Reel-to-Reel Tapes and Newsletters from the Hadassah Archives

from the collections of Hadassah Archives at AJHS

Hadassah's archival collections document the history of the organization, its accomplishments in Palestine/Israel and its contributions to the world Zionist movement. Two groups of materials have been digitized under a generous grant from the Metropolitan New York Library Council. Together, these materials reveal Hadassah’s early strengths and document Hadassah’s long-lasting achievements.

One of the best sources of information on how Hadassah operated in its earliest years and how quickly it grew, is the Hadassah Newsletter collection. The first issue was printed in September 1914 and has evolved into today’s Hadassah Magazine. As part of this project, the first twenty years of the Newsletter have been digitized and are now key-word searchable. Researchers can read as chapters are formed and fundraising quotas are increased and as Hadassah’s projects in Palestine and then Israel become more ambitious. Throughout, there is a clear sense of Hadassah’s role in the New York, American and world Zionist movements, and in its responsibility towards the Jewish population in Palestine.
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The other half of the project is the digitization of 49 of Hadassah’s reel-to-reel tapes, dating from 1949 to 1976. Listen for yourself as the leaders of the Israeli state describe Hadassah’s accomplishments in Israel as a new hospital building is dedicated, or to Ted Kennedy while on a Senatorial fact-finding mission on health care at Hadassah Hospital in 1971, or to Rose Halprin, Judith Epstein and the many other Hadassah leaders who inspired their members in raising vast sums for medical and educational projects in Israel.
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