Henrietta Szold (1860-1945)
MSA SC 3520-13568
Biography:
World War II brought unspeakable atrocities to the world, especially
the Jewish population of Europe. The coming of war and the
doctrines
of Nazism signaled to many the dire need for aid for Jewish populations
who were, due to immigration restrictings, increasingly trapped in
hostile
countries. Henrietta Szold, recognizing the possibility for
horrible
consequences that lay ahead if no actions were taken, immediately set
out
to save Jewish children from the growing hatred directed towards their
people. In 1933, she initiated the Youth Aliyah, an
organization
that rescued approximately 13,000 children by 1945. Szold, having
no children herself, considered the young boys and girls she greeted
upon
their arrival in Palestine like her own and viewed Youth Aliyah as the
culmination of her life's work in the Zionist movement. Henrietta
Szold's actions endeared her to the world, and as Hadassah National
President,
Miriam Freund, stated at the Henrietta Szold Centennial Lecture in
February
1960, "In every generation, in every land, among every people, unique
personalities
have been born who are destiny marked, leaving an imprint on time and
on
history. Henrietta Szold was of this noble community."1
Henrietta Szold was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 21,
1860.
Her parents, Rabbi Benjamin Szold and Sophia Szold, had immigrated to
Baltimore
from Hungary in 1859 when Rabbi Szold was asked to head the newly
formed
Oheb Shalom Temple. The Szold's had eight daughters, only five of
whom survived to adulthood.2
Henrietta
and her sisters formed very close relationships and maintained these
ties
over time and great distances later in life. Rabbi Szold strongly
believed in the value of education and treated Henrietta as if she were
a son. He encouraged her to read and learn the history of the
Jewish
people and faith, and she imbibed from him his work to reform Judaism
to
respect both past and present customs. Traditionally, Jewish sons
were accorded the privilege of obtaining higher educations, but the
Szold's
permitted their daughters to engage in intensive study. Henrietta
attended Western Female High School, where she excelled in her classes,
and graduated as valedictorian in 1877. Thanks to the
direction
of her father, Henrietta was fluent in many languages, such as Hebrew,
French, and German, which was spoken in her home. During her
teenage
years, she also taught Jewish history and the Bible at the Oheb Shalom
religious school, which would set her on the path to enjoying the value
and gratification found in educating others.3
Although eager to continue her eduation, upon graduating from
Western, Henrietta entered the work force as a teacher in local
schools. In 1878, the Western Female
High School invited her to return to teach as a temporary substitute, a
position she accepted for a short time. After this position,
Henrietta
transfered to Misses Adams's School for Girls in Baltimore where she
instructed
students in numerous subjects including, algebra, geometry, German,
French
literature, botany, and physiology. She relished the ability to
spread
information and education to young girls and remained with the school
for
fifteen years. Devoted to hard work and accostomed to a busy
schedule,
Henrietta also picked up part-time positions at Oldfields Boarding
School
in the suburbs of Baltimore, where she taught German and German
liturature,
and also continued conducting classes for children and adults at her
father's
Temple. In addition, Henrietta translated many of her father's
writings,
including summaries of his weekly sermons, from German to English.4
It was at this time that Szold became aware of the plight of Jews in
eastern
Europe, particularly Russia, who were tormented under the anti-Semitic
policies of the Russian Tsars and forced to immgrate in large numbers
to
the United States. Recognizing that these individuals were
entering
a nation and culture they were little prepared for, Henrietta Szold
suggested
to the Isaac Bar Levison Hebrew Literary Society, of which she was a
member,
the need for establishing a school to teach the English language to
recent
Jewish immigrants. The Russian Immigrant School opened its doors
in November 1889 to thirty eager adult students. The next night
even
more people arrived, forcing the group to create a second class.
