Why I Feel Reinvigorated After Hadassah’s Inaugural Evolve Symposium in DC

In March of 2026, Evolve Hadassah: The Next Generation held its very first National Symposium in Washington, DC. Evolve bridges Hadassah’s proud past and vibrant future by empowering Zionist women to connect and make an enduring impact on Israel, women’s health, and the world. Attendees represented a diverse array of Hadassah regions, spanning across New York, Oregon and Texas.

I had the honor of serving on the planning committee for this inaugural event. And I was even more honored when I was asked to lead a workshop on leveraging programming to grow a community.

We kicked off on a Sunday in the early afternoon at the beautiful Capital Jewish Museum. There were discussions centering around each facet of what Hadassah offers the entire world. The women attending bonded in a solemn moment after our dinner that evening as we remembered Sarah Milgrim and her fiancé, Yaron Lischinsky, whom we lost on May 21, 2025, in the shooting at the Capital Museum.

Our spirits picked up as we wrapped that first evening by assembling ”period packs” to support women in the DC area who struggle to access period supplies due to lack of income.

Monday, the main day of our symposium, was packed with learning, fostering connections, and good food. We heard from Julie Ohana, a culinary art therapist who addressed how our modern culture expects women to take up so many roles. While that expectation likely won’t change anytime soon, Julie shared mental health tips to help women like us build our resilience.

Did I mention that I got to lead a workshop? (I did.) Estee Diamond-Morris and I collaborated to build an interactive session titled “Building Community Within Evolve” that sparked self-confidence and inspiration for our Evolve colleagues to take home. We led discussions that empowered them to realize they have what it takes to plan programs in their own chapters.

After a fabulous lunch break, we reconvened to hear Michelle Rojas-Tal, the director of strategic projects at Sixpoint Media, who led an impactful discussion about modern Zionism. We talked about how mind- bogglingly complicated it is to be a Jewish woman in a post October 7 world. We need to understand a complex geopolitical situation, both historically and to date. We see the rising statistics on antisemitic hate crimes. We carry that anxiety with us when we enter secular social spaces. Meanwhile, across the world, we have family and friends in danger of being struck by rockets launched by Iranian proxies.

Though we talked about heavy topics, I walked away feeling lighter. In the 75 minutes we had with our speaker, I relived, processed, and then released the distress I’ve carried within me for years. That alone was invaluable.

Our last activity before the big send-away dinner was an arts and crafts activity. It started with simply painting circles. Then, each step that followed built on the previous step. Our end results were each their own unique mess. Even post-modernist art lovers would have turned their noses up at us. But all of us truly let go and embraced the inner child we used to be. It was a great reminder to practice the things we genuinely enjoy and gave us more inspiration for programs to bring back to our chapters!

The inaugural Evolve Symposium’s grand finale featured the most impressive keynote speaker I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. When I joined Hadassah in 2022, I had no clue this journey would lead me to being seated at dinner with Sarah Hurwitz, author and former speech writer for First Lady Michelle Obama. Her bright demeanor lit up the entire room. What’s even more impressive than the speeches Sarah has written, though, is the way she uses her own voice today to speak out against rising antisemitism, misinformation about Israel and the importance of reclaiming Jewish identity. And when she isn’t writing books, she serves as a hospital chaplain.

On the journey home, I reflected on the person that I’ve become since joining Hadassah following a chance encounter. Now, with two speaking engagements under my belt and nine posts published in the Times of Israel, I can confidently say that I have discovered my voice. And yes, my voice will change as I transition through life stages. And I’ll leverage the confidence I’ve built to use that new voice. It is an honor to be part of Hadassah.

My involvement continues to send me to cities I’ve never seen and to meet people I never otherwise would have met. I disembarked from the Evolve National Symposium feeling hopeful for what my Hadassah future has in store.

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Emily 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.