By Ron Finkel AM - President, Hadassah Australia
My recent visit to Israel and to Hadassah Hospital reinforced and revitalised my commitment to the core values of Hadassah. I found the energy and the vitality of the institution itself and the programs that we have supported and embraced over the past 20 years, inspiring. Meeting the Hadassah-Achotenu graduates and students was moving and a transformative example of the power of tertiary education within a community of Olim with so much to give.
I am pleased to celebrate the diversity of our work in support of the vision of Henrietta Szold the Founder of the Hadassah movement in the United States in 1912. It is an affirmation of her belief that we can, each one of us, still play an active role in the building of the State of Israel, through health.
In the span of seven months, from mid-May 2003 to mid-January 2004, 55 people were killed and 350 wounded in five separate massive suicide bombings in Jerusalem alone. Fear and foreboding gripped the city and the country.
The vast majority of those wounded in Jerusalem were immediately taken for emergency treatment to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem where highly skilled doctors, nurses and related staff worked around the clock to deal with the dramatic situation.
As a community, we in Australia stepped up. The people of Jerusalem and of Israel needed to know that although we were not on the front line and exposed to the wave of terror, we had their backs.
And this has been the case since 2003, whether responding to those events or to the subsequent needs of children dealing with the PTSD fallout of terror or supporting clinical research that has delivered lifesaving and life-changing outcomes for patients in Israel and around the world.
Our work as Hadassah Australia spans 20 years of engagement and support for the institutions and people who make Hadassah tick and who continue to inspire with their commitment to better health outcomes for Israelis and, through the world-leading research at Hadassah Hospital, people globally.
And our work continues to expand and have impact.
The transformative Gandel Rehabilitation Center at Hadassah Mount Scopus, which we have taken the lead in funding, will add a vitally needed dimension to the recovery of those in need of acute and chronic care in Jerusalem. The new 132 bed world class facility will address a gaping hole in health service in Jerusalem.
But our focus is not only on the health needs of Jerusalem. We are actively and practically addressing the chronic shortage of graduate nurses in Israel through our Hadassah-Achotenu Ethiopian Nursing project which is providing career pathways for young Israelis of Ethiopian background.
And we continue to invest in supporting world-leading research at Hadassah Hospital.
I am incredibly proud of our two decades of achievement. We have laid solid foundations for growth and impact. I am excited about the opportunities ahead and deeply grateful to all those who have played a part in our journey to date – you our supporters and the dedicated team of lay leaders and talented professionals who continue to make a vital contribution and difference.
Toda Raba!
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