FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 22, 2013
MEDIA CONTACT: Max Samis, Rabinowitz Communications, max@rabinowitz.com,
202- 265-3000, c 202-681-2528
HADASSAH CONTACT: Courtney Hanauer, chanauer@hadassah.org, 212-303-8132
Hadassah Launches Women’s Leadership Board
for its new Leadership Fellows Program
Prominent female leaders participate in new Hadassah initiative
New York – In a move that will help make Jewish causes more relevant to the next generation of Jewish women across the country, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, announced today the launch of a new Women’s Leadership Board to advise the newly formed Hadassah Leadership Fellows Program. The board will bring together prominent Jewish female leaders with a diverse range of experience, including the media, academic, business, and non-profit worlds. Alongside Hadassah leaders, this board will provide counsel on programmatic interests among younger women and will recommend sources of funding, expert speakers, and community partners for the fellows program.
Marcie Natan, National Hadassah President and Honorary Chair of the Women’s Leadership Board, expressed her excitement in launching this new endeavor. “As the largest women’s Zionist membership organization in America, it was only natural that we gather some of the best and brightest minds for our new Women’s Leadership Board. I look forward to working with these outstanding women to help shape the direction of the program but also of Jewish women’s priorities throughout the country.”
Hadassah launched the Hadassah Leadership Fellows Program (HLF) this past July at its annual business meeting in Baltimore. HLF is a national leadership engagement program designed to inspire and cultivate future Jewish communal leaders. The program will be based on core Hadassah values: a dedication to philanthropy and volunteerism; self-realization and political awareness; and an appreciation of Zionism and Israel. A unique feature of the Hadassah Leadership Fellows program is that it requires fellows, during the second year of their participation to join Impact Boards as Hadassah vehicles of change. Each Impact Board will be given seed money to pilot a program of its choice. The Impact Boards will focus on Women’s health and Medical Research, Venture Capitalism, Public Policy, and Social Justice. The Women’s Leadership Board will work closely with HLF as the next generation of Jewish female leaders emerges.
Members of the board have made a limited, two-year commitment. The Women’s Leadership Board will meet for the first time on Tuesday, October 22. At this meeting, the Board will discuss what issues are most relevant, current and interesting to American Jewish women.
Members of the Women’s Leadership Board include:
Rabbi Lauren Berkun
Director of Rabbinic and Synagogue Programs for the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America
Andrea Feirstein
Founder and Managing Director, AKF Consulting Group
Jamie Gangel
NBC Political News Reporter
Dr. Susannah Heschel
Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College
Dara Horn
Author, The World to Come, All Other Nights, In the Image, and others
Stephanie Ives
Executive Leadership Consultant
Elyse Kroll
Founder, ENK International
Deborah Minkoff
Hadassah Leadership Fellows Chair, Women’s Leadership Board Co- Chair
Rebecca Minkoff
Designer and CEO, Rebecca Minkoff LLC.
Marcie Natan
Hadassah National President, Honorary Women’s Leadership Board Chair
Anne Neuberger
Special Assistant to the Director, NSA
Dr. Janice Weinman
Hadassah CEO and Executive Director, Women’s Leadership Board Co- Chair
Claudia Weinstein
Story Editor, 60 Minutes
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Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is the largest women’s Zionist membership organization in the United States, and was founded in 1912. 330,000 members, associates, and supporters strong, Hadassah is now in its second century, growing our commitment to innovative and life-changing medical care and research, women’s empowerment, education, advocacy, philanthropy and building Jewish identity – in Israel, America and around the world. For more information, visit www.hadassah.org.
