Hadassah International New Zealand, Auckland branch held a very successful Annual General Meeting on Sunday 1st August at the Beth Shalom Synagogue Hall.
About 40 members attended, with 18 apologies.
Some videos and news clips from HMO were shown including the new Rehabilitation Centre to be built at Mt Scopus that we hope to help fund in the future.
A brief report from Sam Tebbs in Wellington was received.
The most important news conveyed to members in the President’s report was a talk-through of the 15-month process of HINZ receiving overseas tax donee status from the IRD. This process relied heavily on the considerable vital information requested and readily supplied from Israel and New York as well as the strong interest and support shown by our senior policy adviser at the IRD.
This critical granting of tax donee status means all donations to Hadassah from 1st April 2021 are eligible for the tax rebate.
After the formalities of the AGM were completed the members and guests were privileged to hear from 3 excellent guest speakers. Three intelligent accomplished Jewish women who had interesting lives before coming to New Zealand:
Dr. Liora Fireman, Israeli-born and educated psychiatrist and mother.
Rachel Israel, born in Cochin, India spoke about the history and life in the Indian Jewish communities she grew up in.
Dr. Jessica Bayner, US-born forensic pediatric psychiatrist.
Picture caption:
Hadassah New Zealand committee and guests from left to right Mary Lou Stiassny (Committee member), Jenny Leiman (President), Rachel Israel (guest speaker) Lisa Dorushkin (Secretary) Fiona Ross (Treasurer), Dr. Jessica Bayner, (guest speaker), Dr. Liora Fireman (guest speaker), Elaine Silverman (Committee member).