Israel has always held a profound place in my heart and soul,” said Oklahoma City resident Julia Assef, “and this journey only deepened that passion.”

That “journey” is one that Assef took in February with nine other women from the second and third cohorts of the Evolve Leadership Fellows, which is a two-year engagement initiative providing women 45 and under with opportunities to grow, learn and develop leadership skills within Hadassah, their professions and their communities. These opportunities include travel to Israel for an immersive Hadassah experience.

“The depth and breadth of content in this trip was more than I could have expected,” said Rachel Chernoff of Deerfield, Ill. “The itinerary was so thorough and comprehensive, a true mix of intensely exciting highs and important but devastating lows.” 

The fellowship is a flagship program of Evolve Hadassah: The Next Generation, which seeks to attract and engage younger members and leaders, thereby transforming the face of Hadassah and shepherding it into the future.

At Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, the Fellows gathered in a classroom, eyes facing forward to where forensic dentist Dr. Esi Sharon-Sagi, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sasha Satanovsky and chief psychologist Shiri Ben-David gave a lesson on resilience. They shared how the day of October 7, 2023, started for them and where it led professionally and personally. They immersed the Fellows in accounts of identifying body after body using dental records, deciding where to evacuate wounded soldiers and treating the mental health of hundreds of patients enduring physical and mental trauma.

A stop at the Gandel Rehabilitation Center at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus gave the Fellows an insider’s look into the cutting-edge equipment that aids in patient recovery, including a hydrotherapy pool and NASA-grade anti-gravity treadmills as well as the occupational therapy room for wounded soldiers to practice performing everyday tasks.

At Hadassah Neurim Youth Aliyah Village, the Fellows got their hands dirty feeding goats at the animal sanctuary, planting vegetable seeds at the agricultural center and painting dog beds for the canine rehabilitation center. They also had the opportunity to chat with some of the students, including refugees who fled war-torn Ukraine, and hear about their time at the village.

“Seeing the village firsthand has greatly impacted me,” said Diana Silver of Lake Worth, Fla. “Knowing some of these students’ stories from before they moved to the village and seeing how the village has positively impacted the course of their lives is so moving.”

From the sacred grounds of the Kotel in Jerusalem to the ancient port city of Jaffa to the forward-looking Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv—and with remembrance visits to Yad Vashem and Henrietta Szold’s final resting place on the Mount of Olives, both in Jerusalem—the Fellows adventured through Israel’s past and future.

“In the nearly 30 years since my last trip to Israel, my memories and connection to the country had faded,” said Danielle Feldman of Sonoma County, Calif. “Now that I’ve been here again, I remember the love for Israel that I felt as a teenager.”

Many Fellows noted the importance of bearing witness to the atrocities of October 7 as well as the resilience of the Israeli people.

“Being there in person puts what happened into a different perspective, seeing their faces and reading their stories of how loved they are,” Silver said after the Fellows visited the Nova Music Festival site, which brought tears to many eyes as they saw the rows of wooden posts featuring the faces and names of those murdered and kidnapped. “The next day we witnessed soldiers singing, dancing and just enjoying life…. Being able to dance along with them made the sadness of seeing Nova come full circle and bring some joy into everyone’s lives.”

Now that the Fellows are back in the United States, their Hadassah journeys continue via monthly virtual learning sessions, meetings with national leaders and the opportunity to take on official roles in their local communities. “If anything, I am now doubling down on my commitment to Hadassah,” said Tory Roman of Piedmont, Calif. “When you meet people who have been directly impacted by Hadassah’s work, it emboldens you to spread its objectives and fundraise with even more vigor. I will forever be grateful for this experience.”

“Prior to this trip, I hadn’t made the connection to Hadassah’s work in Israel that I needed to be a Hadassah leader,” Feldman said. “Now that I’ve visited the medical facilities and talked with providers and spent time at the Neurim youth village, I’ll be able to wholeheartedly advocate for Hadassah’s needs while encouraging others to get involved.”

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Shari Harel is a copywriter in the Marketing & Communications Division of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.