Jewish organization hopes to heal the world

Hadassah hopes to make a difference through education, humanitarian causes and medical involvement

By: Bill Greenwood
   MONROE — Gail Shinberg took a fateful trip to Israel in 1957 that would shape the rest of her life.
   After graduating from high school, she enrolled in Hadassah College in Israel for a summer program. It was her stay in the then-young country that convinced her of the need for a strong Jewish homeland.
   "You saw these people who had survived the war, and you saw the people whose parents had not, but they had been rescued and come to Israel," Ms. Shinberg said. "They were just fighting for this country, and it was very contagious."
   Ms. Shinberg turned that enthusiasm into a lifetime membership with Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which seeks to strengthen its members’ ties to Israel, ensure Jewish continuity and make a positive impact throughout the world.
   She is one of three presidents of Hadassah’s Alisa chapter, which is part of the organization’s southern New Jersey region, which will be rewarding other lifetime members and male associates with a luncheon on Aug. 8 at 11 a.m. at Forsgate Country Club on Forsgate Drive.
   "It’s going to be a wonderful day," said Marilyn Shustak, one of two chairwomen of life members for the Alisa chapter of Hadassah. "There’s going to be a lot of moving moments, and we have a wonderful speaker."
   That speaker will be Barbara Fleischer, a member of the Hadassah National Board and former president of the organization’s southern New Jersey region. Ms. Fleischer will update attendees on current events in Israel.
   "They’re expecting another war there this summer like last summer," Ms. Shustak said. "Everybody is concerned and wants to know whatever anybody knows."
   She said the luncheon is meant to remind life members and male associates why they joined Hadassah in the first place.
   "It will reinforce the feelings that originally made them love the organization," she said. "It’s a very moving experience to be in a room full of people who cared enough to go the extra mile and become a member like that, a life member."
   Ms. Shustak said any profits from the event would be sent to the national Hadassah organization to be used for future humanitarian projects.
   Hadassah, which was founded in 1912, has engaged in many such projects in many different countries over the years. The organization has opened hospitals in Palestine, conducts stem-cell and cancer research, and sent doctors to help during emergencies, like the large earthquake that hit Turkey in 1999. Hadassah also sends teachers into American schools to teach young girls how to check themselves for breast cancer and organizes programs meant to keep them active.
   "The goal of Hadassah is to heal the world," said Marilyn Gerstein, co-president of the Alisa chapter. "That is one of our mottos, and they have been trying to do it through education, through humanitarian causes and through medical involvement."
   The Alisa chapter, which was founded in 1996, aids the national organization at a local level. Ms. Gerstein said money from Alisa chapter events has helped to pay for many humanitarian projects undertaken by Hadassah, including the construction of a soccer field in Israel where Arab and Jewish children play together.
   It is humanitarian efforts like this, as well as her dedication to Israel, that continue to bind Ms. Shinberg to the organization’s ideals so many years after that life-changing trip. Now, she hopes a new generation of women will take up the call and make Hadassah’s goals their own.
   "It’s a place to be educated, it’s a place to grow, it’s a place to learn how to be powerful as a woman," she said. "It gives you the opportunity to use the skills you’ve learned to help other people, both in Israel and here."
   Those who would like to join the organization can call Vice President of Membership Ricky Penzias at (609) 860-8344. Life members must pay a one-time fee of $360, but a yearly membership can also be purchased for $36 each year. Male associates must pay a one-time fee of $300.
   To attend the luncheon, life members and male associates can call Arlene Ferman at (609) 860-1777 to make a reservation, which costs $36 per person. It is not open to the public.