2025-09-29 7:48 PM <br/> Tags: #people #AmericanJewry #Israel #EarlyZionism ![[image-135.png|315x456]] # Henrietta Szold (1860-1945) - Henrietta Szold founded [[Hadassah]] in 1912. - Hadassah is the largest Jewish women's organization with around 300,000 members today. - Szold was born into a rabbinical Jewish family in Baltimore. - Szold was raised to favor the traditional men's pursuits of politics, religion, and higher learning. - Szold was an early contributor to the *Jewish Encyclopedia*. - *The Jewish Encyclopedia is a major source for this whole project.* - In 1902 Szold became the first woman admitted to the [[Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)]] in New York. - While at the JTS, Szold studied under and worked as a translator for Louis Ginzberg ,a notable talmudic scholar. - In 1893 Szold organized an immigrant Zionist group in Baltimore, possibly the first Zionist group in the United States. *This is still years before the Zionist project becomes a reality with Theodore Herzl and the WZO in Switzerland.* - In the late 1890s Szold became the only female executive member of the Federation of American Zionists. - The Federation of American Zionists later changed its name to the [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]]. - At the ZOA Szold worked with the likes of: [[Louis Brandeis]], [[Felix Frankfurter]], [[Judah Magnes]], etc. *Szold later founded the left wing Ihud party with Judah Magnes.* - In 1909 Szold traveled to the Jewish [[Yishuv]] in Palestine. - In response to the subpar conditions, Szold and a handful of American Jewish women in New York founded [[Hadassah]] in 1912. - Szold served as president of Hadassah from 1912-1926. - Szold was critical in founding Hadassah's Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO). - In 1934 Szold laid the cornerstone of the Mount Scopus Rothschild-Hadassah Medical University Hospital in Jerusalem. *More HMO info on the [[Hadassah]] page.* - Szold began courting fundraisers for Hadassah's nascent medical projects in Palestine. - [[Nathan Straus]], the owners of Macy's was the first large donor to Hadassah. - Strauss gave an initial donation of $25,000 (~$800,000 today). - The [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)]] was a key early backer of Szold's organization. - Szold moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1920 and served on a number of the Jewish quasi governing bodies. - Szold was a member of the [[Palestine Zionist Executive]] in the mid 1920s. - Szold was a member of the [[Jewish Agency]] in the late 1920s. - Szold was a member of the [[Jewish National Council]]; she ran the social services department. - The Jewish National Council was the precursor to Israel's ministry system. (Szold was like the US secretary of Education + Health and Human Services) - In 1933 Szold joined a partnership [[Recha Freier]], a German Jewish woman, on an organization called [[Youth Aliyah]]. - Youth Aliyah was formed to settle German Jewish children in Palestine. The organization was founded on the same day [[Hitler|Adolf Hitler]] rose to power in Germany, January 30, 1933. - Szold (now living in Jerusalem) operated the Jerusalem side of the operation while [[Recha Freier]] operated the German side. - Szold founded the Israeli political party Ihud. - Ihud was notable in its binational position, meaning support for both a Jewish and an Arab state in Palestine. - Ihud was heavily ostracized from both the left wing labor and right wing revisionist factions of 1930s and 40s Jewish politics. - The Palmach, an elite unite of the pre statehood Jewish paramilitary force the [[Haganah]], named a Jewish illegal immigration ship the *Henrietta Szold* in honor of Szold. #### Legacy - When Szold died in 1945, [[Chaim Weizmann]], [[Yitzhak Ben-Zvi]], and [[Judah Magnes]] carried her brier (stand that holds the casket). - [[David Ben-Gurion]] was among the many in attendance at her funeral. - Hadassah gives out an annual *Henrietta Szold Prize*. - The prize is meant to highlight exceptional figures advancing Zionism and humanitarian pursuits. - The first recipient of the Henrietta Szold Prize was Elanor Roosevelt in 1949. - The Israeli Mother's Day is celebrated on the day Szold died. *February 13 for us, 30 Shevat for Jews. Shevat is the fifth month of the typical Jewish Hebrew calendar.* - There are schools in New York and Israel named after Szold. ![[image-134.png]] *Szold on the Israeli five pound note, issued from 1973-1986.* #### References - Brown, Michael. “Henrietta Szold.” _Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women_. Jewish Women’s Archive, March 20 2009. [https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/szold-henrietta](https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/szold-henrietta) - Hacohen, Dvora. “The Two Lives of Henrietta Szold.” _Hadassah Magazine_, May 12 2021. [https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2021/05/12/two-lives-henrietta-szold](https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2021/05/12/two-lives-henrietta-szold) - Isseroff, Ami. “Biography – Henrietta Szold.” _Zionism and Israel Information Center_ (2005). [https://zionism-israel.com/bio/biography_Henrietta_Szold.htm](https://zionism-israel.com/bio/biography_Henrietta_Szold.htm) - “First Skirmishes in Zionist Controversy at Hadassah Convention.” _Jewish Telegraphic Agency_, June 29 1928. [https://www.jta.org/archive/first-skirmishes-in-zionist-controversy-at-hadassah-convention](https://www.jta.org/archive/first-skirmishes-in-zionist-controversy-at-hadassah-convention) - “Henrietta Szold.” _Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America_. [https://www.hadassah.org/about/history](https://www.hadassah.org/about/history) - “Henrietta Szold.” _Jewish Virtual Library_. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/henrietta-szold](https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/henrietta-szold) - “Henrietta Szold.” _National Women’s Hall of Fame_ (2007). [https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/henrietta-szold](https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/henrietta-szold) - “Miss Szold Declines to Discuss Z.O.A. Controversy.” _Jewish Telegraphic Agency_, May 16 1928. [https://www.jta.org/archive/miss-szold-declines-to-discuss-z-o-a-controversy](https://www.jta.org/archive/miss-szold-declines-to-discuss-z-o-a-controversy) - Moore, Deborah Dash, and Mira Katzburg-Yungman. “Hadassah in the United States.” _Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women_. Jewish Women’s Archive, June 23 2021. [https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hadassah-in-united-states](https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hadassah-in-united-states) - Weinberg, David M. “A Gripping Biography of Henrietta Szold.” _DavidMWeinberg.com_, October 28 2021. [https://davidmweinberg.com/2021/10/28/a-gripping-biography-of-henrietta-szold](https://davidmweinberg.com/2021/10/28/a-gripping-biography-of-henrietta-szold) - “Szold, Henrietta.” _Encyclopedia.com_, updated May 23 2018. [https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/judaism-biographies/henrietta-szold](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/judaism-biographies/henrietta-szold)