At tonight’s opening ceremony for the 42nd Jerusalem Film Festival, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America – the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States – presented the Israeli-born international movie star Gal Gadot with its Power of Dreams Award for her courageous advocacy on behalf of Israel.

Gadot, a national icon in Israel, is only the second person to receive the Hadassah award. In 2016, Oscar®-and Emmy® Award-winning actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow became the first to be given the honor, which recognizes women whose vision and actions

 mirror those of Hadassah’s founder, Henrietta Szold. It was Szold’s compassion and foresight that laid the foundation for Israel’s modern healthcare system.

Since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas, Gadot, who found international fame in 2016, when she first portrayed Wonder Woman in what became an American superhero franchise, and who is the first Israeli actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has become equally well known for speaking out on behalf of her country. She has continued to do so despite the harsh criticism sometimes aimed at her as a result.

Before an international audience of 7,000 filmmakers, cinephiles and dignitaries, Carol Ann Schwartz, Hadassah National President, presented Gadot with the Power of Dreams Award, an intricate papercut of a wreath of colored flowers created by Israeli artist Amalya Nini.

The dedication written on the award praises the actress for “using [her] global platform to advocate for truth and justice” and concludes with a line from the Biblical story of Esther, the Jewish heroine who risked her life for her people: “Perhaps this is the moment for which you were created.”