America will soon be 250 years old. That’s not a long time in the history of the world or of world governments. But it’s been enough time to embrace our democratic system and to continue perfecting what was once considered an experiment.

Some people feel that it’s still an experiment, waiting to be proven successful. Our government, guided and governed by the US Constitution, was formed as a body of the people. All men and women were to be equal in the eyes of the law; yet, in practice, that remains debatable. We continue to evolve. And Hadassah has been an active participant in our evolution since its founding in 1912!

Throughout our country’s history, the priority has been that we be represented, both individually and collectively, through our democratic government. We all have a right to think for ourselves, speak, agree and disagree and make our ideas known to our lawmakers through the local representatives we elect. As President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, we are to have a “government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

To this point, my membership in Hadassah is a source of enormous personal pride. A bipartisan women’s organization, Hadassah is comprised of educated, intelligent, passionate Zionist women and Hadassah Associates, our male counterparts, who are devoted  to both America and Israel.

My co-chair, Jill Goldstone, and I were honored to lead a contingent of over 200 Hadassah members to the halls of Congress on March 10. We brought the voices of over 300,000 Hadassah members nationwide to our national legislators in Washington, D.C., for Hadassah’s 2026 Day on The Hill.  

Our elected congressional legislators, both senators and representatives, regularly open their doors to constituents through events such as these, which offer people the opportunity to speak with them either directly or through their key staff members. The meetings allow us to either express support for their current positions or explain to them why we disagree and what we feel they should consider.

It is with pride that I recall how the day unfolded and how it felt to lead such a remarkable group of women from across the US. Logistically, the day went as smoothly as we could have hoped, given that there were over 100 meetings scheduled, with each delegate participating in anywhere from four to six meetings throughout the day.

Our members were excited for weeks beforehand! Every participant attended three zoom training sessions to review a copious amount of background information on each legislator and to go over logistics and guidelines for decorum during our Congressional meetings. Each team then met separately to review the details of its particular upcoming meetings so that the team’s participants were prepared to be organized, well-spoken advocates for Hadassah.

As we Hadassah advocates fanned out across Capitol Hill, armed with our red folders and Hadassah tote bags, we were an army on a mission, participating in the democracy we are all privileged to have. Many of our members weren’t advocating for the first time. Many are active advocates in their own states as well.

When lunchtime arrived, we were welcomed into the impressive Senate Caucus Hall, the same room in which the Watergate and the McCarthy hearings were held — as well as the hearings on the sinking of the Titanic. Senators Jackie Rosen, James Lankford, Marsha Blackburn and Elissa Slotkin were our special guests.

As a bipartisan organization, we offered speaking opportunities to both Democrat and Republican senators. I was given the honor of introducing Sen. Blackburn and Jill introduced Sen. Slotkin. Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz and Hadassah Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director Ellen Finkelstein introduced Sens. Rosen and Lankford. Sen. Blackburn had greeted me warmly and thanked me and Hadassah for our ongoing advocacy work.

Each speaker addressed the rise of antisemitism and domestic terrorism in our communities and applauded our efforts to fight back and protect our Jewish communities and our country from unwanted hate and violence. Each received a rousing round of applause from our members.

In these days of continued and escalating antisemitism and anti-Zionism and when women’s reproductive rights are under assault, our meetings were particularly poignant and heartfelt. We thanked our legislators for supporting issues we have in common and, at times, discussed their ideas and policies that were not aligned with Hadassah’s. If there was a difference of opinion and position, we explained Hadassah’s rationale  in a courteous manner. In order to personalize our messaging, some of us told personal stories.

I, for example, conveyed my experience in the Capitol cafeteria during my previous visit when our group was verbally accosted by Pro-Palestinian protesters. We were cornered while being called baby killers and accused of committing genocide. It brought home the need  to keep us safe by passage of FEMA’s Non-Profit Security Grant Funding legislation. The story I related had even greater impact as it happened within the walls of the Capitol. Future communication was encouraged and we each got a sense of meaningful participation in the democratic process.

Advocacy and education are key elements of what Hadassah does and that Day on the Hill was the epitome of our work. To be a presence advocating for vital issues of safety and security for women, Jews and Israel was not only energizing and exciting, but truly lifechanging.

The knowledge that we CAN make a difference with our strong advocacy efforts was palpable. We’ve been successful in the past when our advocacy was instrumental in passing the Never Again Holocaust Education Bill. We are now striving for success in making sure that we are all safe in our houses of worship through the passage of H.R. 5645, the Pray Safe Act.

To ensure that US/Israel medical partnerships continue, we are also advocating for the passage of H.R. 661 Miracle Medical Technology Act and H.R. 768 Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act.

Our many issues as advocates fall within Hadassah’s three advocacy priorities: strengthening a strong US/Israel relationship, combatting antisemitism and supporting women’s health. The 200 members who came to D.C. to speak up and speak out were doing just that and I was so very proud to have played a key role in leading the effort!

When we watch in real time how Iranian citizens — men, women and children — are mistreated and victimized by their own leaders and teenagers are publicly executed for protesting against the government’s abuses, we are reminded that we must protect the rights and privileges we have in America. We must exercise those rights, bitterly fought for and won! We must use our collective voices. Hadassah gives us that opportunity.

I thank all of the professionals who made this day work smoothly. It could never have happened in such a cohesive manner without them.

I thank Hadassah for creating Hadassah on the Hill – Day of Impact 2026 and for giving us all an opportunity to use our collective and powerful voices as a force for good in a tumultuous and frightening world.

Thank you to all the advocates who showed up and continue to show up! Kol HaKavod! All honor to you!

Joyce is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 800 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested in writing? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)