[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1027]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise today to pay homage to 
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, on the occasion 
of its 90th anniversary.
  As you may know, Hadassah is the largest women's and the largest 
Jewish membership organization in the United States. Hadassah's 300,000 
volunteers are active throughout the world, including 800 U.S. 
communities in 48 different States, as well as the District of Columbia 
and Puerto Rico.
  Since 1912, Hadassah volunteers have played a lead role in advancing 
the cause of social justice, particularly in the areas of education and 
health. One such endeavor, the breast cancer detection and awareness 
campaign, ``Check It Out,'' has had powerful, positive effects on women 
nationwide. The success of Hadassah's youth programs, particularly 
Young Judaea and Youth Aliya, proves that volunteerism can affect 
change.
  The organization's commitment to a peaceful future in Israel and 
Palestine also deserves praise. Hadassah has earned accolades for its 
work in Israel, where they operate a world-renowned medical complex in 
Jerusalem, made up of two advanced hospitals, with a clientele of more 
than 600,000 patients of all races, religions and creeds. In addition, 
the Hadassah Medical Organization is actively involved in global 
outreach programs in scores of other countries, particularly those in 
Africa. These international campaigns focus on public health awareness, 
particularly AIDS education, as well as on treatment of eye diseases.
  As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian 
Affairs, I have learned a great deal about the important work of 
Hadassah. I respect their contributions and appreciate all they have 
done to advance the legislative agenda of women and Israel.
  The spirit of founder Henrietta Szold lives on today, through the 
dedication and commitment of Hadassah's volunteers. I am proud to offer 
my commendation on 90 years of quality service.

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