In a breaking news story, The Forward is reporting that allegations of mishandling funds have been raised against Hadassah president Marcie Natan and immediate past president Nancy Falchuk: "The allegations came in a letter sent to the organization’s board members on January 12 by Larry Blum, Hadassah’s top staff member. Blum was placed on administrative leave in November amidst separate charges relating to his alleged misuse of his corporate credit card. He declined comment. ... Blum alleged that Natan, who was elected as Hadassah’s national president in July, used Hadassah funds to buy favors for members who supported her candidacy for national president. Those favors allegedly included flight upgrades to business class and the unnecessary extension of trips to Israel made on Hadassah … Continue Reading
Hadassah Foundation Awards Grants
The Hadassah Foundation has awarded grants this year totaling $284,000. The 2012 grant recipients include organizations in both the United States and Israel that support women’s empowerment, financial literacy and workplace equality. In Israel, grants were awarded to Bar Ilan University’s Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status, the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development, the Center for Women’s Justice, Economic Empowerment for Women in Israel, Itach, IT Works, Negev Institute, Olim BeYachad, Shatil, Supportive Community, Women’s Spirit and Yedid. The Hadassah Foundation is also one of 17 American women’s philanthropy funds contributing to the newly-formed Jewish Women’s Collaborative to focus on specific issues pertaining to women in Israeli society. In the … Continue Reading
When Good Donors Go Bad
by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin What would you do if you were the executive director, the campaign chair, or board member of a reputable nonprofit organization and a wealthy individual steps forward promising a multi-million dollar gift? In all likelihood, you will accept the gift graciously and then transmit warm gratitude to the donor. Depending on the size of the gift, you may probably offer a prominent, permanent naming opportunity to memorialize the support. Sounds like a straightforward process that hopefully occurs regularly at nonprofits around the world. But what happens if that same donor becomes a national headline due to immoral, untoward, or even criminal behavior? What if that well-intentioned man or woman even goes to jail because of some bad doing? Has this individual … Continue Reading
Young Judaea to Become Independent Organization
Young Judaea will launch as an independent organization under an initiative announced today by Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which has supported the program for more than 70 years. A group of former Young Judaea leaders, avid Young Judaea supporters, and Hadassah leaders has been asked to serve on the founding board of the newly independent organization. Hadassah will continue to provide financial support, have board representation, and work collaboratively with the 102-year-old movement. The immediate goals of the revitalized pluralistic youth movement include: Creating a cohesive summer camp network and broadening the scope of its Israel offerings, including Year Course in Israel, its preeminent college gap-year program; Providing new energy for Young … Continue Reading
Hadassah Foundation Announces RFP Benefiting Low-Income Israeli Women
The Hadassah Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for gender-sensitive, social change projects that help low-income women in Israel achieve economic security. The Foundation is particularly interested in programs that provide cutting-edge approaches to solve problems that have not been addressed previously. Previous grants have included: Savings, Asset Development, and Pension Planning Grassroots Programs that provide resources and training Legal and Policy Advocacy Initiatives Business Development Services that help women who own businesses improve their outreach and marketing The Foundation rarely funds entrepreneurship or financial planning programs that take place only in one location, and rarely invests directly in a cooperative or other business. Applicants must … Continue Reading
Hadassah Foundation Announces RFP Proposals forSocial Change Projects in the U.S.
The Hadassah Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for gender-sensitive, social change projects for women and girls in the United States Jewish community. The Foundation will provide a small number of grants to innovative projects in one or more of the following areas: 1. Projects that encourage self-confidence, leadership skills, and healthy lifestyle choices among adolescent girls and young women in the Jewish community and/or build awareness among influential adults in their lives such as parents, teachers, and other mentors. The Foundation is especially interested in proposals that will help to broaden the dissemination of programs that we have already funded. Please see our website for a complete list of projects. 2. Projects that help women help women and/or girls achieve … Continue Reading
Madoff Trustee Sues AJCongress
According to law360.com, Irving Picard, the trustee for Bernard Madoff's investment firm, has filed suit against the American Jewish Congress to recover more than $9.4 million in phony profits the advocacy group and two related entities allegedly took from Madoff's Ponzi scheme. The organization had previously waived the December 11, 2010 filing deadline. Back in December, eJP reported AJCongress was in settlement discussions with Picard. At the time, Bruce Buechler, the attorney representing the organization said, “We are in the final stages of hopefully reaching an agreement. The reality is we have a deal in place with Picard’s people. Simply put, we just need a little more time to get our boards’ approval.” Several days later, Richard Gordon, the organizations' president, told … Continue Reading
Hadassah Staff Reductions: Round 3
Hadassah last month celebrated the beginning of their Centennial celebrations and made a point of telling all. What they didn't tell us about was the latest series of staff reductions. The following is from a letter sent in early March by Nancy Falchuk, Hadassah's president: Dear Colleagues: As we reported in January at our midwinter meetings, we will be further restructuring HWZOA's National Headquarters staff, effective this week. This restructuring will create a more efficient organization, more responsive to the needs of our members, and in keeping with our commitment to continue providing life-saving health care in Israel for the next century. It is with considerable regret, however, that we are forced to reduce National Headquarters staff by 25 percent as part of this … Continue Reading
Hadassah Kicks Off Centennial Celebration
Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, will officially launch its Centennial celebrations tonight on the site of Hadassah's first Tel Aviv hospital. Established in March 1912 by Henrietta Szold after a seminal visit to pre-state Israel, the organization reached out to American Jewish women to send personnel and funds to modernize health care in Israel. Hadassah created Tipat Halav, Israel's mother and child clinics, and built western hospitals around the country. … Continue Reading
Hadassah Dedicates $7 million Hospital Pavilion
Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, and the Hadassah Medical Organization, recently dedicated an inner pavilion that will be part of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower in Jerusalem. Since 2005, both Katherine Merage and the Andre and Katherine Merage Foundation made several gifts totaling $7 million to Hadassah to fund the 14-story Katherine Merage Pavilion, which will house four signature healing gardens as well as in-patient facilities. The dedication began a year of pre-events that will peak with the official dedication of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower in October 2012, as part of Hadassah’s Centennial Convention, which will be held in Jerusalem, and in the presence of thousands of Hadassah members from the United States and around the world. Since 2005, … Continue Reading
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