2
Friday, September 15, 1944
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Fr
A
HADASSAH
By MARTIN SILVER
Standing at the summit of a
30-year-old career devoted main-
ly to building and maintaining
public health works in Palestine,
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist
Organization of America, is pre-
paring now to expand its medical
and other welfare departments
so as to be ready for the post-
war immigration of European
Jews to Palestine, which is both
expected and hoped for. A na-
tional quota of over two million
dollars has been established for
the 1944-1945 fund-raising year
—a sum to be raised through the
activities of about 125,000 Hadas-
sah members who are scattered
in over 500 chapters situated in
various parts of the United
States.
A medical on-the-spot survey
of Palestine is being made for
Hadassah by Rear Admiral Char-
les S. Stephenson, of the United
States Navy, and American pub-
lic health expert. Admiral Step-
henson became interested in the
work of Hadassah while he was
a patient in the Rothschild-Ha-
dassah-University Hospital in Jer-
usalem last year. (He happened
to be touring the Middle East
as head of the American Military
Typhus Commission when he be-
came seriously ill.) In his sur-
vey, Admiral Stephenson is ex-
pected to make an evaluation of
present day medical institutions
and services, and to blueprint
the expansion necessary in view
of an influx of refugees in dire
need of medical rehabilitation.
Included in the postwar medical
plans for Palestine will be the
building of a tuberculosis hos-
pital wing and sanitorium.
The early story of Hadassah's
emergence as a major medical
force in Palestine is particularly
interesting, and parallels the
surging, exciting growth of the
Jewish community in Palestine
as a whole.
In 1909, Miss Henrietta Szold,
an American woman from Balti
more who had been active in
Jewish - American organizations,
went to Palestine for the first
time. She saw children roaming
the streets, their eyes half closed
by trachoma. Dysentery, typhus
and malaria were taking a ter-
rific toll of the Jewish settlers.
Everywhere she went in Pales-
tine, then under Turkish control,
she saw the destruction of Jew-
ish hopes in that country through
death, disease and poverty. The
infant and adult mortality rate
was one of the highest in the
world. Palestine seemed entirely
cut off from the benefits of mod-
• ern medical science.
as,
She returned to America the
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
following year determined to or-
ganize American women to do
something about it. In 1912, un-
der her direction, a .small group
of women was formed who later
that year were instrumental in
opening the first Hadassah child
35 E. GRAND RIVER
welfare station in Jerusalem. In
1918, before war ended, Hadas-
3RD FL. UNIVERSITY BLDG.
sah was asked, because of its
early medical experience in Pal-
CH. 5656
estine, to furnish the personnel
for an American Zionist Medical
Unit which was leaving for Pal-
• BUY MORE WAR BONDS estine. This unit consisted of 44
PRESSLEY
Beauty Salon
•
LE SHONO
Tovo
TIKOSEVU
persons — physicians, dentists,
nurses, civil and sanitary engi-
neers. It carried supplies for a
hospital of 50 beds, and it took
along hundreds of cases of med-
ical supplies and equipment, food
and clothing, and also included a
few automobiles, ambulances and
trucks.
This then was the real begin-
ning of the Hadassah Medical
Organization. The pioneer band
struggled against terrific odds.
Conditions were so bad that they
hardly knew where to turn first,
but as they became rooted in Pal-
estine, their work took on larger
and larger proportions. The or-
ganization at home was growing
fast, fed by the resurgense of
Zionist hopes after World War
I. New Jewish settlers came to
Palestine from Europe in the
1920's and the immigration con-
tinued throughout the following
years despite hardships.
Medical institutions and serv-
ices spread their benefits to the
malaria and typhus ridden areas
of Palestine. The death rate was
cut in half, trachoma was prac-
tically wiped out and the popula-
tion learned to have confidence
in the marvels of modern medical
science. The first tuberculosis
hospital to be opened in Pales-
tine was started by Hadassah at
Safad, introducing lung surgery
into the country for the first
time. Today, Palestine is called
an oasis of good health in the
Middle East. In 1939, Allied mili-
tary doctors declared it to be the
only safe country in that part lack at home. The closing of the
of the world where they could European markets to Palestine
permit troops to move about b a on (diies thoef tis.otao tpisonli nng
large
the country
freely.
into
sent
food
prices
Hadassah branched out
skyrocketing.
