Hadassah CEO Ellen Finkelstein to Appear at Miami Film Festival With Filmmaker Abby Ginzberg

MIAMI, FLA. — Ellen Finkelstein, the CEO of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, will join Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Abby Ginzberg on Monday, January 19, for a talkback following the 7:30 PM southeast premiere of Ginzberg’s new documentary, Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Szold. Hadassah, which Szold founded in 1912, is today the largest Jewish women’s organization in the US.

The talkback will be moderated by Rabbi Efrat Zarren Zohar, executive director of Miami’s Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE). A 6:30 PM meet-and-greet with Ms. Finkelstein will precede the 7:30 PM screening.

Hadassah Greater Miami is sponsoring the event, which is part of the Miami Jewish Film Festival and will take place at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC (18900 NE 25th Avenue, Miami, FL 33180).

Tickets, at $16 for adults and $15 for seniors (65+) and students (with ID), can be purchased at the door, or in advance (miamijewishfilmfestival.org/films/2026/labors-of-love).

About the Film:

Henrietta Szold was one of the 20th century’s most influential Jewish-American women, yet her story has never been told on film. A pioneering humanitarian, she transformed her personal heartbreak into a lifelong mission of service, founding Hadassah in 1912 and mobilizing generations of other Jewish-American women to support healthcare and education in pre-state Israel. (Today, Hadassah continues to support healthcare in Israel through the Hadassah Medical Organization, its Jerusalem-based hospital system.)

Szold later became the driving force behind Youth Aliyah, a movement which rescued thousands of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Europe. (Today, Hadassah continues to  care for vulnerable young people through its Youth Aliyah “villages” in Israel.)

Abby Ginzberg’s family history is entwined with Szold’s, making Labors of Love both a portrait of an unsung heroine and a meditation on compassion and the power of one woman’s vision to change the course of history.

Other Events:

On Sunday, January 18, at Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, Fla., Dianne and Stuart Gottlieb will sponsor a talkback with the filmmaker, Abby Ginzberg; Ms. Gottlieb, a longtime Hadassah leader; and Rabbi Jaime Klepi following a 1:00 PM screening of the documentary. Tickets and Information: https://miamijewishfilmfestival.org/films/2026/labors-of-love

From Tuesday, January 20, through Wednesday, January 28, the film will be available for streaming sponsored by Audrey Weiner and her husband, Jeffrey Solomon Ms. Weiner is an officer and the immediate past board chair of the Hadassah Foundation and an advisory-board member of the Miami Jewish Film Festival. Tickets and Information: https://miamijewishfilmfestival.org/films/2026/labors-of-love

About Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America:

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States. With nearly 300,000 members, donors and supporters, Hadassah brings women together to effect change on such critical issues as ensuring Israel’s security, combating antisemitism and promoting women’s health care. Through its Jerusalem-based hospital system, the Hadassah Medical Organization, Hadassah helps support exemplary care for more than 1 million people every year as well as world-renowned medical research. Hadassah’s hospitals serve without regard to race, religion or nationality and in 2005 earned a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for building bridges to peace through medicine. Hadassah also supports two youth villages that set at-risk youth in Israel on the path to a successful future. Visit www.hadassah.org or follow Hadassah on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads and X.