Let The Doves Fly — How Hadassah is a Lifechanging Moment in My Life

Hope the artist, and member of Hadassah’s Educators Council at one side of Dove #85

Think about the dog days of summer. Think about concerts and festivals. Finally, think about Woodstock. That iconic moment in the summer of 1969. What comes to mind? Rain, mud, traffic, crowds, and a galaxy of rock and roll music legends are just a few vivid images that come to mind from books movies and the memories of participants.

The iconic poster image was created by Jewish artist Arnold Skolnick. The logo for Woodstock, the concert, not to be confused with Woodstock, NY the town, looked like a hand on the neck of a guitar and a bird. While many people to this very day refer to that bird as a dove, in looking for information, I discovered it is a catbird

However one perceives the bird on that poster, you can travel the highways and byways of Sullivan County, New York and find over 80 pieces of outdoor art. Each one started as a blank white 3 ft x 7 ft shape.

Today, each of those sculptures is part of the Dove Trail. And that type of bird, the dove, certainly has connections to history, and to stories from generations and generations, L’Dor V’Dor.

How do I know about the catbird and the dove? How do I know the size of the blanks and about the Dove Trail? Because I am another Jewish artist and I painted the last dove sculpture in this legacy.

Recently, the completed artwork was revealed to the public. Dove #85 stands on the property of Arrowhead Ranch and Retreat in Parksville, New York. This site was frequented by rock impresario Bill Graham, the same person who brought Carlos Santana and other musicians to Bethel, NY for that festival almost 60 years ago.

Bill Graham was also a child survivor of the Holocaust. Although his sister did not survive, he eventually made it to New York. There are various accounts of his childhood.

Working with Jessica Weiss, the sponsor of this dove, we acknowledged the impact of music upon Arrowhead Ranch, and how it can unite people. That is clearly seen on one side of the dove. The other side reflects the mission of growingSOUL, Jessica’s organization. Unlike a coin that has a head and a tail, this dove flies with artwork on its chin, beak, and from the tip of its tail to its underbelly.

From the 45 record inserts that became flowers, to the stars that point heavenward, from the flowery crown to the glitter, each decision was deliberate. Look at the arrangement of apples in the shape of a six and a nine. Look at the field of blue and the assortment of stars. What else do you see?

Three women (myself, Jessica Weiss and Rose Barnett, proprietor of the Arrowhead Ranch and Retreat) came together to bring this project to the community. Each of us has connections to the Jewish faith. I see the people who came for the reveal and who cheered us on before, during and afterwards. What does it feel like to be part of such a journey? If only that dove could talk!

In a way, the dove talks through its stance. The beak of this dove points visitors to the large lawn and gathering spot across Cooley Road. There people sit, relax, sing and dance while enjoying monthly outdoor concerts during the summer.

Just before entering through the welcome gates, there’s a fence. Along that fence is one of the gardens in Sullivan County that’s part of the worldwide Daffodil Project. The goal of this project is to plant 1.5 million yellow daffodils in commemoration of the children who perished in the Holocaust.

In essence, the dove shows visitors the way. It is a guide post, pointing people towards a commemoration garden, a remembrance place, and a place where the annual blooms spread hope. That bulb in the ground, covered with mulch, hibernates and gathers nutrients from Mother Nature.

This reminds me of the sustenance that energized people during their interactions with Henrietta Szold, Hadassah’s founder. Thanks to her vision and leadership, Hadassah has existed for many decades. People have met, reunited, and come together in person and virtually. Birthed from the spirit of Henrietta Szold, who breathed life into the education of so many people. Henrietta questioned, observed and journeyed. She felt something and that set her life’s course. It is in that spirit that people and living creatures fly.

Hadassah has a new organizational tagline. It is one word: lifechanging. Every minute, this organization is changing someone’s life. Whether at a medical center, in a conference room, on the floor of the U.S. Congress, or through a phone call or email, Hadassah is lifechanging. For its leaders, its members and for the communities which is serves.

Someone is helping someone as an advocate, an educator, a sister/”sister,” a supporter, or a doctor, nurse or a medical professional. Through trials and tribulations, through tears and smiles, the lifechanging connections have an enduring impact.

Those interpersonal connections weave through our hearts and souls. Those are what experiences and memories are made of. I’ve read excerpts of people’s experiences at Woodstock ’69. I’ve visited the museum at Bethel Woods. Over three days, lives changed. The impact of this event is part of the fabric of our lives from music to the birth of babies, from tourists to T-shirts.

A catbird, a dove, Jewish artists who never met, people who came together for a common cause. People singing, dancing, swaying, sharing, and smiling. It harkens images of Miriam and the women dancing with the timbrels with joy flowing through the air.

It is in that air that all we share. The air we breathe. It is the oxygen of our lives, not only for people, but also for flora and fauna, for those who dwell below our feet and in the waters. Waters flowing with the succulents of life. Water and soil comingling as nourishment. It’s the milk and honey that we all yearn for.

It is in that space and worldwide that Hadassah is lifechanging. Saving lives, bringing people together, from building hospitals to tilling gardens. From the soil in Sullivan County, New York, to the deserts of a kibbutz, to the Hadassah Medical Organization and its two world class research and treatment hospitals in Jerusalem, there is a spirit that lives. Whether shale, red clay, or irrigated land, there is nourishment. And it is back to the garden that the dove brings us.

Dove, symbolic of freedom. Dove, symbolic of land and air. Dove of unity. Fly high, soar!

Link to Mid-Hudson News coverage of the reveal, Final dove unveiled, marking completion of Sullivan’s “Dove Trail” (VIDEO) — Mid Hudson News

Hope is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 800 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested in writing? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.

Photo used with permission by Colin J. Sass showing Hope just as the cloth is pulled away for the public reveal.

Hope and Jessica Weiss at their dove in Parksville, NY

Proud Mom makes it to see her daughter’s artwork, Dove #85, in person.