Full Text of HR0691 97th General Assembly
HR0691 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of | 4 | | Hadassah on the occasion of the organization's 100th | 5 | | anniversary on February 24, 2012; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In 1909, Henrietta Szold and her mother took a | 7 | | trip to pre-state Israel, where they witnessed the starvation | 8 | | and disease that afflicted the people of the region; upon | 9 | | returning to the United States, she soon founded Hadassah, a | 10 | | volunteer women's organization with the biblical mission of | 11 | | Aruhat Bat Ami: the Healing of the Daughter of my People; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Hadassah's first mission was to send two nurses to | 13 | | Palestine to provide pasteurized milk to infants and new | 14 | | mothers; the organization also worked to eradicate trachoma, an | 15 | | easily cured eye disease that was robbing thousands of their | 16 | | sight; by 1918, Hadassah had sent an entire medical unit, | 17 | | composed of 45 doctors, nurses, dentists, and sanitary workers, | 18 | | to bring American-style medical care to serve all, regardless | 19 | | of race, creed, or ethnicity; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, By the mid-1930s, it had become clear that Jewish | 21 | | children needed to be saved from a Europe that was rapidly | 22 | | darkening with anti-Semitic and Nazi threats and actions; |
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| 1 | | joining with a German colleague, Henrietta Szold helped | 2 | | organize the rescue of thousands such children, bringing them | 3 | | to safety in Palestine; these children became one of the | 4 | | foundations of the modern state of Israel, and many of her | 5 | | "children" and their children survive to this day; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, As early as 1942, the U.S. State Department named | 7 | | Hadassah as one of the five largest contributors to overseas | 8 | | relief; during World War II, Hadassah chapters around the | 9 | | country sold a total of $200 million in war bonds; for their | 10 | | efforts, Hadassah was rewarded with 100 U.S. Air Force bombers, | 11 | | each bearing the name of a Hadassah chapter; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Hadassah founded, owns, and supports 2 | 13 | | world-class medical centers in greater Jerusalem, and are | 14 | | rapidly expanding their campuses and facilities; Hadassah is | 15 | | currently concluding a $210 million capital campaign for the | 16 | | Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower at Hadassah Medical Center in Ein | 17 | | Kerem, Jerusalem; over the years, Hadassah has expanded Israeli | 18 | | projects to include Hadassah College Jerusalem, one of Israel's | 19 | | top-ranked smaller colleges, 3 Hadassah Youth Aliyah villages, | 20 | | where they house, feed, educate, and nurture young immigrants | 21 | | and Israel's underprivileged youth, and Israel's largest | 22 | | touring and residency program for American Jewish youth through | 23 | | Young Judaea, the Hadassah Zionist youth movement; Hadassah | 24 | | also supports major reforestation and water conservation |
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| 1 | | programs to protect Israel's precious natural resources; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, The Hadassah-supported Youth Aliyah/Children at | 3 | | Risk program sets Israel's disadvantaged children on the path | 4 | | to a successful future; since 1934, over 300,000 young people | 5 | | from 80 lands have graduated from Youth Aliyah; young | 6 | | immigrants and "at-risk" native Israelis, many of whom are | 7 | | victims of abuse, receive counseling, education, and support | 8 | | services in Youth Aliyah day centers and youth villages; the | 9 | | Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) is one of the world's | 10 | | leading institutions in healthcare, comprised of the | 11 | | Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center at Ein Kerem and the | 12 | | Hadassah University Hospital at Mount Scopus; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Since its inception, Hadassah has taken firm | 14 | | advocacy positions on First Amendment issues, public health, | 15 | | support of Israel, and a vast array of social concerns, | 16 | | including immigration and voting rights; in recent years, | 17 | | Hadassah has spoken out passionately in favor of federal and | 18 | | state funding for stem cell research and has advocated strongly | 19 | | for legislation that supports medical privacy and freedom from | 20 | | genetic discrimination by insurance companies and employers; | 21 | | and | 22 | | WHEREAS, With 300,000 members, Hadassah is the largest | 23 | | Jewish volunteer organization in America and one of the largest |
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| 1 | | women's volunteer organizations in the world; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of Hadassah serve as models of hard | 3 | | work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of | 4 | | Illinois; therefore, be it
| 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 6 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 7 | | we congratulate the members of Hadassah on the occasion of the | 8 | | organization's 100th anniversary and wish them continued | 9 | | success and happiness in the future; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That the date of February 24, 2012 be designated | 11 | | as Hadassah Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further | 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 13 | | presented to Hadassah as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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