Dear Friends,

Ahhh, this season!  It's spring, with all of nature bursting forth.
Pesach, also called z'man cherutaynu, the season of our freedom, is right around the corner, with all the joys of freedom, the story of our exodus from Egypt, the foods and rituals of the holiday. Soon thereafter, we will commemorate Yom HaShoah. In Israel, and for many of us around the world, Yom HaZikaron v'Hagvurah (Memorial Day), followed immediately by Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day), are prominent on the calendar.

Locally, here in Southern New England, the Hadassah calendar is full of dates and events to put on your own calendars. Many of our chapters will be hosting their annual Donor events, a wonderful opportunity to mix and mingle with friends, while getting updated on the lifesaving work of Hadassah, awarding deserving honorees, and having the opportunity to contribute to the cause we hold dear: tikkun olam, the repairing of the world.  I hope you'll be able to attend a Donor event near you.  Additionally, the second annual Every Step Counts: Hadassah's Walking Program begins on April 11, and we want you to join us as we (virtually) walk from Jerusalem to our National Convention in Atlanta. Register for Every Step Counts online at http://www.Hadassah.org/startingline. Convention registration will be opening soon online, and I'd love to see many, many women from Southern New England in Atlanta, too!

Take a look at the many offerings in and around our region for you to take part in and enjoy.  Also, please remember to  "like" Hadassah Southern New England on Facebook. If I don't see you before Pesach, I wish you and your family a very happy Passover! 
 
B'shalom,
Susan 
President, Hadassah Southern New England


Table of Contents
ESCApril 11 - July 21, 2016
Every Step Counts: Hadassah's Walking Program
In 2015, we made it over the finish line! From April to September 2015, over 1,000 women and men walked over 350,000 miles for their heart health. Hundreds made it all the way to Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem from our New York headquarters, crisscrossing the world on our virtual route.

Now we're doing it again.

April 11-July 21, 2016. We're walking from Hadassah Medical Organization all the way to Hadassah National Convention in Atlanta.
Join us today!

ItzhakSunday, May 1
10:00 - 11:30 am
The Yom Kippur War 1973 and the Role of Hadassah Medical Center with Dr. Itzhak Brook
Join us for brunch to meet Dr. Itzhak Brook as he recounts his experiences serving as battalion physician in the Israeli army during the Yom Kippur war. He is the author of In the Sands of Sinai: a Physician's Account of the Yom Kippur War

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Itzhak Brook

Register here

diamantTuesday, May 3
7:30 - 9:30 pm
Dialogue & Dessert
Join Jewish women from the South area for a "sweet" evening of dessert and discussion with bestselling author Anita Diamant. Dessert reception including gourmet specialty coffee bar and chocolate fountain. 

Guest Speaker:  Anita Diamant

Register here

Applause
Sunday, May 15
2:00 pm
A Cause for Applause in Warwick, RI
Support the Hadassah Rhode Island Chapter's 3rd annual Merry Drench, A Cause for Applause, at the Ocean State Theatre Company's production of  Anything Goes . A dessert reception will follow the show. 

To sign up, please contact Judy Silverman at 

BabaSunday, May 22
7:00 pm
Baba Joon at West Newton Cinema
As part of The National Center for Jewish Film's 19th Annual Film Festival, Hadassah Northeast will be sponsoring the film  Baba Joon at the West Newton Cinema.

Israel's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award (and the first Israeli movie filmed in Farsi) is a tender tale of generational divide and immigrant experience that will win your heart. Set in a Persian-immigrant moshav in the Negev in the 1980s, three generations of the stubborn Morgian family run a ramshackle turkey farm in an isolated desert community of Farsi speakers. Yitzhak (Navid Negahban, "Abu Nazir" on  Homeland ) plans for his son Moti to take over the family business, but Moti's dreams lie elsewhere, especially after the arrival of his more worldly uncle from America. 

Cost: $12 per ticket

Register  here or contact Hadassah Northeast at 
781-455-9055 or  hne@hadassah.org

AdvocacyTuesday, May 24
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Women's Advocacy Day at the 
State House
Join Hadassah for Women's Advocacy Day to advocate on behalf of gender equity in medical research and pay equity for women. 

There is a mandatory two-step
registration process:

1. Register with Hadassah Northeast here
2. Register with the State House here

More details coming soon . . . 
LightmanWednesday, May 25
7:00 pm
Screening Room
Alan Lightman's grandfather was the family's undisputed patriarch: it was his movie theatre empire that captured the family to prominence in the South, his fearless success that both galvanized and paralyzed his descendants, haunting them for a half century after his death. In this lyrical and impressionistic memoir, Lightman writes about growing up in Memphis, including the music, the racism, the early days of movies, and the hilarious cast of Jewish relatives. 

Guest speaker: Author, Alan Lightman

Register  here.

LuminateVolunteers Wanted 
Hadassah Northeast is seeking eager volunteers to learn Luminate CMS, and train other members on the system. This training will provide instructions for posting events, announcements and messages to Hadassah chapter webpages and giving more visibility to your programming. 

We know your time is precious; please consider sharing a bit of it with Hadassah. 

To volunteer, please contact Hadassah Northeast at 781-455-9055 or hne@hadassah.org
Mission
August 30 - September 11, 2016
Indulge Your Senses on a Hadassah Mission: Experience Israeli Fashion, Food, Wine & Design in Israel
Led by Debbie Minkoff, Liz Alpert & Anastasia Torres-Gil 

Convention
July 25-28th, 2016
You can start planning now! 
Hadassah 98th National Convention
 will be inspiring and exciting. Equally exciting is the opportunity to spend time with Hadassah friends, exchanging creative ideas, memories and laughter. 

Registration will open in a few days, but you can book your room at the beautiful Atlanta Marriot Marquis today at special Hadassah rates. Share a room with a friend or with a new friend to be. 

Book your hotel room today by clicking  here

News
National News

Monday, April 4, 2016

Monday, April 4, 2016
HBIApril 6 - June 24, 2016
Wendy Wolfe Fine: 
The Pearl that Slipped Its Shell
Relays the experiences of Jewish women in Iran   as a result of t he Islamic Revolution of 1979, specifically those of the Mizrahi family, who immigrated to the United States and carry on Iranian Jewish traditions. Fine's immersive installation incorporates video, photography and cultural objects to re-envision transformation and loss in the personal freedoms and cultural lives of Iranian Jewish women after the Revolution, when their country shifted from a secular state to a theocracy of Islamic fundamentalism.  

Sunday, April 17
1:00 pm
Kuku Sabzi: A Symbolic Food for the Persian New Year 
Join HBI artist-in-residence Wendy Wolfe Fine and Kermani native Sharona Mizrahi for a workshop on how to make Kuku Sabzi, a Persian herb omelet.

Kniznick Gallery | Women's Studies Research Center | Brandeis University | 
515 South St., Waltham, Mass.

Click here for more information on HBI programming.