Advocacy Speaks to Resiliency

Advocacy begins when you need to speak up for a cause, a person, or yourself. Advocacy allows for resiliency. You speak up . . . you bounce back. You stay silent . . . you sink.

As far back as I can remember, as a young child, a child raised in a Jewish home, I have been an advocate. Initially, I was an advocate for my brother who is disabled. Perhaps as a sibling of one who is disabled and being raised Jewish, I was destined to always speak up and act for what is right.

My advocacy has been reflected throughout my career. As a Holocaust Educator, I have taught the lessons of the Holocaust and advocacy to middle school students in New Jersey. Interestingly, most of these students over the years have not been Jewish.

What I have learned is that most kids, no matter their background, have a keen sense of right and wrong. As they learned from a most troubled time — the Hitler era and World War II – – I saw my students becoming mighty warriors, little advocates recognizing what is right and what is wrong in our world.

I remember my students speaking out often saying, “That’s just not right! Why didn’t they speak up?” That very question became the springboard for more learning, more times where my students, when given the chance to engage in discourse on a difficult topic, showed their innate advocacy skills.

A stellar experience in my Hadassah Advocacy journey was when my co-chair of Advocacy for Hadassah Greater Philadelphia Shelli Keeny and I led a group of Hadassah members to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to meet with state legislators. Our event, “A Date with the State” started out on a bus with snacks, notes, instructions and training for 60 very enthusiastic Hadassah women, though unsure of what to expect, destined to share their voices.

Our groups formed according to our local representatives and our “lobbyists” began their venture into the State Capitol where they met with representatives, senators and staff. Watching the groups heading to the various offices and personally sitting in on some of the conversations was very inspirational and empowering.

Sharing Hadassah priorities with the leaders of our state, we felt that we were making a difference. On the way home everyone asked, “When can we do that again, when can we come back?” These women loved being part of something bigger than themselves, something that through speaking up and being listened to, left them feeling empowered.

From a morning of not knowing what lay ahead to coming home feeling inspired, being an advocate is what allows each one of us to take ownership of our ideas and values, not just to think about them but to act upon them; hence, a resiliency of who we are and believe in.

Today, as Vice Chair of the National Hadassah Educators Council, I have learned other leadership skills and have been offered opportunities to continue on with the natural instinct of Advocacy.

My various Hadassah trainings through the years have taught me that advocacy fuels resiliency. And resiliency feels good in these troubled times. Being able to move on, not get stuck, make decisions and be proactive to make this world a better place, is practicing the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world).

Especially in these challenging times when antisemitism is on the rise in the United States and around the world, Hadassah’s advocacy trainings have empowered me to speak up — responding, for example, to negative posts about Israel on social media by enumerating the many positive things Hadassah and Israel have done for this world.

When times are tough, Hadassah is the vehicle through which I practice advocacy. Hadassah members have learned to be resilient, reliable and resourceful, proactive through even the toughest of times. This is what survival through empowerment is all about.

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Paula 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