As the months went on, scores of immigrants, stretching across various
ethnic and age groups, entered the night school, which became a model
for
the institution of night schools throughout the country.5
In a Baltimore Sun
article,
Szold extolled the value of such an education for the "Americanization"
of immigrants: "In the Russian night schools the chief aim pursued is
the
teaching of the English language for all practical purposes, and the
chief
subject dwelt upon is United States history and geography...An
appreciable
percentage of those that frequent the night schools are cultured,
intelligent
men and women, abreast of the times, speaking and reading several
foreign
languages and versed in history and literature. They need merely
a vehicle in which to convey to their fellow workers an idea of their
inner
worth. In view of all this is it not justifiable to ask why our
city
does not arrange for the opening of night schools?"6
The school hosted approximately 5,000 students in its eleven-year run,
an impressive number considering its meager beginnings. By 1893,
Henrietta Szold switched gears to return to the scholarly literary work
she had done for her father. She became the editor for the Jewish
Publication Society, a position that she remained in for twenty-two
years.
The work of translating, editing, researching, and writing, although
arduous,
was loved by Szold, and it enabled her to work on such presitigious
pieces
of work as the Jewish Yearbook, Jewish
Encyclopedia, and various books by prominent Jewish scholars of
the age.
In 1902, Henrietta Szold's father passed away after a long illness,
a loss that drastically affected her life. He had been one of the
most influential figures in her formative years, and the work she
carried
out was a part of the same vein as his own. Szold and her mother
decided to move to New York City, which she felt would provide her with
better opportunities for work and study, especially in the completion
of
the translations of her father's writings. Believing it was the
best atmosphere to fortify her work, Szold applied to the Jewish
Theological
Seminary, which had been founded in 1886 to train rabbis.
Although
only open to men, Szold was permitted entry, the first woman ever
admitted to the
school, under the condition that she would not seek rabinical
ordination.7
She found her studies at the Seminary to be worthwhile and enlightening
and enjoyed the guidance of her professors. She was also able to
utilize her teaching and literary skills at the Seminary because she
tutored
faculty in English and translated and edited their writings.
During
her time at the school, Henrietta became very close with one professor,
Louis Ginzberg. She worked closely with him, translating his
works,
such as The Legend of the Jews.
The time she spent on these translations were like a labor of love for
Szold. Commenting in her diary in 1908, she stated, "They all say
that he [Ginzberg] exploited me intellectually--as I myself say, I was
his intellectual mistress."8
The
strong friendship lasted for many years until Ginzberg announced his
engagement
to a young German woman. Szold, heartbroken, expressed her
feelings
in her diary, which are indicative of the intense emotional pain she
felt
after learning of Ginzberg's engagement: "It is four weeks since my
only
real happiness in life was killed by a single word."9
Henrietta Szold entered into a deep depression at this point in her
life.
She chided herself for believing Ginzberg shared the same type of
feelings
in the relationship as herself. Stressing over the ambiguity of
their
rapport caused Henrietta to become despondent and withdrawn. She
mourned the loss of the opportunity for marriage and her own family,
institutions
she esteemed and desired for herself.8 This episode in Szold's
life
would haunt her for the rest of her days, but proved to be a catalyst
in
the changes the course her life took thereafter.
During the early years of the twentieth century, Henrietta Szold
became
more active in the Zionist movement and decided to alter her life's
work
to bigger causes than her past instruction and writing had
permitted.
She had probably been introduced to the ideas of Zionism from the
Russian
Jewish immigrants in her night school in Baltimore. The movement
had a strong following among this group of Jewish immigrants, in
contrast
to the German Jews of Szold's family. Szold stated that, "I
became
converted to Zionism the very moment I realized that it supplied my
bruised,
torn, and bloody nation, my distracted nation, with an ideal that is
balm
to the self-infliected wounds and to the wounds inflicted by others."10
In 1909, desiring a break from the difficult and tiring work she
performed,
Szold traveled to Europe with her mother. There, she was able to
visit Palestine and gain a first-hand view of the conditions in the
proposed
homeland for Jews. Shocked at the horrible living environment in
Palestine due to rampant disease, poor health care, and nonexistent
sanitation,
Szold returned to New York with a new-found vigor to enact change in
the
region. Joining with a group of women who ascribed to the same
Zionist
beliefs as herself, Szold founded the Daughters of Zion, Hadassah
chapter.
However, the organzation later dropped the first part of the name,
becoming
known as Hadassah in 1912. Szold served as its first president
from
1912-1921 and again from 1923-1926.11
Hadassah is a women's volunteer organization devoted to the ideals of
Zionism.
