In 1934 she was chair of the building fund for the Rothschild–Hadassah–University Hospital, and then served two terms as president (1937–1939, 1943–1947).Įpstein’s early years in Hadassah were marked by great changes for international Jewry. Hadassah’s initial mission was to bring much-needed health care, research, and teaching to Palestine. Yet under Epstein’s leadership during World War II, the desire for a Jewish homeland became more relevant. As Hadassah’s representative, she was involved firsthand in the political battles to establish the State of Israel, attending Zionist World Congress meetings, visiting the displaced persons camps in Europe, and traveling to Israel often.Īs Hadassah’s representative, Epstein headed delegations to the 19 World Zionist Congresses. The 1939 Congress in Geneva was particularly difficult, as war was declared only twenty-four hours after Epstein boarded a ship home. At the request of her husband, she left the presidency after the Geneva Congress, but returned to the organization four years later. At the time of her leadership, Hadassah’s membership grew so rapidly that it became the largest Zionist organization in the world.
Judith Epstein’s dedication to Hadassah, however, did not wane after her presidency.
She continued to serve the organization by chairing numerous committees and assisting in daily operations. In addition to her Hadassah activities, Epstein served as chair of the Public Relations Committee of the American Zionist Council and spent several years as Hadassah’s representative to the United Nations.Įpstein was recognized for her commitment to Israel and Hadassah when the organization established an endowment and memorial award in her name. She was also named a Distinguished Alumna of Hunter College. Judith Epstein was the mother of two children, Naomi Cohen and David Epstein, grandmother of five, and great-grandmother of nine. She died of a heart attack on October 27, 1988, in New York City.Lorella Praeli is the Co-President of Community Change and Community Change Action. Lorella is passionate about building collective power to win transformative policy change at all levels of government, so that people can thrive. Until she joined CC/A in 2019, she was a Deputy National Political Director at the ACLU, where she fought to defend and expand the rights of immigrants and refugees. Prior to joining the ACLU, Lorella mobilized the Latinx vote as Hillary Clinton’s National Latino Vote Director. Lorella moved from Peru to Connecticut with her family at the age of ten. Her life was transformed after coming out as “undocumented and unafraid” and organizing undocumented students to step into their power in Connecticut. She then served as United We Dream’s Director of Advocacy and Policy, where she led the campaign to implement DACA and was part of the team that persuaded the Obama administration to protect four million undocumented Americans through DAPA.
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