Hadassah has once more topped all previous collections, raising approximately $23.5 million this year, Mrs. Rose E. Matzkin, Hadassah national president, announced today at the closing session of the four day, 60th annual national convention meeting at the Marriott Motor Hotel. She was reelected president by the 2500 delegates.
Frieda S. Lewis, national treasurer, explained that despite Hadassah’s remarkable feat in going over its 1973-74 quotas, inflationary costs are forcing the organization to achieve higher collections for 1974-75. The new quotas for Hadassah’s health, educational, rehabilitation and land reclamation services are as follows:
In Israel-Hadassah Medical Organization (Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center)– $7,000,000; HMO Building and Development– $3,333,333; Youth Aliya (267 Children’s Villages and Day Centers caring for over 13,500 wards)– $2,100,000; Hadassah Israel Education Services (Community College, Seligsberg/Brandeis Comprehensive High School and the Hadassah Vocational Guidance Institute–$1,000,000; Jewish National Fund-$700,000.
In the United States–the quota for programs is $3,093,454. Youth Activities (Young Judaea-Hashachar. Year-Course and Summer-in-Israel programs for American youth) –$800,000.
IMPACT OF YOM KIPPUR WAR
Faye I. Schenk, national HMO chairman, reported that Hadassah will spend about $1 million in the retraining and employment of new immigrant Russian doctors, dentists, nurses and other medical personnel. The reopening of the Mount Scopus Medical Center will provide 550 additional jobs, she said. “Hadassah plays a major role in the absorption of new immigrants to Israel through our retraining and employment programs.”
Mrs. Schenk noted that the Yom Kippur War caused major dislocations and exorbitant financial costs. She reported that medical personnel were conscripted and are still on reserve call-up; research in Israel was halted and doctors on fellowships overseas were recalled; teaching and training stopped and the school year had to be extended; and Hadassah’s personnel, equipment and supplies were shared with other medical facilities through the emergency.
Mrs. Schenk, noting that the patient-load since the war has increased greatly, stated: “We are tremendously grateful to the number of doctors, nurses, technicians and non-professional people from overseas who volunteered at the Medical Center. Because they were able to replace the staff who were in service, we were able to care for the war casualties as well as the civilian patients. The volunteers came at their own expense from all over the world.”
DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT
Mrs. Charlotte Jacobson, national HMO chairman for Building and Development, reported that the decade since the Six-Day War, when the Mount Scopus Medical Center was returned to Hadassah, will be known as the “Decade of Development.” She said, “Between the expansion of the Ein Karem Center and the rehabilitation and expansion of Mount Scopus, Hadassah will have spent over $50 million. Because of inflation in the U.S. and in Israel, it is impossible to estimate what the final costs will be.”
Mrs. Jacobson also noted that because of the war and the continuing mobilization of labor and supervisory personnel there is a scarcity of heavy equipment for building and shortages of materials. Despite the effect this has had on building schedules and costs “we do plan to open the medical center on Mount Scopus in Oct. 1975,” she said.
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