16 | NOVEMBER 10 • 2022 

OUR COMMUNITY

S

tephanie Brovenick 
was a supporter 
of Hadassah, 
the women’s Zionist 
organization, long before 
she became one of its 
administrators. 
 “Hadassah was the first 
organization I belonged 
to while growing up and, 
at 8 years old, I raised 
funds for Hadassah. It set 
the groundwork for me to 
understand what it is to be 
Jewish and find community 
as a woman. Hadassah’s 
values have resonated with me ever 
since,” she explains. 
Brovenick was recently appointed 
managing director of Hadassah Midwest, 
which encompasses 49 chapters and 
almost 29,000 members in three regions: 
Chicago-North Shore, Great Plains 
and Greater Detroit. Hadassah Greater 
Detroit includes Michigan (except the 
Upper Peninsula, which is part of the 
Plains Region), Northern Ohio and 
Western Pennsylvania.
Before taking on this new position, 
Brovenick served as senior manager for 
Grassroots Engagement for Hadassah. 
She replaces Ronna Ash, who is now 
director of geographic area operations 
for Hadassah.
In her new role, she will work to help 
expand Hadassah programming for 
its Midwest chapters, building on its 
national priorities. “Each region brings 
its special brand of engagement,” she 
says.
A core goal is fundraising to support 

the Hadassah Medical 
Organization (HMO) in 
Israel.
Brovenick explains that 
these funds — about $40 
million annually — are 
used for training nurses, 
medical research and 
general hospital operations. 
Hadassah promotes health 
equity — ensuring access to 
care for all with particular 
emphasis on breast cancer 
research and infertility 
treatment. Hadassah 
also funds Youth Aliyah 
— residential centers for education 
and treatment of at-risk youth in 
Israel. Recently, Hadassah has helped 
Ukrainian youth threatened by war in 
their country evacuate to Israel.
Here in the U.S., Hadassah is a 
strong advocate for the well-being of 
women and women’s health. Recently, 
local Hadassah chapters organized an 
opportunity to sign a petition to support 
reproductive rights in Michigan — 
required for placement on the November 
ballot. More than 300 individuals visited 
Hadassah House in West Bloomfield 
to sign the petition. (The proposal 
subsequently was approved for the 
November ballot.)
Hadassah’s advocacy team also 
speaks out on behalf of Israel’s security, 
combating antisemitism and the need 
for gun safety. The organization’s work 
is accomplished through almost 300,000 
members of 700 chapters in 50 states. 
Brovenick became a Hadassah 
member in 1975, continuing the 

Hadassah appoints West Bloomfield resident 
as Midwest managing director.

Building on 
Hadassah’s 
Accomplishments

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Hadassah —
Widespread Scope 
and Special Detroit 
Connections

Through its two hospitals in 
Jerusalem, the Hadassah Medical 
Organization (HMO) serves more 
than a million patients annually, 
conducts world-renowned medical 
research and trains medical pro-
fessionals. HMO treats everyone 
without regard to race, religion or 
nationality and was awarded the 
Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for 
“building bridges to peace.”
Hadassah was begun in 1912 by 
Henrietta Szold, the first woman 
editor of the Jewish Publication 
Society and the first to attend the 
Jewish Theological Seminary. A 
trip to Palestine convinced her that 
newly arrived Jewish immigrants 
living there in primitive camps 
desperately needed help. Upon 
returning to the U.S., she organized 
a group of Jewish New Yorkers 
to raise funds for medical care in 
Palestine.
Detroit has a special connection 
to Hadassah. When Szold visit-
ed Detroit to promote Hadassah 
in 1916, she stayed with Sarah 
Wetsman Davidson’s parents, and 
Sarah helped her recruit Detroiters 
to the new organization.
On a trip to Palestine in 1935, 
Detroiters Joseph Wetsman, David 
Zemon and David Simons bought 
a tract of land on Jerusalem’s Mt. 
Scopus that was donated to the 
Jewish National Fund and became 
the site of the first Hadassah 
Hospital. 
In 2007, Detroiters William and 
Karen Davidson, on behalf of 
Guardian Industries, gave $75 
million to Hadassah for a new inpa-
tient tower at Hadassah Hospital 
Ein Kerem. It was named the Sarah 
Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower 
in memory of Dorothy Gerson and 
Bill Davidson’s mother.

Sources: Hadassah.org and the 
Detroit Jewish News

HADASSAH

Stephanie 
Brovenick

