Chance favors the prepared mind: That was Louis Pasteur’s message to the Lille Faculty of Sciences in 1854. What is true in science is true in life. Nearly two millennia before Pasteur, the great philosopher Philo advised: “The wise do not wait until calamity is upon them.” From the Babylonian Captivity to the mass expulsions from the Land of Israel under the Roman Empire, we learned to always be ready.

For centuries in exile, our forebears prepared themselves for calamities to come. Often denied the right to own and cultivate land, they relied on the cultivation of the mind, education and problem solving—and the confidence of either being or knowing to expect a welcoming Jewish community on the other side of the borders or oceans they were obliged to cross.

When we returned to our homeland we adhered to the readiness imperative—and no one has been more prepared for the past 112 years than Hadassah. When we lost our hospital on Mount Scopus during Israel’s War of Independence, we quickly adapted to temporary quarters in scattered buildings across Jerusalem, where we labored for 13 years until our Ein Kerem campus, anchored by the iconic Round Building, opened in 1961.

In 2020, after the adjacent Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower was completed, the Round Building—empty and ready for renovation—was thrown into emergency use by the Covid pandemic.

Last October 7, Hamas terrorists launched a brutal war against Israel that is now in its 11th month. The conflict has brought a dramatic increase in the need for emergency treatment, rehabilitative care, mental health services and shelter for people evacuated from their homes. Our two hospital campuses immediately began treating injured soldiers and civilians, and our Youth Aliyah villages made room for youngsters from border areas in need of emergency housing.

And as the war has dragged on, we have added capacity, through ingenuity and the dividends of forethought. Our new Gandel Rehabilitation Center on Mount Scopus, originally scheduled to begin a phased opening in the fall of this year, opened its first two floors on January 15. An additional two floors will open later this year. When completed, the eight-story center will offer comprehensive, holistic care for 15,000 patients annually and exceed 320,000 square feet of rehabilitation space.

At Ein Kerem, our reimagined Round Building, emptied out again after Covid service, inaugurated its first two floors on May 2, with another two scheduled to open in the fall.

The Davidson Tower was designed in relatively quiet times, but we prepared for the worst. Five of the facility’s 19 floors are underground—safe from conventional, chemical and biological attack—which is where our state-of-the art operating rooms are located. And we have plans to add six more operating rooms.

After October 7, we also accelerated the modification of an underground level in the Gandel Rehabilitation Center that was supposed to be a parking garage to create an additional emergency treatment floor with intensive care units. This will enhance our already considerable capacity to treat injured soldiers and civilian casualties. Israel needs us and Hadassah needs your help to accomplish our work.  

During our long history, antisemitism was often accompanied by flight. Now that Israel is a reality and most Diaspora Jewish communities are located in free societies, the challenge has shifted to a reliance on democracy, allies and our own defense. In the United States, acts of antisemitism—encompassing violence, fear, exclusion and hostile comments—have increased 140 percent just in the past year, and Hadassah is active in the response to this urgent challenge.

In addition to our advocacy, we are asking women across the country to take our survey and share their personal experiences with antisemitism. We hope this campaign will not only help us meet the challenge through information, but also encourage those who respond to be more active in our collective efforts. Please take the Everyday Antisemitism survey now.

Jewish history is clear: To locate those responsible for helping shape our destiny, look in the mirror. And be ready.