Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) left, and Rep. Virginia Brown-Waite (R-FL) center, are pictured in the laboratory of the Goldyne Savad Institute for Gene Therapy with Hadassah National President June Walker. The delegation also included Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) as well as spouses and senior staffers.

“Fighting for the life and the recovery of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is the main item on our agenda these days. He spent his whole life fighting for us, now we are fighting for him,” Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, Hadassah University Medical Center Director General told participants the Women’s Congressional Mission who visited the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem where the Prime Minister is hospitalized.

Hadassah National President June Walker, who accompanied the group during their tour, described the exceptional situation for the five congresswomen and echoed Prof. Mor-Yosef’s thanks for their solidarity with the Israeli people and their support during this emotional time.

While at Hadassah, the delegation met with Prof. Benjamin Reubinoff, Director of Hadassah’s Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center, who provided an in-depth explanation of the promise of stem cell research and its attendant problems; toured the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where Director Dr. Ido Yatsiv described the Palestinian Pediatric Heart Surgery Project; visited the Trauma Unit for an update on Hadassah’s experience in dealing with preparedness for mass casualty events; and heard from Prof. Arieh Shalev, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, an international expert on post traumatic stress disorder.

The Mission was sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and co-sponsored by Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA).