Hadassah volunteers and leaders had a strong presence at the United Nations this fall as leaders from around the world converged in New York City for General Assembly meetings.

On September 18, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a biased resolution that effectively strips Israel of the right to self-defense in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem while not acknowledging Hamas’s terrorist attacks against Israel. In response, Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz published an op-ed in Newsweek, titled “The United Nations Again Reveals Its True Colors Regarding Israel,” that calls on world leaders to act independently to hold Hamas accountable for killing, kidnapping and raping civilians on October 7.

“Hamas violated the rights of not only Jewish and Arab Israelis,” Schwartz writes, “but also citizens of 25 countries. More than half of the hostages taken were citizens of countries other than Israel, including the United States, Argentina, Germany, France, Thailand, the Philippines, and more.”

Meanwhile, Hadassah representatives participated in September meetings with foreign ministers in New York City alongside other Jewish and Zionist organizations to urge the United Nations and individual countries to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization and hold them accountable for their crimes against humanity, including for weaponizing sexual violence.

Hadassah leaders also spoke out about Hamas’s weaponization of sexual violence during a September 6 meeting in New York City of the newly formed United Nations-affiliated End Antisemitism and Promote Peace Committee. And on September 20, Hadassah co-sponsored and joined a Hostages Family Forum rally in New York City to demand Hamas safely release the hostages still being held captive in Gaza.