Hadassah Champions Response to Hamas War Rapes

Hadassah, the largest Women’s Zionist Organization in America with nearly 300,000 members in the United States, puts the spirit of Jewish resilience front and center. Hadassah women continue to speak out as members are calling for a stronger global response to war crimes against women.

Hadassah co-sponsored an emergency session of the United Nations on Dec. 4, 2023, to bear witness to testimonies of Hamas’ brutal acts of gender-based violence against Israeli women and girls on Oct. 7 and to demand UN action.

Fifteen key Hadassah leaders attended this event, hosted by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN and co-sponsored by Shazur/Interwoven, The World Zionist Organization, The National Council of Jewish Women, and Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

Hadassah is helping to lead the U.S. call for the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW, and calls on UN Women to condemn Hamas for its horrendous treatment of women and girls. Signatures were gathered from more than 80 organizations to demand further action from the UN.

Hadassah Greater Atlanta, in a similar call to action, co-sponsored an event, Shine The Light, with several Jewish women’s groups here in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 15, at The Temple. The co-sponsoring organizations were Hadassah Greater Atlanta, Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta, The Temple, National Council of Jewish Women Atlanta, Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon Atlanta, Jewish Family & Children’s Services Atlanta, Jewish Community Relations Council Atlanta, MACoM, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Women’s Philanthropy, and Temple Sinai.

Simone Wilker, Zionist Affairs Chair, Hadassah Greater Atlanta, explains, “Our Atlanta Hadassah members are busy training to become better advocates as we support Israel and women’s causes and fight antisemitism. We are expanding our efforts to pass legislation in the State of Georgia that defines antisemitism using the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition.”

Hadassah Greater Atlanta, the metro Atlanta chapter of Hadassah, is comprised of more than 3,000 members. Hadassah will continue to advocate at the UN, at the Georgia Assembly, and in local communities. Their advocacy makes an impact as Hadassah’s goal is to “Make our Voices Heard.”

To learn more about Hadassah’s advocacy efforts, go to: hadassahsupersouth.com/actioncenter?r=qr.