Generation To Generation
Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor
A
t an intimate luncheon to
celebrate William and Karen
Davidson's $75 million gift
toward a new tower at Hadassah Medical
Organization in Jerusalem named after
his mother, Karen told the group she
didn't know her mother-in-law, but was
thankful for one trait her husband got
from her — being an overachiever.
"It's worth putting energy into Israel,
not just for Israel, but for the rest of the
world, toe she said.
The luncheon took place April 17
at the Sarah and Ralph Davidson
Hadassah House in West Bloomfield.
Sarah Wetsman Davidson was a found-
ing member of Detroit Hadassah; her
lifelong interest was sparked by a 10-day
visit from Hadassah founder Henrietta
Szold to her parents Bessie and Joseph
Wetsman's home in 1916.
For Dorothy Gerson of Frankin, it was
fitting "we gather in the house that bears
[my mother's] name to celebrate a gift
from my brother and his wife.
Sta ff p ho tos by Ang ie Baan
Davidson gift to Hadassah Hospital reflects family involvement.
Greater Detroit Hadassah Chapter President Judi Schram, Hadassah Medical
Organization Director General Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, benefactor Karen Davidson of
Bloomfield Hills and Hadassah National President June Walker.
' My mother was a nurturer and healer:'
G non said. "Nothing would please her
r lore than knowing the wonderful work
o be done in the Hadassah Hospital
tower that bears her name."
In honor of her parents, whose por-
traits grace the walls, Gerson and her
husband, Byron, donated Hadassah
House to the Greater Detroit Chapter. The
family connection continues inside with
a historic gem found by Bill Davidson
— a thank-you letter from Szold to his
grandparents, the Wetsmans, for their
hospitality so long ago, explained Judi
Schram, Detroit Hadassah president.
Dor l'dor (generation to generation) was
a theme mentioned by several speakers.
June Walker, Hadassah national presi-
dent and nominee to head the Conference
of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations (see sidebar), said, "I am
convinced nothing you tell your children
makes much difference. How you live
your life is how your children will live
theirs. The Davidsons lived a life that
taught their children."
She also applauded the Greater Detroit
Chapter leadership for being national role
Hadassah Head Tapped For Presidents Conference
Ben Harris
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
T
he nomination of June Walker
to head the Conference of
Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations has placated
some critics of the organization but
left others wondering where she stands
on key issues facing Israel and the
Jewish people.
Walker, national president of
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist
Organization of America, was nominat-
ed April 16 to succeed Harold Tanner as
chairman of the Presidents Conference.
The conference is an umbrella organi-
zation that aims to represent the con-
sensus opinion of American Jewry on
Israel and other foreign policy issues
18
April 26 2007
and provide a unified Jewish address
for U.S. officials.
If confirmed as expected by the
full membership at the next general
meeting, Walker will become the sec-
ond woman to lead the conference.
Shoshana Cardin held the position in
the early 1990s.
Walker's two-year tenure would begin
June 1.
Walker, a longtime community activ-
ist from New Jersey, has filled a num-
ber of positions at Hadassah, including
president, vice president, treasurer and
national chair of the Hadassah College
of Technology in Jerusalem.
Reached by phone while in Detroit,
Walker told JTA her goal is to strength-
en the ties between the member-
ship and the conference, making the
member organizations fuller partners
in conference proceedings and mak-
June Walker
ing the conference more of a factor in
members' activities.
She identified rising anti-Semitism
and maintaining a robust U.S.-Israel
alliance as the biggest challenges fac-
ing the organization.
Malcolm Hoenlein, the conference's
executive vice chairman, noted that
Walker has been involved in the
Presidents Conference for several
years.
"She is familiar both with the issues
and the challenges, and will work to
enhance the process of consensus
building to enable our community to
respond to the very serious issues we
are facing," Hoenlein said.
The conference has come under fire
in the past for what some perceive as a
rightward drift and its alleged failure to
operate in a fully democratic fashion.
Morton Klein, president of the
Zionist Organization of America, said
the chairman of the selection pro-
cess is essentially undemocratic and
nominees' positions on crucial issues
remain unknown.
The Presidents Conference chairman
is selected by a nominating committee
and then confirmed by the full mem-
bership.