Hadassah Magazine readers, we want to hear from you! Please email letters to the editor to letters@hadassah.org. Read more letters here. 

Chef, Mensch, Icon 

I was thrilled to see Adeena Sussman on the cover of the March/April 2026 issue! The accompanying article, “Streamlined Cooking for Complicated Times,” brimmed with her trademark honesty, charm, courage and resilience. Following her on Instagram, I feel like she is sharing not only recipes, but the reality of life in Israel during these very difficult days. To my great delight, Sussman has often responded to the comments of support I’ve sent to her via direct message on her posted Instagram stories. A mensch, talented chef and icon wrapped up in one extraordinary woman.

Olivia Cohen-Cutler
Calabasas, Calif.

Cancer Care Angels

As a young adult cancer survivor and co-founder of Imerman Angels, I was thrilled when my mom (and co-founder), Jane Imerman, called me and read Annabelle Gurwitch’s article, “A Reluctant Angel,” from the March/April issue, over the phone. We were both blown away by Annabelle’s wit, openness and determination to share her cancer story and help others. And for spreading the word about Imerman Angels, our free one-on-one peer mentoring program, so we can help more cancer patients in need and also recruit more survivors who want to mentor. I had never met Annabelle, but I googled her and reached out to her, and we will be meeting for lunch soon.

Thanks, Hadassah Magazine, for connecting the dots and spreading the word about causes trying to reach and help more people! 

Jonny Imerman
New York, N.Y.

I am a two-time breast cancer survivor and an Imerman Angel mentor. Reading Annabelle Gurwitch’s essay made me curious, since we were cautioned in our training not to bring up politics or religion and to stick to the topic of cancer and our common experiences as well as our mentees’ concerns. I have mentored many women of different religions, backgrounds and professions. I would encourage any cancer patient or survivor to try Imerman Angels, but to realize that his or her pairing might be different from what was written
in the article.

Dalya Horowitz
Skokie, Ill.

Tradition-Keepers

Regarding Jessica Marill’s essay “Head of the Table” in the March/April issue, I felt similarly when my parents, uncles and aunts had passed. Who would continue the holiday traditions? Now I am 70 and proud to see that those huge family holiday dinners and celebrations do, in fact, continue each year and involve the younger generations and the little ones searching for the afikomen.

And, wow, was I surprised to see that the author is “just” a ninth-grader! Mazel tov to her grandfather, MG. She really got his message, his lessons and the memories he was trying to teach. He would be so proud!

Maxine A. Cohen
Pikesville, Md.

C-Sections and Midwifery 

Thank you for the update on midwifery in Israel in the “Zionism…Did You Know” box in the March/April issue. In the United States, 33 percent of all deliveries are by C-section, far above the World Health Organization goal of 10  to 15 percent. The reasons are complex but might relate to the medicalization of childbirth or fear of malpractice lawsuits. Interestingly, in Israel, where midwives play a central role in managing most hospital births, the C-section rate is 19 percent, among the lowest rates in all developed countries.

Beryl Rosenstein, M.D.
Pikesville, Md.

Menopause in the Hadassah Spotlight

“The Changing Conversation Around Menopause” in the January/ February 2026 issue explored the activism of many Generation X women who are at the height of their potential and feel caught off guard by the physical changes of menopause. They are not the first. As Baby Boomers reached menopause in the mid-1990s, we at Hadassah began addressing this important issue by establishing a Women’s Health Education Department.

The decline of estrogen during menopause causes not only uncomfortable hot flashes and painful sex but also bone loss (osteoporosis) and heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death among women. Education about heart disease was essential for saving lives because heart attacks often present very differently in women. Several new treatment options were also being explored by the medical community. As the volunteer chair of the new department in 1995, I worked with Dale Mintz, the professional director, who had a master’s in public health. Both of us were experiencing menopause and were very aware of the need to educate women about its side effects.

Our goal was to create innovative programs that every Hadassah chapter could adopt, under the slogan “Your body is a beautiful responsibility.” We even made an exercise video, “Get Moving with Hadassah: Live and Be Well.”

I traveled to Israel regularly to meet with Hadassah doctors and develop materials for articles and brochures that linked our educational efforts in the United States to Hadassah Medical Organization research and patient care. As a result, HMO established women’s educational outreach programs in several Jewish and Arab towns around Jerusalem and asked Dale and me to serve as advisers.

Thanks in large part to the passionate advocacy of Hadassah women in the 1990s, Congress passed laws to guarantee women access to essential health tests during and after menopause. Today, women over 45 routinely get DEXA scans for bone density as well as regular
mammograms.

Hadassah needs to reach out to Generation X by once again providing menopause education from a trusted source.

Patricia Levinson
Hadassah Women’s Health
Education Chair, 1995-2000
St. Petersburg, Fla.