Specifically, Hadassah is involved with providing health care and
education
for those in the region. For the remainder of her life, Henrietta
Szold was committed to the goals of Hadassah. Although she valued
highly
all the occupations she had, by 1915, Szold was forced to resign from
her
position with the Jewish Publication Society due to the fact that
Hadassah's
activities required all of her time and energy. In addition to
her
presidency of Hadassah, Szold was secretary of the Federation of
American
Zionists and secretary of the Jewish Experiment Station near Haifa,
Palestine.
Therefore, she spent her days traveling the country encouraging women
to establish local Hadassah chapters and lobby for support of Zionist
ideas.12
Hadassah became an influential group in the early decades of the
twentieth
century when it came to promoting the idea of Palestine as a homeland
for
Jews. During World War I, Hadassah was instrumental in
establishing
the first hospital complex in Palestine to improve the health of those
Jews already living in the area. Zionists endorsed the plan,
which
would help develop the resources of the Holy Land to aid the formation
of Jewish colonies.13
Initially
American physicians and nurses would travel to Palestine to work in the
hospital, but as time went on the institution of a medical school in
Jerusalem
provided Jewish settlers with educational and career opportunities.
By 1920, Henrietta Szold lived permanently in Palestine and
supervised
the medical units and settlements in the nation. Jews in
Palestine
faced extreme violence, which frightened many into leaving or even
negating
settlement in the region as an option. Pogroms led by Arabs
against
the Jews were a frequent and routinely unpunished occurance.
Szold,
in her many years of living in Palestine, experienced countless pogroms
and violent situations, but she never wavered in her conviction that
fearlessness
would enable the Jews to prevail above their persecutors. Her
pacifism
colored her Zionist beliefs, which did at times bring her into conflict
with other Zionist leaders, but ultimately worked in her favor to
endear
her to many Jews around the world. She explained, "The Jews were
being given not merely a Homeland but an opportunity for the practice
of
that universal righteousness preached by their prophets...In this
ancient
and holy land, hard work and thrift would bring them little material
but
much spiritual wealth. And this only if they could work and live
in peace with the Arabs."14
From
the 1920s to the early 1940s, Szold toyed with the idea of retirement,
but found herself compelled to continue her work in Palestine whenever
requested to do so by peers. She held various positions during
this
time including: member of the Palestine Zionist Executive of the World
Zionist Organzation, 1927; member of the Jewish Agency Executive in
Jerusalem,
1929; elected to Vaad Leumi, or National Council of the General
Assembly
of the Knesset Israel, the political community of Jewish Palestine,
1931-1933;
the director of the social service department of Vaad Leumi, 1931-1939;
and founder of Jerusalem's Alice Seligsberg Vocational School for
Girls,
1941.15 These positions made
her the head of health and educational development in Palestine, both
fields
necessary to the success of the Jewish homeland settlements in the
nation
and close to Szold's heart.
In 1933, the rise to power of Adolf Hitler in Germany instigated the
proliferation of the unspeakable conditions Jews in Germany and Europe
as a whole would be forced to live and die under over the course of the
next twelve years. Zionists feared for the welfare of the
European
Jewish population and decided that the immigration of Jewish children
was
one of the best paths to take to rescue groups from terror-stricken
areas.
Henrietta Szold was appointed as the head of the Youth Aliyah movement,
which was designed to transfer children from Germany and other
afflicted
areas of Europe to Palestine. Szold bravely traveled to Nazi
Berlin
to encourage parents to send their children to Palestine and report on
the status of recently settled youngsters. Hadassah became a
powerful
force in the Youth Aliyah movement by raising funds to support the
program
and provide money for settlements in the Holy Land.16
Szold believed that Youth Aliyah was her ultimate calling and devoted
the
rest of her life to saving children and moving them to Palestine.
She supervised the transfer of the children groups from Europe to
Palestine
and ensured they arrived safely, greeting each one upon arrival.
In addition, she oversaw the accomodations provided in each settlement
and visited each colony on a regular basis to check the children's
progress,
health, education, and overall well-being. In an article
from TheNew
York Times, it states, "It was her [Szold's] aim to provide a
productive
livelihood for these children when they grew up and to afford for them
every chance of forgetting the miseries of life under Nazis in a happy,
free existence among their own people."17
Szold forever wished she had had her own children, and once confided to
a friend that she "would exchange everything for one child of my
own."
