Houston Chapter of Hadassah. Adar II /Nissan 5776 April, 2016

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1 Houston Chapter of Hadassah NEWS & VIEWS Adar II /Nissan 5776 April, 2016 AVIV AVITAL MARC CHAGALL CHAI ANNE FRANK KINNERET EMMA LAZARUS ANNIE LEFF MA-ARAV MACHAR MAZAL PEARL HENRIETTA SZOLD CHAIM WEIZMANN STEPHEN S. WISE

2 GROUP MEETINGS Avital Book Club - Thurs., April 7 at 1:30 pm at Ronnie Forman s, 4975 Valkeith. The Bridal Chair by Gloria Goldreich. RSVP to rforman1@bellsouth.net or Aviv - Thurs., April 14 at 7:30 pm in The Woodlands. Bring a Passover recipe to share. RSVP to Avivhadassah@gmail.com. Sandra Smith PRESIDENT S COLUMN Grant Us Peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace. And give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country as a safeguard of peace, its advocate among the nations. May contentment reign within our borders, health and happiness within our homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship and fellowship among all the inhabitants of every land. MISHAKN T FLIAH, A Reform Siddur Shabbat. Chagall - Thurs., April 14 at 7:00 pm (place TBD.) Barbara Garber and Diane Dorf will discuss "Ma Nishtanah Haseder Hazeh: What Is Different About This Seder." They will introduce Human Trafficking into the relevant parts of the Seder with readings for adults and kid s activities. RSVP to Hadassamarcchagall@gmail.com. Chai - For info call Judi Payne, Anne Frank - Wed.,April 13 at 10:30 am at Evelyn Lightman's, 2504 Inwood Dr. Itiya Schnall, Lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Force, now working at the ERJCC as Shalicha will speak about "Life as a Female Officer in the Israeli Army. Bring a dairy or veggie dish to share. RSVP to Paulette, or plevine300@aol.com. Kinneret Book Club - Wed., March 9 at 7:30 pm at Cari Greene s, 2014 Cutter Dr. (League City.) The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows. RSVP to Cari, Lazarus - Thurs., April 14 at 7:00 pm at Ellen Leventhal s, 5042 Glenmeadow. Snack and schmooze, bring a favorite Passover dessert or Passover recipe to share. RSVP to Peggy, pportnoy5106@comcast.net. Leff - For info call Hope Malowitz, Ma-Arav - For info call Sue Zerlin, Group meetings cont. on page 3. As my husband and I participated in the Shabbat service at Congregation Emanu El the other night, I reflected on those words and thought about the news from Israel. The acts of violence we have been reading about have been senseless and horrific. After the attack killing an American graduate student visiting Israel, Ellen Hershkin, Hadassah s National President, wrote to our membership asking us to stand with Israel and to ask our elected officials to do the same. With more than 4,700 members and associates in the Greater Houston area it is important that we make our voices heard by contacting our congressman and legislators to maintain support for Israel through public statements and foreign aid. As part of our advocacy efforts for Israel I also encourage you to thank Congress for the U.S. Israel Strategic Partnership Act and for supporting the Iron Dome Missile Defense System, which are crucial for Israel s security. Israel needs our continued support and commitment. Hadassah s policy efforts, through Zionist Advocacy and representation at the United Nations, support Israel s security, a future of peace in the Middle East and stronger US-Israel relations. Additionally, Hadassah actively works to educate and mobilize members to combat the de-legitimization of Israel through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and the rise in global anti-semitism. Hadassah has created a pro-israel advocacy training resource, How to Talk about Israel, to give us talking points and suggestions. This guide is available for you to download at the myhadassah website. I urge you to read it so you can answer questions that may come up about Israel. There are many suggestions in the guide to promote the legitimacy of Israel including: Monitor your professional associations for anti-israel resolutions or measures to divest from Israel. Contact Hadassah and the Israel Action Network if a boycott, divestment/sanction campaign arises. Review your children s and grandchildren s textbooks for anti-israel and anti-semantic bias. If you encounter any concerns, complete the Hadassah Curriculum Watch online form. May News and Views Deadline: April 15, 2016 HOUSTON HADASSAH NEWS & VIEWS Vol No. 8 Editor: Glenda Danburg Waldman...President s Column continued on page 3 Send all information to : Glenda Danburg Waldman irglenda@aol.com 2 HOUSTON HADASSAH News & Views