other fields of welfare work. It The Hadassah School Luncheons
Committee
immediately
accelerat-
developed a comprehensive child
welfare program as the logical ed its work. It petitioned the
outgrowth of its early infant and gf oory ermnomree ntf ufnodrs a f rsounbIsitil tys, asked
maternity health stations. A
home
school hygiene department was office and from the Yishur itself
started to teach good habits to and put into effect a national
75,000 school children, to provide school luncheons progno a which
mass physical examinations and now feeds about 30,000 children
to carry through a preventive
in
Similarly,
in 1925 a Iladassah
health program for them. One daily
shining example of the results Recreations Committee was form-
of this work can be seen in the ed to build "model" play grounds
record on the cure of trachoma. for communities to emulate. With
When the first two Hadassah dis- the outbreak of war, however,
trict nurses began their work in the original plan gave way be-
1913 in Jerusalem, they found fore the need for numerous play-
as many as 80 out of 100 pupils grounds to take the children off
afflicted with trachoma in some the streets where they might be
of the schools. In 1918, 34 per likely to fall prey to bad influ-
cent of the Jewish school chil- ences. In 1938 there were six
dren suffered from the eye playgrounds. Today there are
scourge. By 1941, trachoma cases 33. In areas of a mixed Arab-
in Jewish schools were reduced Jewlish population, children of
to two per cent. The records both groups are encouraged to
show a similar decline in skin come to the playgrounds. Spe-
cases.
In 1923, Hadassah began to cial summex camps are conduct-
provide "model school lunches"
See HADASSAH—Page 15
as an experiment to demonstrate
how the nutritive standards of
•
children could be raised. This
department was expected to de- Rosh Hashonah Greetings and
Best Wishes to All!
velop gradually through the train-
ing of cookery teachers for
schools, through getting the
school heads to inaugurate lunch-
eon systems of their own, and by
World's Largest
the training of institutional die-
Beauty Supply House
ticians. The object was to edu-
cate Palestine's population to-
CA. 5145
ward the adoption of more mod- 1265 GRISWOLD
ern diets. The war broke in on
this program and made it imme-
diately necessary to give supple- Bring Our Boys Home Sooner!
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mental food to a large number
of children to compensate for tho
GIBBS 4 CO.
•
ROSH HASHONAH
GREETINGS
are extended to our
many friends and
patrons, with sin-
sincerest wishes for
a Happy, Prosper-
ous and Victorious
New Year!
UPHOLSTERING
•
CUSTOM MADE
Theodore J. Smith
Studios
•
10350 DEXTER cor. COLLINGWOOD
Call TOWNSEND
LE SHONO TOVO TIKOSEVU
Branches:
Best Wishes to Our Many Friends and Patrons
for a Happy and Victorious New Year!
22148 GRAND RIVER
7340 W. 7 MILE RD.
8941 JOS. CANIPAU
9642 KERCIIEVAL
12900 MACK
131 JOI IN R
5763 MICHIGAN
3145 HASTINGS
11548 DEXTER
7300 HARPER
8741 2ND BLVD.
2096 PINGREE
14835 E. JEFFERSON
* *
Automatic Stoker Service Co.
",4 QUALIFIED SERVICE ORGANIZATION"
Domestic or Commercial and Industrial Stokers
214
BERNARD J. YOUNGBLOOD
CARLSON STUDIOS
Detroit's Largest Producers of Screen Process
Advertising Displays and Posters
1909 BRUSH STREET
RAndolph 9114
ELMHURST 6390
- •
Pearlman's Bakery
LE SHONO TOVO TIKOSEVU
ROSH HASHONAH GREETINGS
TO. 8-4664
Closed Saturday and all
Happiness Peace and Good Cheer to You All
Jewish Holidays
•
E. HAZELHURST
Rosh Hashanah Greetings
12735 LINWOOD AVE.
A Happy New Year to All
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4465 Bcaubicn
1
REGISTER OF DEEDS
8-6120
for our Decorator who will call at your home with samples
Slain Office and Store:
13206 Livernois
Northlawn 9123
Rosh Hashonah Greetings to All Detroit Jewry
•
WALTER HERZ
FAMOUS
CLEANERS
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LE SHONO TOVO TIKOSEVU!
SLIP COVERS — DRAPERIES
—by—
ROSH HASHONAH GREETINGS!
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Rosh Hashonah Greetings
Van Beauty Shoppe
11728 HAMILTON AVE.
TO. 8.8704
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Renuvenate Process
Dry Cleaning
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Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year
LUSTER - TEX
5062 Loraine
TYler 5-2000
Lions
made
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count
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still i
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but
for
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As
gees
ROSH HASHONAH GREETINGS!
*
COMFORT CUSHION CO.
In
the
Jews
throw
contr
000
for II
Pales
to Sil
in E
latior
repor
GEORGE A. DINGMAN
County Drain Commissioner