The refugees became like her own sons and daughters, and she loved
teaching
them and spending time learning their stories and sharing in both joys
and sorrows. The Youth Aliyah movement was the pinnacle of
Szold's
achievements, one that she was immensly proud of and one that has lived
on as part of her long list of accomplishments.
Henrietta Szold was the recipient of numerous honors during her
lifetime,
which include: awarded a Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree from the
Jewish
Institute of Religion, the first woman to be so honored, 1930; awarded
the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities in absentia from Boston
University,
1944; honored by the State of Israel when they put her picture on the
new
five-pound note, the first woman and American to be portrayed on
Israeli
money, 1975; and the first woman elected into the Jewish Hall of Fame,
1976.18 After a lifetime of
cardiovascular
disease, Henrietta Szold died in the Hadassah medical center in
Jerusalem,
Palestine on February 13, 1945. She is buried in the Jewish
cemetary
on the Mount of Olives, an honored and honorable woman in Israel.19
Hadassah has become the leading volunteer organization for women in the
world, with hundreds of thousands of members continuing the work Szold
began in 1912. The lifelong efforts of Szold have encouraged
countless
numbers of people to take up her causes and actively advocate for the
goals
of Zionism and a homeland for Jews. Upon completion of an exhibit
about Henrietta Szold at the Jewish Historical Society in Baltimore,
Barry
Kessler explained the personal and private characteristics of Szold
that
made her such a powerful force in her life's work: "Behind the image of
the revered public figure known lay another, private Szold, an
'uncertain,
austere person, a woman full of yearnings and melancholy as well as
astonishing
determination, vast knowledge and diligence and profound love for the
Jewish
people.' "20 Henrietta Szold
was truly a great figure in history, one who was passionate in
everything
she did, and who will continue to be an inspiration to future
generations.
Endnotes:
1. Stegman, Carolyn B. Women of Achievement in Maryland History (Maryland: Anaconda Press, 2002) 31. return to text
2. "Henrietta Szold, 1860-1945," Biography Resource Center, 2005. http://galenet.galegroup.com. return to text
3. "Exhibit: Women of Valor, Henrietta Szold," Jewish Women's Archive, 2005. http://www.jwa.org/exhibits/wov/szold/over.html. return to text
4. Breslaw, Elaine G. "Henrietta Szold, 1860-1945: Zionist Leader," Notable Maryland Women, ed. Winifred G. Helmes (Cambridge, MD: Tidewater Publishers, 1977) 360. return to text
5. Levin, Alexandra Lee. "Henrietta Szold and the Russian Immigrant School," Maryland Historical Magazine 57 (March 1962) 3. return to text
6. "Russia in America," The Baltimore Sun, 13 July 1892. return to text
7. Fineman, Irving. Woman of Valor: The Life of Henrietta Szold, 1860-1945 (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961) 113. return to text
8. Schoettler, Carl. "Daughter of Zion,"The Baltimore Sun, 8 April 1995. return to text
9. Ibid. return to text
10. Stayn, Joshua. "Photos Reveal Szold," The Baltimore Sun, 14 April 1997. return to text
11. "Henrietta Szold: Hadassah National President, 1912-1921, 1923-1926," Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc., 2002. http://www.hadassah.org/about/content/president_bios/HenriettaSzold.pdf. return to text
12. Breslaw, 363. return to text
13. "Zionists Aid Palestine," The New York Times, 6 July 1916. return to text
14. Fineman, 321. return to text
15. Biography Resource Center. return to text
16. "Hadassh Gives $10,000 for Youth Immigration," The Baltimore Sun, 1 December 1935. return to text
17. "Rescued Children Thank Miss Szold," The New York Times, 16 February 1944. return to text
18. Breslaw, 364. return to text
19. Ibid. return to text
20. McNatt, Glenn. "Exhibit Shows How Tragedy
Affects People Like Us," The
Baltimore
Sun, 26 November 1995. return to text
Biography written by 2005 summer
intern
Lauren Morton
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