3 Group meetings continued... Machar - For info Sandye Fertman, sanditaf@gmail.com. Mazal - For info call Martha Raskind, Pearl - For info call Bonnie Winograd, Szold - Wed., April 13 at 11:00 am at Linda Levine's, 8519 Braesmeadow. Rabbi Dan Gordon of Temple Beth Torah, Humble will speak on "Tradition with a Twist." Dairy lunch to follow. RSVP to Linda, or Sonia, Wise - For info call Roz Saron, Weizmann - For info call Joann Greenbaum, BE A VOLUNTEER! Hadassah office manager, Robin Dorfman needs volunteers to cover the office when she is out. This is an as needed job. If you can help call Robin today!. CALL THE HADASSAH OFFICE, CHARITABLE SOLICITATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Hadassah, the Women s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. 40 Wall Street, NY, NY Telephone number A copy of Hadassah s latest Financial Report is available by writing to the Hadassah Finance Dept., 40 Wall Street, NY, NY Registration does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, approval or sanction by any state/county. GIVE THE GIFT OF HADASSAH MEMBERSHIP Hadassah Membership Hadassah Members are mothers and daughters, nurses and doctors, housewives and teachers, activists. We share a commitment to women and believe in women s strength and their own. We share a commitment to women and believe in women s strength and our own. We strive to act on our Jewish values, and make the world just a little bit better, every day. Above all, we know that each of us can make a difference and that, together, we can transform the world, and change history. We know it because we ve been doing it for a century, and we won t stop now. Come along with us into a second century. Make an Impact and continue the work Hadassah has been doing for over 100 years. To become a Life Member, send a check made out to Hadassah for $212 to Houston Hadassah, 4654 Beechnut, Houston, You can also join online at Project Connect Locally If you are a member of Hadassah living in Houston but affiliated with a chapter or group elsewhere, Hadassah would like to encourage you to transfer your membership to one of the 15 Houston groups. You can connect locally and enjoy interesting programs, exciting activities or just meet other smart, savvy individuals who share similar values and interests. For information about Houston s groups, contact membership VPs Harriet Eisenstein harriete1@aol.com, Hilary Kamin hilaryk@hcrj.org, or Rose Marie Wagman rosemariewagman@gmail.com. PRESIDENT S COLUMN...President s Column continued from page 2 Show support for artists and musicians who do go to Israel, and urge others to resist pressure to boycott, through social media and other campaigns. Buy Israeli goods. Thank your local stores for carrying Israeli products, and request they stock Israeli products they aren t carrying. Write letters-to-the-editor or op-eds for your local newspaper to support Israel. Promote Israel s successes, including research and medical advances at our Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO), with family, co-workers, friends, and neighbors. Share information about our HMO which treats over one million patients a year without regard to race, religion, or nationality. Encourage elected officials and community leaders to visit Israel and HMO through Hadassah s Influentials-to-Israel program. As we get ready to celebrate Passover with family and friends, reflect on the many ways we can support Israel and promote peace in the Middle East. From bondage in Egypt, we were delivered; at Sinai, we bound ourselves to Your way. Inspired by prophets and instructed by sages, time and again, we overcame oppressive forces. Let us continue to work for the day when nations will be one and at peace. MISHAKN T FLIAH, A Reform Siddur Shabbat HOUSTON HADASSAH News & Views 3

4 SCENE AT... ANNE FRANK ART GROUP ( ABOVE) AVIV GRIOUP (LEFT) RIKKI ROUSOS RECEIVES AWARD FROM WISE GROUP (ABOVE) WOC COMMITTEE MEMBERS PLANNING MEETING (ABOVE) ANNE FRANK GROUP MEETING (RIGHT & BELOW) 4 HOUSTON HADASSAH News & Views

