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December 17, 2010
Chanukah across generations
Local Hadassah-WIZO chapters get together to reminisce and plan.
MICHELLE DODEK
What could be better than a Chanukah tea party? The Dorot chapter of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW), Vancouver’s youngest chapter, found one way to improve on an afternoon of treats and shmoozing: they invited the oldest chapter to join them.
When the invitation was mailed via Canada Post to the ladies of the longer-running Henrietta Szold (Szold) chapter in November, it included the offer of a ride to the party, an easy way to ensure that everyone who wanted to attend would be able to come. When the women called in their RSVPs, they were matched with a driver from Dorot, if they requested a ride. The parallel e-vite sent to the “girls” of Dorot asked both for baking and for volunteer drivers.
The result of this dual-approach invitation was a gathering of more than 25 women of all ages at my home on Dec. 5. The table was set with formal tea service, including silver tea and coffee pots borrowed from my mother-in-law, Judy Dodek, and many other serving pieces and teacups from my husband’s grandmother, Lil Wosk, who had been a member of Szold. The link was not lost on anyone, and several of the older women said they were thrilled to have that kind of continuity and connection to one of their longtime members.
One intent of the tea was to honor the women who have worked over the years to raise money for CHW projects in Israel since Szold was formed in 1945. One of the first Szold members was Bea Goldberg, who attended the tea.
Bea remembers that there were eight women at the beginning, but, before long, there were so many members, they had to split off into another chapter. Bea briefly went to help Anita Waterman form the Naomi chapter, but she didn’t forget about her own chapter and, after six months, returned full time to Szold.
“We were there for the friendship, and to raise money for our projects in Israel,” Bea said. “When the state of Israel was formed ... the need was so strong. We had small fundraisers like [the] Bring and Buy auctions at our meetings, where everyone would bring something they didn’t use and the others would bid and buy the things. There were little raffles and our Make a Dollar Grow campaigns, where each member used her own skills to make her dollar grow. I gave home permanents.”
According to Bea, the Szold women were very serious about raising funds and getting together; each monthly meeting was well organized with a prayer, a d’var Torah and a program.
In 1952, the Hadassah Bazaar came into being and was held at the Armory on Burrard Street. According to another veteran Szold member, Lamie Zbarsky, their chapter was instrumental in the bazaars. “One of our member’s husbands would send 1,000 pieces of clothing from his warehouse to our booth for the bazaar. All of the schoolteachers used to come for clothes. They also came for the food. Our chapter made corned beef sandwiches,” Lamie recalled.
Unfortunately, when the decision to stop holding the bazaar was made, the Szold women felt that there was little left to keep Hadassah going. Many of them were already into their 80s. The bazaar had been “the glue that held the organization together,” Lamie said. However, she reminded the women of Dorot that the Szold ladies were still quite capable of helping out at fundraisers, despite their advanced age.
This year’s chair of the secondlargest fundraiser for Vancouver’s CHW, Dorot member Ginaya Peters, took those words to heart. She explained that last year’s inaugural Hearts Are Wild evening of Texas Hold’em-style poker netted more than $7,000 for the Hadassim Youth Village in Israel, one of CHW’s most comprehensive projects. This year, the hope is to sell even more tickets and sponsorships for the March event and raise even more money.
The women of Henrietta Szold, although more interested in playing mah jongg than poker, expressed their enthusiasm for the event and offered their assistance, another strong link made between the chapters and generations that afternoon.
Although statistics show there are far fewer women volunteering than in years past, in both the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds, the younger women of CHW in Vancouver seem to be enthusiastically interested in continuing the work of the organization, a fact that pleases older members.
“Girls are working now. You need two incomes to live in Vancouver and it’s very difficult,” noted Bea, musing on why CHW participation has declined in recent years.
“I started working in 1971!” interjected Lamie, “but even then, I arranged my work schedule to accommodate Hadassah on Wednesdays.”
The women of CHW’s Dorot and Szold chapters left the tea sporting big smiles. The level of overall commitment in the community may be different going into 2011, but the desire to socialize, learn and raise money to help others remains strong.
Since the Szold chapter stopped formally functioning a couple of years ago, many of the older ladies see each other rarely and were thrilled to catch up. Both Lila Goldin and Sally Seidler said how nice it was to be around young people, too – and the feeling was mutual. Dorot member Tsippy Zack-Simon, for example, said she’s ready to plan another intergenerational event. Dorot, or “Generations” in Hebrew, is certainly brightly reflected in the values of this young chapter.
To get involved or for more information, call 604-257-5160.
Michelle Dodek is a Vancouver freelance writer and member of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO.
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