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Homeward to Hadassah

Reading Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz’s “Homeward Bound” column in the May/June 2026 issue resonated with me in a special way. In 1939, Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus was inaugurated; that same year, I was born in what was still known as the Hadassah Hospital in Tel Aviv, even though it was no longer Hadassah-run.

On September 5, 1961, I gave birth to my son Alon in the Hadassah facility on Ha’Neviim Street in Jerusalem, one of the clinics Hadassah used after the tragedy of the Mount Scopus convoy attack in 1948. The new Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem had already opened, however, the gynecology department was not yet ready. Alon’s brit milah took place at the Ha’Neviim building as well.

Rachel Kapen

West Bloomfield, Mich.

Pareve on Politics

The May/June issue of Hadassah Magazine was exceptional and reflects wonderfully on the wider Hadassah organization. I loved the interesting set of articles about Israel—stories that reflect the raison d’être of Hadassah. There was also relevant coverage of health care topics, both in Israel and among women in the United States. To top it off, the article on Hadassah political activism, “Pivotal and Life-changing,” mirrors the long-standing mission of the organization. But the story did so not by expressing an “in your face” political agenda favoring one side. Well done!

If I wanted to lobby for the position of one party over another, there are other Jewish avenues to do so, such as the political arm of the Reform movement or the American
Jewish Congress. I love Hadassah because it has weathered more than 10 decades of American politics by focusing on Israel, medicine and women’s health. It will continue to exist as long as it does so, even as the demographics and relative political affiliations of American Jewish women change from generation to generation. 

Thanks for keeping the eye on the prize—Israel—and not on midterms or other election cycles.

Shawn Dilles

Vienna, Va.

Similar Cancer Stories

Rebecca Bloom’s article “How to Become a Health Care Advocate” in the May/June issue struck a particular chord with me because 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The story of the author’s mother was very similar to my own.

My experience with the local health care professionals in the Washington, D.C., area was positive. I had several friends who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and through this incredibly supportive community, I was able to navigate the maze of gynecologists, radiologists, surgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists, therapists, hospital personnel and the
list went on. And I considered myself lucky in the way the author did; access to the best care was available to me.

In this day and age, when accessible health care is under attack, I wonder how soon our success stories will be a thing of the past.

Helene Weingarten

West Palm Beach, Fla.

Redefining ‘Narrative’

While I was enjoying the article by Bill Stott, “Where History Speaks to Today,” in the May/June issue, I came across a word that I believe is at the heart of the conflict in Israel. The author wrote, “I understand that the two narratives of Susya are at odds.”

The use of the word narrative has been bastardized to mean a legitimate fact-based claim, and this new definition has been weaponized against Israel repeatedly. Slott’s use of the term indicates how far this new definition has insinuated itself even into the minds of Jews who have committed themselves to Israel. The meaning of the word narrative is story, like a novel or play. The plot behind the story may or may not be true, but the term is usually applied to a fiction.

The Jewish narrative about Susya is a demonstrable historical fact, not a story. The Arab narrative about Susya is a fabrication.

Yisrael Guttman

Jerusalem, Israel