The Hadassah Foundation is committed to ongoing learning about the field of gender equity, the needs of women and girls in Israel and the United States, and the best practices in philanthropy. We are also committed to sharing what we learn to strengthen and grow the ecosystem of feminist organizations. As part of this work, we have curated several recent news articles that are relevant to the work we do in the United States.
Below is a curated collection of recent articles about our grantees, feminism, and gender equity in the American Jewish community. We also regularly share articles about gender equity issues in Israel. Please note that the Hadassah Foundation does not endorse every view expressed in the articles below.
Grantees in the News
Five Lessons on Mergers in this Moment of Change
eJewish Philanthropy, October 23
Moving Traditions CEO Shuli Karkowsky and Vice President of Feminist Programs Elizabeth Mandel share what they’ve learned from the merger of Moving Traditions and jGirls+ Magazine. Among their recommendations for other Jewish organizations considering mergers: “Embrace the idea that feminist leadership is not just for feminist organizations.” They explain: “We are proud to be two feminist organizations pursuing collaboration through a feminist vision of power. But we believe this is a model for all organizations, even those that aren’t feminist. Our hope in writing this article is that organizations of all kinds will strive for a different kind of leadership and power-sharing. We hope sharing our own paths to success will serve as a powerful example, not only for the Jewish feminist ecosystem, but for all curious and ethical organizations that want to grow sustainably and in pursuit of a stronger Jewish community.”
Karkowsky and Mandel also teamed up on A New Approach to Raising Jewish Teens, published in the September-October issue of Hadassah Magazine. In it, they describe how their programs, guided by a feminist philosophy of leadership, respond to “deep concern among Jewish parents about their teens’ moral and emotional development amid a divisive political and social climate where power is viewed as a zero-sum game.” As they note, “Jewish communities are becoming increasingly divided, particularly over domestic politics and Israel, antithetical to the idea that all Jews are responsible for one another. Our work cultivates civil interaction among young people with different identities, backgrounds and perspectives. Across our programs, teens bring their varied viewpoints and lived experiences together to grapple with topics such as what it means to be a Jew, antisemitism and Zionism.”
Note: In the coming weeks, we will announce our four 2025 Core U.S. grant recipients. These four organizations — three of which have not previously been funded by the Hadassah Foundation — will each receive a grant of $80,0000 paid out over three years.
Other Recommended Articles
The Women’s and Girls’ Index 2025: Measuring Giving to Women’s and Girls’ Organizations
Women’s Philanthropy Institute, October 2025
This annual report reviewed giving data in 2022-2023 (the most recent years for which finalized IRS data on charitable organizations are available) and found that in 2022, for the first time ever, donations to women and girls exceeded 2 percent of total charitable giving. The bad news was that giving was still well below 3 percent — and it declined back to 2 percent in 2023. The report attributes much of the increased giving to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade’s protection of abortion rights.
Susan Stamberg at the Third Coast Audio Festival in 2005. (Wikimedia Commons)
Susan Stamberg, Iconic Jewish ‘Founding Mother’ of NPR, Dies at 87
JTA, October 17
Relying heavily on material previously collected by past grantee Jewish Women’s Archive, this article examines the legacy of the pioneering radio host whose femaleness and Jewishness made some producers reluctant to put her in such a high-profile role.
Forty Years Later: Celebrating the Sisterhood of Female Clergy
eJewish Philanthropy, September 26
Rabbi Nicole Guzik, the first woman to hold the position of co-senior rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, reflects on the 40th anniversary of the Conservative movement ordaining women rabbis. Today, she notes, women are equally represented among the movement’s rabbinical students and are “rewriting the norms of what leadership looks like.”
Women’s Healthcare Chronically Underfunded, Says Melinda French Gates
BBC News, September 10
Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates has said women’s health is chronically underfunded, as she committed $50 million to researching the issue. This commitment is in addition to her pledge to invest $1 billion in the field over two years and will be used for new research into areas that pose significant risks to women around the world, including autoimmune conditions and mental health.
Labor Day Reminder: Policies Aren’t Enough When it Comes to Paid Leave
eJewish Philanthropy, August 28
Rabbi Mary Zamore shares highlights of a study by her organization, the Women’s Rabbinic Network: “The study, which focuses on paid leave experiences among Reform movement professionals, presents a striking paradox. While nearly all respondents believe paid leave should be standard — 98% for parental leave, 97% for medical leave and 89% for caregiving leave — significant barriers persist that prevent many from accessing these benefits when needed.” The study also reveals significant gender disparities when it comes to paid leave, she writes.