In August, 2011, Marcie Natan, then Hadassah’s national president, called upon Ellen Hershkin (then a future National President) and me to head up PRAZE, a new Hadassah division dedicated to producing programmatics in Advocacy, Zionism and Jewish Education.
Being there at the inception of this PRAZE division was extremely exciting and inspiring for me. From the very beginning, we developed a strong working relationship among staff and volunteers, strategizing together, making decisions by utilizing the best of the staff’s professional capabilities combined with the volunteers’ skills and organizational knowledge.
I had the pleasure of working with amazing Hadassah leaders like Judy Shereck, the epitome of the “perfect” Zionist and a true mentor, who could resolve every challenge with grace and excellent advice.
During those years, my passion for Hadassah advocacy truly ignited.
Now I’m head of the National Advocacy Team and, when I speak to our volunteers around the country, I am always inspired and proud that they describe “finding their voice” through their Hadassah Advocacy. Not all of them are outgoing; however, their passion for the issues gives them the confidence to speak up. Together, our voices are powerful.
Today, many still do not know how much Hadassah Advocacy is doing. Our National Advocacy Team liaisons service the country, setting up local and state meetings with legislators. Our recent Day on the Hill was a shining example of what we can accomplish, working together.
Hadassah’s 2026 National Advocacy Team. Photo courtesy of Hadassah.
During the past several years, meetings have largely shifted to Zoom –first due to the COVID 19 pandemic—but then Zoom quickly emerged as a convenient way to include more people who could not attend in-person meetings.
Our advocacy meetings via Zoom allow us to work together well even though many of us have never met in person. Last week, at Hadassah’s National Meetings in Washington, D.C., followed by our Day on the Hill sessions with senators and congressmen, many of us came face to face for the first time. We hugged and joked about seeing people’s “other half” — meaning their legs and feet, not visible on Zoom.
For me, the extra treat was reuniting with five of the women I first met on the 1996 Hadassah Young Women’s Mission to Israel. We happily reminisced about how many of us became Hadassah leaders because of that mission. I often repeat that the smartest, most passionate friends and colleagues I cherish are those I have met through Hadassah.
While talking with my mission colleagues and many others, I noticed one recurring theme: Hadassah gives people the opportunity to develop skills and perform jobs we would have never attempted to take on in our personal and professional lives. For example, I held a class long ago that addressed extreme fear of public speaking, which affects more than 40 percent of our US population.
On to our Day on the Hill: My group for our legislative meetings was comprised of the Northern New Jersey constituents, which included Hadassah’s Chief Executive Officer Ellen Finkelstein. Ellen is a highly capable and passionate Hadassah ambassador, who is most articulate in every area of Hadassah. Several members of our group had never met Ellen in person and were a bit intimidated — nervous at first to speak up but did so because they realized that presenting our issues to our legislators and their staff was an important opportunity to further our causes.
As the American Affairs Advocacy Chair, I wanted them to shine and show how capable and passionate they are. We had prepared for our meetings by deciding who would present each issue at each meeting and things went very well. By day’s end, we “Jersey girls” developed a special bond that will carry us forward. The passion behind our words made an impression on the legislators and the staff we met.
As we described why we advocate and cited examples of recent antisemitic acts, how Israel is unfairly viewed worldwide and how disproportionately women are treated in the medical world, I could feel the connections we were making.
Several staff members and legislators shared their own experiences, validating much of what we were saying. Many knew of Hadassah and what we stand for. Those who did not know us were eager to learn more.
We also thanked legislators for their support on various bills and we asked for their support for new and upcoming bills, moving forward.
One important takeaway for me was how meaningful and revealing it is to dialogue with legislators in person. From sound bites on television and social media, we make up our minds about what each legislator is like. That impression is not always accurate.
During one meeting, for example, as we spoke about the rise in antisemitism all over the world, one legislator described how during the COVID 19 pandemic, he, his family and the Asian community had to deal with death threats and hateful rhetoric. He also shared that the first group to step forward to offer help was the Jewish community.
Throughout time, this has been our calling: to help, to speak out and to stand up for those in need. I enjoy my advocacy job immensely but, like many, I am heartsick that our efforts are more urgent than ever given the international hatred of Israel, the uncontrollable rise in antisemitism in communities, on campuses and worldwide, as well as the assault on a woman’s right to privacy.
While I am inspired by the positive impact of our efforts, I am challenged on a daily basis by the extent to which our efforts are critical to our well-being as Jews, Zionists and women.
In dark times, my parents would always say, “Onward and Upward!” And I add, “How proud I am to be doing this work with my Hadassah sisters!”
Debra Mazon is Chair of American Affairs Advocacy for Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) and a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle. Debra has been an active leader in Hadassah for many years holding varied positions including having been the Coordinator and Vice Coordinator of the Education and Advocacy Division. Her professional training was as a Speech/Drama/English teacher for which she was employed on the K-12 levels. Later in her teaching career, she received her Masters as a Media Specialist. Currently, Debra is the director of Human Resources for a medical sales company founded by her husband Richard. She and Richard have two grown sons who work in the company and four grandchildren, two boys and two girls. She is an exercise enthusiast and taught aerobic and step classes for many years and encourages others to work out for physical and mental health benefits. She lives in Emerson, NJ and is a past president of Hadassah Northern New Jersey Region.