Hadassah, Hadassah

Henrietta Szold was the first president. Hadassah chapters soon opened in Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago, and Boston. At the founders' meeting that coincided with the Jewish holiday of Purim, the group took the name Hadassah, the Hebrew name of the biblical heroineEsther, central figure in the celebration of Purim.

Hadassah also advocates for progressive issues of importance to women and to the American Jewish community, including First Amendment issues, separation of church and state, support for Israel, and other causes. Hadassah supports The Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO), consisting of two hospital complexes at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. It has initiated and contributed to numerous medical aid projects in Israel and around the world, and built several hospitals and other facilities in Israel that were eventually turned over to state and municipal authorities. In the United States, Hadassah promotes health education, social action and advocacy, volunteerism, Jewish education and research, and connections with Israel.

Nearby British troops did not intervene. About 80 people, mostly medical personnel, were murdered including Haim Yasky, the Director General of the Hadassah Medical Organization. The hospital was evacauted shortly thereafter, and five emergency hospitals were established at temporary locations throughout Jerusalem.

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