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An Iconic Issue

Having just finished reading the July/August 2026 issue of Hadassah Magazine, I felt I must compliment you on how magnificent it is! I’m a 100-year-old woman who spends a number of hours reading each day, and this issue was perhaps the best piece of literature I’ve read in a long time, particularly the article “Icons of the Tribe.”

Florence Lipstein

East Windsor, N.J.

I am a 17-year-old from Doylestown, Pa. My dad is Jewish, and my mom is Catholic, although her ancestors were Jewish; they lived in Portugal. I don’t usually read magazines, but my mom was given a copy of the July/August issue of Hadassah Magazine so that she could read about 250 years of American stories and Jewish voices, particularly those of women.

While I was reading the “Icons of the Tribe” story, I was surprised to learn that P!nk and Barbra Streisand
were Jewish. And I did not know that Emma Lazarus was Jewish. Thank you for highlighting Judaism in America and showing it in such a positive and interesting way. 

Alex Russ 

Doylestown, Pa.

This is by far the best issue of Hadassah Magazine. The Jewish women featured in “Icons of the Tribe,” the stories about the Catskills, an essay about Camp Tel Yehudah, the feature about Sephardic and Mizrahi women, and on and on. Every story was memorable, and I will even read some twice. This issue of “250 Years: American Stories, Jewish Voices” will become a treasured “keep.”

Myra Goldberg

New Bedford, Mass.

Sephardic Perspectives

I chuckled when reading my fellow Syrian Jew Esther Chehebar’s comment in “A Minority Within a Min-
ority” (July/August) that moving from Brooklyn to Deal, N.J., was like “moving to Texas.” I’ve lived
in Texas for nearly 30 years, and in Dallas since 2004. We actually have a considerable Sephardic community here.

My synagogue, Sephardic Torah Center of Dallas, was founded in 2011. Our rabbi is from Iran and the congregants are diverse—some Sephardic, some Ashkenazi, many Israelis, several converts. The liturgy preserves the melodies and prayers I have known and loved since childhood. And the food served at our events and kiddush lunches features lots of delectable Sephardic cuisine!

Phyllis LaVietes

Dallas, Tex.

Thank you for bringing attention to the Sephardim and Mizrahim. My mother was born in Morocco and came to the United States as a young woman. When I was 7, my parents divorced, and my siblings and I were raised by my mother. She steeped us in Moroccan culture, including music, food, language and other cultural touchpoints. I still feel these strongly, almost 16 years after her death, because of their unusual nature in American society and because these often allow my wife and me to connect with people of other faiths from the region in our diverse community.  

 However, as much as Diaspora Jews feel a connection to their touchstones in Europe, Asia, Africa or elsewhere, we should always remember that we all point back to Eretz Yisrael. We are reminded of this every Shabbat and Passover.

Edwin Andrews

Malden, Mass.

More on Jewish Annapolis

I enjoyed the July/August travel article, “A Rising Tide of Jewish Visibility in Annapolis.” However, if one is going to mention Jewish Navy men Albert Michelson and Uriah Levy, it would be remiss not to talk about two more: Admiral Hyman Rickover, a United States Naval Academy graduate who later became known as the father of the nuclear navy, and Robert Crown, whose name adorns the academy’s sailing center. 

Not an academy graduate himself, Crown served during World War II, then became a reservist and later continued his Navy involvement as a civilian. Heir to his father’s billion-dollar fortune, he died tragically at age 48. To honor his name, his family donated funds to upgrade the sailing center.

St. Johns College is also an important fixture in Annapolis. One Jewish connection is a plaza on the campus dedicated by descendants of immigrants Max and Elke Schiff; nine Schiff family members attended St. Johns over four generations.

Joan Pinsky

Annapolis, Md.

Defining the Southern Jewish Experience

I appreciate the perspective offered in “When Jews Became Southerners” (July/August), but I found the title somewhat misleading. I was expecting a broader exploration of Jewish life and history in the South.

Having grown up in the South and with deep family roots there, I was disappointed that the article focused primarily on the relatively small role some Jews played as slaveholders. In my experience, the Jewish story in the South is far more expansive and has been defined largely by Jewish merchants, business owners, civic leaders and community members who contributed to the growth and well-being of the communities in which they lived.

Penny Masur 

West Palm Beach, Fla.

I appreciate that the article “When Jews Became Southerners” reveals that some early American synagogues have an unfortunate connection to slavery. In doing more research, I was shocked to learn that Newport’s Touro Synagogue, in my home state of Rhode Island, was funded and built in part by slavery. A monument dubbed the Newport Middle Passage Port Marker is now being planned in the city to honor enslaved Africans.

Ella F.

East Providence, R.I.

Salomon’s Statue

The July/August issue is one of the best ever, but I want to correct a photo caption that appears in “The Jewish Men and Women of the Revolution.” The photo shows a Chicago monument depicting three men, and the caption reads: “A Chicago monument to George Washington (center) with Revolution financiers Robert Morris and Haym Salomon (right).” The identification of the men is accurate, but the monument was intended as a tribute to Haym Salomon, not to George Washington.

The monument is called by various titles—the Haym Salomon Monument, the Three Patriots Statue, the Heald Square Monument or the George Washington-Robert Morris-Haym Salomon Monument. The Chicago Jewish Historical Society, of which I am president, cherishes this landmarked monument and educates the public about its history and importance.  

Dr. Rachelle Gold

Chicago, Ill.

Feeling at Home in White Meadow Lake

In her essay “Greetings From Goshen, and Camp Tel Yehudah” (July/August), the author writes about summer camp helping to strengthen her Jewish identity. 

 I was brought up in a small town in New Jersey with three Jewish families. In 1955, my parents and uncle bought a summer house in White Meadow Lake, in Rockaway Township, N.J. Suddenly, my cousins and I were one of many Jewish families. That was the place where I started to feel at home and not hide my Jewishness.

 The White Meadow Lake community was started because many of the neighboring summer enclaves excluded Jews. We summered there until 1969. It was the place I felt most like a Jew.

Sharon Coleman

Florence, N.J.

A Mention of Measles

As a physician, I love reading about Hadassah’s hospitals, and I really enjoyed Barbara Sofer’s “Stories From the Underground” in the May/June 2026 issue. I was, however, taken aback by the description of ongoing care, which included the phrase “children were treated for measles.”

Virtually no child in the world should need treatment for this vaccine-preventable disease. Beyond supportive care, there is no treatment. In reality, Israel, like the United States, has had an increase in measles cases since 2025, with associated fatalities. We can prevent children from dying by trusting the science, vaccinating our children and using herd immunity to protect the youngest children and the rare child who cannot be vaccinated for immunologic reasons.  

Lori Wiviott Tishler, M.D., MPH

Boston, Mass.