When Lillian Minkowsky moved to Millbrae from Minnesota with her husband in 1948, one of the first things she did was join Hadassah.
“In the late ’40s, early ’50s we were all mostly new to California, looking for people to attach to,” she says of her early Sequoia Hadassah pals. “We were all around the same age, all having babies and this was a wonderful way for us to be together.”
Now 81, Minkowsky is getting ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hadassah’s Sequoia chapter on Saturday, Nov. 11. The oldest living past president, she will be honored along with the group’s other past presidents.
With 57 original members, the chapter was formed when several South Bay groups merged.
These days, Minkowsky’s been reflecting on a half-century of memories. When she and others in the chapter were pregnant in 1950, her sister Rose — who owned a consignment shop in Los Angeles — contributed a helpful donation to their cause.
“She sent me Deanna Durbin’s $750 maternity suit,” said Winkowsky. “It was absolutely gorgeous and so dressy you couldn’t wear it much, but it passed around among the various pregnant women. I hope it’s still making the rounds.”
Of course, the original Sequoia women shared something more valuable than a $750 maternity suit — they shared good company.
“We got to enjoy each other, no matter what it was,” said charter member Phyllis Koch. “We loved meeting, we met all the time, it was our big social activity.”
Minkowsky agreed. Although she moved away to Los Angeles in 1961, she said her time with the Sequoia chapter, socializing and raising money for Israel’s Hadassah hospital — originally, the prime focus of the 80-year-old women’s Zionist organization — has made a lifelong impression.
For instance, she remembers Gertrude Besser, “a very good-looking young woman with a lovely figure” who always appeared in Hadassah’s fund-raising fashion shows.
“At a committee meeting someone told me, ‘Gert [would] look good in a burlap sack,'” remembers Minkowsky, who described Besser as a tall, elegant brunette. “So, at the next fashion show, Gert fixed up a burlap sack with safety pins and came out.”
And then there was Ethel Chedekel, “a marvelous bridge player” who often had retired admirals over to her house to play and always managed to win.
“She was always well over her donor quota,” said Minkowsky, “and she taught me everything I know [about bridge].”
As the women grew older, the activities evolved along with them.
“When we were younger the character of the chapter was, ‘Let’s get together and party,” said Gloria Altneu, publicity chair. “Then, as we got older, we became more interested in educational things.”
These days the Sequoia chapter of Hadassah boasts a membership of 1,150 and includes both Israeli and Russian immigrants. Nationwide, Hadassah is 300,000 members strong, with groups in all 50 states.
“It’s the largest women’s Zionist organization in the United States,” said Rhoda Grument, Sequoia’s current president, citing both fund-raising and educational outreach as Hadassah’s main goals. “It represents women from a wide age range and background working together for a cause they all believe in.”
Many of the original woman — as well as their daughters and granddaughters — remain as members, although “naturally there are plenty of white heads now,” said Koch.
She quickly added, “I wouldn’t put myself in that category.”
For Minkowsky, who currently lives in Santa Cruz, the upcoming anniversary gala will be a bit like a family reunion. Despite maintaining only indirect contact with her Sequoia chapter friends, Minkowsky expects the event “to be just like old times.”
She does admit, however, “we’re all grayer and fatter and suffering from what we call senior moments, or bad memory.”
But Minkowsky’s memory isn’t half as bad as she claims.
“I remember this time,” she continued, “a policeman, who was assigned by the city to do rounds at our synagogue in Redwood City after it had been vandalized, came in during our annual fund-raising dinner, pointed to the kasha varnishkes and asked, ‘What is this fabulous food? Can I have the recipe?'”
With a laugh she added: “We had some great times.”