Like so many others, Hadassah had investments with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC. He was one of more than two dozen portfolio managers who invest our assets. At the time of his arrest last week, Hadassah had approximately $90 million invested with his firm.
At Hadassah, we have always persevered during times of adversity. When terrorism strikes, we meet the emergencies of the moment and continue with our excellent patient care, innovative research, and global outreach. During this economic crisis, we know that we must balance our commitment to first-class healthcare and groundbreaking research with the need to make responsible cuts in spending. We all recognize that the need to cure sickness and disease is paramount, regardless of financial downturns.
Just this week, amid the global economic crisis, Hadassah saved the life of a 9-year-old girl who had a rare hemorrhage where veins in her brain exploded. One of Hadassah's shining stars, Senior Neurosurgeon Prof. José Cohen performed life-saving surgery on the child. She is expected to make a full recovery with no brain damage. This is one of the many miracles we share with you during this season of miracles.
Communities rooted in merit and passion are rare, and people who have been part of them never forget them. Hadassah is such a community—be part of this community. Reach out to your networks, contributors, and potential donors. Support the Hadassah Medical Center by donating to your local unit. Every donation designated for the Hadassah Medical Center is allocated to its life-saving work. Ensure that people across the globe will continue to benefit from the vital work of the Hadassah Medical Center.
Psychologists and neuroscientists at Hadassah Hospital-Mount Scopus have pioneered a novel virtual reality (VR) system called "VirHab" to help stroke victims recover movement of their limbs, to relieve migraine and tension headaches, and to fight chronic pain.
An Arab family in East Jerusalem is most grateful to Hadassah for saving their premature newborn baby, with the help of a state-of-the-art aEEG (Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography) machine, donated by a family from Canada.
A new study led by a Hadassah Medical Center nurse has proven that brushing a ventilated patient's teeth three times a day can radically cut down the rate of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP), a prevalent hospital-born infection which is responsible for thousands of deaths each year.
When a sonogram detected a mass in a 19-week-old fetus, the pregnant woman was referred to the Hadassah Medical Center, where Dr. Michel Nadjari, head of Hadassah's Ultrasound Department, identified it as a large fetal sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT), a tumor made up of tissues from the three layers of embryonic cells.
Hundreds of doctors, nurses, speech therapists, social workers, dieticians, and parents of children with chronic diseases traveled to Jerusalem in December to be a part of the Hadassah Medical Center-sponsored Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman 2nd International Congress on Chronic Disorders and Disabilities in Children.
Hadassah International is a partner in creating a Stroke Center of Excellence at the Hadassah Medical Center, ensuring that stroke need not be fatal or cause lifetime disabilities for the many people who are fortunate enough to be treated at Hadassah. The following is one story of healing from Hadassah's Stroke Unit: Orly, a healthy mother of five, was thrilled when she was finally able to take a short vacation with her husband, Yaacov. Orly and Yaacov were enjoying their holiday in Jerusalem when suddenly Orly's speech became slurred, and she felt weakness in her left leg and her hand.
 HE Ambassador Yaakov Levy |
 Argentinean Delegation |
Queen Elizabeth II conferred a kighthood on Israel's President, HE Shimon Peres, in November.
A high-level delegation from Brazil's Ministry of Health came to Hadassah Hospital-Ein Kerem in December to lay the groundwork for the Brazilian Minister of Health's upcoming visit, slated for the beginning of 2009.
 Michel Leeb |
 Former Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek,
originally from Vienna, with Austrian
Mayor Helmut Zilk and Chief Rabbi of
Vienna Rabbi Chaim Eisenberg during
a visit by Mayor Kollek to Vienna |
In cooperation with a newspaper and a fashion studio, Hadassah Austria sponsored its popular designer fashion sale, creating a day of fun and bargains and raising $11,000 for the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower at the Hadassah Medical Center.
When I moved to New York City to take a job in marketing and public relations in 2004, one of my goals was to become involved in community work just as I had been in my native Canada. When I left my home city of Montreal, I had been serving as president of the Israel Cancer Research Fund. I explored various options for volunteering when I arrived in NYC, but nothing clicked. Then I received an email from Young Hadassah International about an upcoming Conference in Rome.
