Seattle Hadassah| President’s Message |
Thanksgiving 🍁🍁 has always been my favorite national holiday because everyone shares what they’re grateful for. Growing up, I had not connected it with giving thanks during hard times. Yet the first Thanksgiving took place after nearly half the pilgrims died from a rough winter and year. It became a national holiday in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, and was moved to its current date in the 1930s following the Depression.
It’s easy to be grateful in good times, but what about when a pandemic strikes? Or a personal crisis happens? According to Robert Emmons, Ph.D., a leading world scientific expert on gratitude, not only will a grateful attitude help—it is essential. “In fact, it is precisely under crisis conditions when we have the most to gain by a grateful perspective on life.
In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize.
In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal.
In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope.”
Growing up, I didn’t realize that expressing gratitude is central to Judaism. Like all Jewish children I was grateful for Chanukah 🕎: “The Maccabees had neither might nor strength, neither weapons nor numbers, but they had a double portion of the Jewish spirit. Never believe that a handful of dedicated people can’t change the world. Inspired by faith, they can.” said Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l. I believe this is true about Hadassah’s beginnings, and with all your support, we still help make miracles possible. Miracles abound in a story of a grateful patient revisiting Hadassah Hospital with her mother. I identified with this mother because I, too, was once the mother of a 16-year old girl, far from home and suddenly in desperate need of expert medical care and the kindness of strangers.
As in the story below, being Chapter President is also my way of giving back. https://www.hadassah.org/story/grateful-patient-returns-to-thank-hadassah-hospital-personnel
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Chanukah!
Grateful patient Jessa Perrin, her mom Bonnie Ullner, and Dr. Rifaat Safadi
| Seattle Chapter Programs |
Women’s Reproductive Rights, and so much more…..
Wednesday, November 10th, 6-7pm PT
Join us for an update on women’s reproductive rights as part of a larger advocacy update featuring top Hadassah advocate Karen Paikin Barall.
Free to attend. Donations benefit the good works of Hadassah.
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UpComing Program
Seattle Jewish Family Service’s Response to the Afghan Refugee Crisis
Thursday, December 9, 2021
7:00 – 8:00pm
| National Hadassah Programs |
ONE BOOK, ONE HADASSAH
Join us Thursday, October 28, from 4 pm PT to 5 pm PT as Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein interviews Judy Batalion, author of the New York Times bestseller The Light Of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos. Batalian’s book, our first nonfiction selection, brings to life little-known true stories of rebellion and bravery by a resourceful group of Jewish women who acted as couriers, spies, smugglers and saboteurs in the ghettos of Poland. ZOOM event.
Register here.
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| Community Partner Event |
In this virtual chef talk and cooking demo, Pati Jinich, star of PBS’s “Pati’s Mexican Table,” discusses her new cookbook, her Mexican-Jewish heritage and recipes with food writer Adeena Sussman (“Sababa”).
For ten seasons, Jinich has cooked her heart out on her James Beard Award-winning, Emmy-nominated TV series. The Mexican-Jewish chef, cooking teacher, food writer and mom devotes each episode to the evolution of authentic Mexican food and Mexico’s rich history and culture.
On a few rare occasions, Jinich focuses on her Jewish heritage, her family’s flair for mashups and her own Mexican twists on beloved Jewish foods. As she told the Jerusalem Post, different cultures can connect through food: “I want my kids to have ties to Mexico because I was born there and much of my family is there…but at the same time I have a strong Jewish identity. I began making Shabbat meals when my kids started to go to school… I serve the matza balls in chicken broth flavored with sautéed onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, and fresh coriander.”
From her new cookbook, “Treasures of the Mexican Table,” Jinich shares Mexican-Jewish recipes and discusses “what it’s like to be a Yiddishe mama Mexicana,” to quote moderator and food writer Adeena Sussman (“Sababa”).
Tickets
$5*-10 talk | $30-35 talk + cookbook (includes free ticket + shipping)
*Discount for J members, students, seniors 65+ and Program Partner patrons.
***Hadassah Members use Promo Code: PATICOOKS
Click here to get tickets.
Zoom link emailed one (1) hour before the program start time. Books shipped after November 23 publication date (US only).
Ticket sales close one hour before the event.
| Chapter Program Bonus |
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Our October kick-off program “Smart Strategies When Responding to Antisemitism”, has generated something more to think about. Our speaker, Randy Kessler, was kind enough to offer additional resources as was our moderator, Susan Glicksberg. An unexpected delightful bonus from Randy, a Hadassah Associate, is the booklet, “The Story of Hadassah”.
Books
Antisemitism Here & Now by Deborah Lipstadt and How to Fight Antisemitism by Bari Weiss cover contemporary antisemitism. Israel’s History by David Brog covers the history of Israel with a focus on how the most contentious issues developed.
Winning A Debate With An Israel-Hater: How to Effectively Challenge Anti-Israel Extremists in Your Neighborhood by Michael Harris provides specific techniques for messaging, accompanied by a good dose of humor.
Catch 67 by Micah Goodman is also an excellent read on why the left and the right in Israel are both correct, and an analysis of why solving this conflict is so difficult.
StandWithUs also has booklets available at www.standwithus.com/booklets. We have Israel booklets on top (I like the Answers to Tough Questions one) and ones on antisemitism at bottom. We even made a booklet to tell the story of Hadassah!
Videos
Israel 101 – A long video – two hours and nine minutes – but worth it. Presented by one of StandWithUs’ most popular educators, Charlotte Korchak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0cmmYiqPek
Why the Jews? Rabbi Ken Spiro goes over the reasons typically given for antisemitism and then provides his view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIDHbA3Afsc
A six-minute video by Rabbi Sacks on the connection between, antisemitism, anti-Zionism, Judaism and Israel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIoZvHU3wwg
StandWithUsTV has videos on nearly every aspect of Israel and Jewish history at www.standwithus.tv.
JewishUnpacked has lots of great explainer videos as well at https://jewishunpacked.com/videos
Plus the following article:
To Fight Antisemitism, Be A Proud Jew by Bari Weiss: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/opinion/sunday/to-fight-anti-semitism-be-a-proud-jew.html
| Membership Report |
Mazel Tov
- Mazal tov to Beryl and Gary Cohen on the birth of their first grandson, Shmuel Elazar, in Israel.
We Mourn the Passing of
- Lawrence Kranseler, father of Kenneth Kranseler and father-in-law of Lisa Kranseler
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