The Bernice S. Tannenbaum Prize recognizes innovative contributions to advance the status of women and girls in Israel and the United States. It is named in honor of Bernice S. Tannenbaum’s lifetime of service to the Jewish People, the State of Israel, and Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. The Prize carries forward the mission of The Hadassah Foundation to make a difference in the lives of women and girls. The issues women and girls face often are relegated to the margins. The Hadassah Foundation is dedicated to bringing these issues to the center of Jewish concern by forming partnerships with and providing support for other social change organizations and individuals who share our goals.

2009 Recipient
Vardit Dameri Madar personifies the mission of The Hadassah Foundation through her dedication to helping women break the cycle of poverty. Her work with Yedid advances women’s rights both by providing legal advice to thousands of individuals and by successfully litigating precedent-setting cases.

The Bernice S. Tannenbaum Prize will enable Vardit to attend Gendering East/West, an international conference at the University of York on gender and the law. She then will publish a paper on how the Israeli legal community can enable disempowered women of all backgrounds to advance themselves.

The Bernice S. Tannenbaum Prize was conceived and implemented through generous contributions from Joan and Leonard Leiman, with additional funding provided by The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation.

Bernice S. Tannenbaum

Vardit Dameri Madar

The Hadassah Foundation presented
the inaugural Tannenbaum Prize at a ceremony
in New York City on June 15, 2009

Click here for photos of the event

Click below to read remarks by:

Hadassah National President, Nancy Falchuk

Bernice S. Tannenbaum

Vardit Dameri Madar