Impressions of Women of the West Institute

Last weekend I was privileged to attend Hadassah’s Women of the West Institute in Los Angeles, California.  This was a weekend conference for members of Hadassah from the western United States.  The purpose of the conference was to explore our differences and similarities while at the same time learning about Hadassah.

Some of the highlights of the conference for me included Marla Gilson’s talk about the elections, both Congressional and Presidential.   (Marla Gilson is the director of the Washington Action Center and is the lobbyist for Hadassah.)   The most exciting development for Hadassah has been President Obama’s signature on a bill supporting federal funding on stem cell research.

I also found it interesting to hear a talk on genetics given by Dr. Rhona Schreck that was interspersed with members talking about their own stories of how they learned about their genetic history.  One woman spoke about her nephew’s disease called Familial Dysautonomia and Hadassah’s research and  work on this sad disease.  While the disease sounds very disabling, the work done by doctors and researchers at Hadassah has given those with this disease a better quality of life and a longer life.

Another highlight for me was a the viewing of a video called, The Tribe, on Jewish identity.  You may see this video on YouTube here.  It struck me as very good and funny at the same time.  I have watched it a couple of times since the conference.  It is very well done.

What I enjoyed most about the conference was the ability to meet people and talk one on one.   It is only by spending a weekend with people that you feel comfortable and get to know each other.  I had a lot of interesting discussions with people and came away with some ideas that I would like to bring to our chapter.

If you would like to learn more about what happened at the conference, you may check out the conference blog, “Women of the West 2009.”