Hadassah Coffee Talk presents ‘The Bintel Brief’

Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah resumes its Coffee Talk programs on Monday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Renee Sandler. Guest speaker Bobbi Handwerger will discuss “Voices of Our Past: The Bintel Brief.”

“The Bintel Brief” is an advice column similar to “Dear Abby,” created by Abraham Cahan in 1906 in the Jewish Daily Forward (Der Forvertz), a Yiddish daily newspaper in New York City. In Yiddish, Bintel means “bundle” and brief means “letters.” The Yiddish format of the Forward continued until 1970, but the name of the column remains the same, even in its online version. Handwerger, who served as co-president of Cincinnati Chapter from 2010 to 2012, will read letters and responses published in the early 20th century and lead a discussion of possible solutions to the problems posed. Are our present-day concerns and issues that different from those of our great-grandmothers? Bobbi has been a Life Member since 1975 and is also a former president of the Durham/Chapel Hill, N.C. Chapter of Hadassah.

Coffee Talk is a monthly, casual get-together, usually held in a Hadassah member’s home, to discuss topics of Jewish interest. Meetings are held the second Monday of the month, alternating between evening and morning times. Upcoming Coffee Talk programs will feature Cincinnati Shaliach Yair Cohen, Judge Heather Stein Russell, Dr. Laura Wexler, and Rabbi Judy Chessin.

Tobe Snow, Coffee Talk chair and vice-president of programming for Cincinnati Chapter, has been involved with Hadassah since the 1980s. She has held numerous positions, and served as Chapter president from 2007-2010. At the 2008 National Convention in Los Angeles, she was proud and honored to accept the National Hadassah Award for overall excellence in women’s health programming for the Cincinnati Chapter. She also currently serves on the Hadassah Central States Region Board as Membership Chairman. On July 9, 2009, she met with Vice President Joe Biden while he was in Cincinnati to speak about the Federal Stimulus Project, and he told her, “When the women of Hadassah speak, people listen!”

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, was born from the vision of one woman, Henrietta Szold, who saw a great need and wanted to help. She knew what a powerful force women can be and created Hadassah to heal the world through the education and empowerment of women. In 1912, Hadassah women laid down the foundation of the Hadassah Medical Organization and other vital projects in Israel and around the world. Hadassah members still meet, make new friends, have fun, discuss and learn. Cincinnati Chapter is full of vibrant, intelligent women who look forward to continuing Henrietta Szold’s vision of making a difference for centuries to come.

There is no charge to attend Coffee Talk, but RSVPs are requested.