Hadassah

American  

[huh-dah-suh, hah-] / həˈdɑ sə, hɑ- /

noun

1. a benevolent organization of Jewish women founded in New York City in 1912 by Henrietta Szold and concerned chiefly with bettering medical and educational facilities in Israel, forwarding Zionist activities in the U.S., and promoting world peace.

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Etymology

Origin of Hadassah

< Hebrew hădassāh literally, myrtle, the Hebrew name of Queen Esther; see Esther 2:7

Example Sentences

The boy, approximately six months old, was pronounced dead despite resuscitation efforts, the Hadassah Medical Centre said in a statement.

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

"After prolonged resuscitation efforts, the team was forced to declare him dead," Hadassah Medical Center said.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2025

Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, where he was pronounced dead, said he was 12; it was not immediately possible to reconcile the discrepancy in age.

From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2024

One of my favorite sketches is “Black Table Talk” with its host, the “world-renowned philosophizer” Dr. Hadassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman, pre-PhD.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2023

Anya could trace mothers and grandmothers back all the way to Hadassah in Persia.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack