law. While Hadassah
intends to respect your wishes regarding gifts, in Accordance with U.S. tax law
requirements regarding deductibility of contributions, Hadassah shall have full
dominion, control and discretion over gifts."