5 SUPERMODEL NAOMI CAMPBELL VISITS HADASSAH Hadassah's hospital in Jerusalem welcomed supermodel Naomi Campbell and her mother to visit. Campbell was particularly moved by the story of Mohamed, a Palestinian boy who fell into a vat of boiling jam and suffered horrendous burns. "It's hard to see innocent children suffering," she said. Her mother hailed Hadassah's "women power" and praised the organization for its outstanding work. She finished her visit by handing out teddy bears to all the children in the ward. Thank you Naomi Campbell! EVERY STEP COUNTS, HADASSAH S WALKING PROGRAM We made it over the finish line! From April to September 2015, over 1,000 women and men walked over 350,000 miles for their heart health. Hundreds made it all the way to Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) in Jerusalem from our New York headquarters, crisscrossing the world on our virtual route. The best news is We re doing it again! Save the date: April July Walk from Hadassah Medical Organization all the way to the Hadassah National Convention in Atlanta. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Houston Hadassah. Just go to and type in Hadassah. WHY IS EASTER SO EARLY AND PASSOVER SO LATE IN 2016? The Easter story says that Jesus Christ died the day after a Passover feast and rose again three days later. So why are Easter and Passover almost a month apart this year, with Easter falling on March 27 and Passover on April 22? Today, the Jewish calendar and the timing of holidays like Passover are set in accordance with the lunar calendar, while most of the rest of the world uses the Gregorian calendar that is based off the sun, said Josh Dorsch, Associate Rabbi at Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle, New York. "The ancient Israelites took their Calendar very seriously," Dorsch said. "Many significant Jewish holidays originated as agricultural holidays. Their times were fixed, in accordance with specific dates on their Lunar calendar, and their seasons." Easter is a movable feast based on the full moon and the vernal equinox (the official start of spring). "Every few years, we observe a leap year so that our holidays, which have set dates on the calendar, match up with their appropriate seasons," Dorsch said. But it's not like the Gregorian calendar leap year. Whereas, Dorsch points out, a lunar month is about 29.5 days long, so a lunar year (12 lunar months) is only 354 days long. "Because the Lunar year is 11 days shorter the Gregorian Calendar which is 365 days long, during a leap year on the Jewish Calendar we add a whole extra month," he said. "One of the many names for Passover is also a Holiday of the Spring Time, because it is usually celebrated during the beginning of the Spring season. But, if we didn't add a leap month every few years, after a while, we would be celebrating it the wrong season." This is one of those leap years actually a double leap year, what with February 29 and a double month of Adar. Therefore while Passover and Easter usually fall around the same time seasonally, this year, there is a whole extra month in between. PASSOVER SEDER FIRST NIGHT FRIDAY APRIL 22 HOUSTON HADASSAH News & Views 5

6 SAVE THE DATE! All Aboard the Marrakesh Express! We know you've been dreaming of far away lands, But nothing compares to the Moroccan sands. London and Paris may seem the best, But they all are tame to a night in Marrakesh! A night in the casbah with mysteries in store! Belly dancers, turbans, kaftans and more. Hummus, vodka, snapper and wine, The sumptuous feast on which we will dine. But wait! There's even more! Like auction and raffle goodies galore! Vacation homes, jewelry, purses, restaurants sublime and, Broadway! Yes! The Big Apple for a rocking good time. So when is the fun? May 22nd is the date! Step on board the Marrakesh Express as your Fadi's casbah awaits! 6 HOUSTON HADASSAH News & Views

7 Ma Arav Hadassah s 14th Annual MahJongg Tournament Sunday, June 26th Temple Sinai 4 Rounds to be played! Lots of Cash Prizes and Door Prizes! Salad Bar Extravaganza! $40 registration *If you have door prizes to donate or have questions, please call Elissa Berry or Susan Moskowitz HOUSTON HADASSAH News & Views 7

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