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! — Buy More Bonds — 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 BUY MORE WAR BONDS • 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 • LE SHONO TOVO TIKOSEVU! SLIP COVERS — DRAPERIES —by— ROSH HASHONAH GREETINGS! • Rosh Hashonah Greetings Van Beauty Shoppe 11728 HAMILTON AVE. TO. 8.8704 • Buy More War Bonds r■ Roil • • Renuvenate Process Dry Cleaning • j Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year LUSTER - TEX 5062 Loraine TYler 5-2000 Lions made Hello Rabb chair] ApPe raisin most Joint Unite Natio Du Joint propr 900 relief helpe en, Euro, the Pales been oven ades, ing rescu in A count snatc still i sion but for liberi Nortl 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