Gail Seligson brings Jewish women together for friendship and tikkun olam in “Lower” Delaware
By Susan Towers, Co-Chair of the Jewish Living Delaware Advisory Committee
—
This February, the fledgling Hadassah chapter in Sussex County is kicking off its first book group. The idea came out of a quite lively and spontaneous discourse at its Hanukkah luncheon at the Clubhouse at Baywood in Millsboro.
“And not on Zoom, but in person where we can all get together,” someone said above the collection of voices erupting from the long table.
The dozen women had ordered off the menu, picking from a choice of salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes as they participated in multiple conversations around them. Laughter echoed throughout the room.
Seated in the middle of the long table next to the window, chapter founder and president Gail Seligson told the women that the first book group gathering could be at her home in the Lewes area. Following an overwhelmingly positive response, Gail, a few days later, sent out an email to all members with details about the book event.
“I like the camaraderie, and I support the strength in numbers,” chapter member Dylle Patz said later about Hadassah, though she was not at the luncheon.
“As women, we are enjoying each other’s company and are doing something important and beneficial for other women and children. It is a form of tikkun olam.”
Gail’s lengthy email to members also noted upcoming events, which includes a pasta making class at a local Italian restaurant in March, and announced the chapter’s new cookbook now being created.
“We’re an active chapter,” Gail said. “We get together four to six times a year.”
Though most members live near Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, and Milton, some also come from Bethany Beach and Millsboro.
Gail and her husband, Chris Braudy, moved to Lewes in 2016 from Arlington, VA. Then, she discovered that there was no Hadassah chapter in the area. Gail and her husband not only had been active at the Rodef Shalom synagogue in Mclean, but Hadassah was in her blood. Her mother Mirian Aaron, who was born in Israel but raised Gail in Brooklyn, was “very active” in Hadassah, Gail says. Mirian had given her a lifetime membership to Hadassah before she died in 2013.
“It would have meant a lot to my mother (that I would start a Hadassah chapter),” Gail says. “She was not so religious, but very community minded. I feel that forming this chapter is my mother’s gift to me.”
Gail had her work cut out for her, however. She reached out to the Wilmington Jewish community, and ended up connecting with Leslie Picker, whose experiences with Hadassah dated back to the 1980s when she was president of the Chai Chapter of Wilmington. As far back as 2019, Leslie had tried unsuccessfully to start a chapter in Sussex County. Gail also connected with longtime Delaware Hadassah leader Suzy Grumbacher.
“The Wilmington chapter already had a list of women in Sussex County who had shown interest in joining a local chapter if one were to be formed,” Gail recalled, noting that her initial list was composed from this. More names came about through word of mouth. Suzy had also connected with women living in Sussex who were interested in joining Hadassah.
Leslie recently recalled an early meeting in Lewes at Iron Hill Brewery of women interested in joining. “I think there were 19 women there.”
The women got together several times and by September 2023 Gail was able to get an official charter completed for the new chapter. Today, members are as diverse as is the Jewish community in Sussex County. Some belong to Seaside Jewish Community, an unaffiliated synagogue in Rehoboth Beach. Some attend Chabad events and Shabbat services in Lewes. Others have no active affiliation to a synagogue or denomination, but simply want to connect with other Jews and help the community and/or Israel.
“Hadassah’s primary role is to financially support the Hadassah hospitals in Israel,” Leslie says. “But it also builds leadership skills. I credit my growth intellectually to what I am able to accomplish through Hadassah.”
With the proverbial “sleeves rolled up,” Gail continues to work to keep the chapter moving forward. She works with members to find and organize activities in which they’d like to participate, and looks for a place where they can meet regularly. She also stays connected to Hadassah corporate to keep the chapter in line with the organization.
Tikkun Olam—helping others, is one of her goals. In September last year, she and her husband Chris, a cancer survivor, participated in the six-day Keystone State Ride from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to raise money for the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I just wanted to share with you how fortunate I feel that Gail joined our ride this year,” ride organizer Dave Wellborn said. “It was so wonderful to get to know her during the week. We had such a great time. The ride is such an incredible bonding experience, especially since we all are so dedicated to cancer research.
If you are interested in learning more about the Hadassah Chapter in Sussex County, contact Gail Seligson at: gseligson@aol.com
