The Women's Red Crescent in Jordan
The women's society of the Jordanian Red Crescent was founded on February 12, 1949, at an invitation addressed to the ladies of Amman by His Excellency Dr. Jamil Pasha al-Tutunji, president of the general Jordanian Red Crescent. It is now a member of the international federation of Red Cross societies. Its aim is to improve health and to lighten misery in the world without regard to religion, color, or race; and its importance lies in its being international, working in peace and in war alike.
The headquarters of the Jordanian Red Crescent is Amman, and from it branch a women's section in Amman and a section on the West Bank, in Jerusalem. The subscribers to the Red Crescent are of two kinds, active and supporting, and their number in the women's section in Amman exceeds three hundred ladies and young ladies. The administrative board is made up of nine members, who are, from the right:
The wife of Ibrahim Pasha Hashim, president of the women's section of the Red Crescent; then the members: the wife of Suleiman Pasha al-Sukkar, the wife of Tawfiq al-Dajani, the wife of Adib al-Sabbagh, the wife of Salim al-Nabulsi, the wife of Thabit al-Khalidi.
The society has a committee called the committee of hospital inspectresses — eight ladies who visit the hospitals, cheer the sick, and teach them knitting, woolwork, and so on — under the presidency of Mrs. Samiha al-Khalidi.
There is a junior branch in all the girls' schools of Amman, conducted by eight ladies and young ladies of the society under the presidency of Mrs. Hind Sabbagh. The aim of the junior society is to plant the spirit of helpfulness and sacrifice in the hearts of the rising generation and to prepare them to take up the responsibilities of the ladies of the future.
Zahle received Lebanon's guest, the famous writer Miss Dorothy Thompson, president of the Friends of the Middle East society, together with Dr. Harland Hopkins, vice-president of the society. After her visit to the American library of Zahle, His Excellency the Governor invited her, in the name of the municipal council, to a luncheon held in her honor at the Hotel Kadri. Among the city's guests at this banquet were His Excellency the American Minister Plenipotentiary and his wife, Dr. Crawford, vice-president of the American University, and his wife, a number of the senior members of the American Legation with their wives, and some of the officials of the state and the townspeople. Shortly before the end of the meal, Dr. Ibrahim Shehadeh rose on behalf of the municipal council and read an open letter to the honored guest, which had been translated into English and distributed to the guests, its purpose being to enlighten public opinion on the present situation in the Arab countries, and especially Palestine. The company then moved to the great hall, where His Excellency the Governor delivered an eloquent address, long applauded by those present; then Mrs. Munira Shehadeh was charged with introducing the famous guest and acquainting the audience with her works, and then with translating her valuable speech, delivered extempore, whose echo still rings in