HADASSAH THE WOMEN'S ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA:

Hadassah was founded in New York in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, a Jewish scholar, editor, and Zionist. The organization grew out of a meeting of twelve members of the Daughters of Zion Study Circle on the Jewish holiday of Purim, and quickly expanded into a nationwide organization. The major projects of Hadassah were medical and educational aid to Palestine and subsequently to the Jewish state of Israel. The Youth Aliyah program, initiated by Szold in 1934, expanded the organization's work to include the rescue and transportation of children to Palestine from Germany and other Nazi-controlled parts of Europe.

Shortly after Szold founded Hadassah in New York, six young Minneapolis Jewish women pledged themselves to raise funds for war relief and medical equipment and personnel in Palestine. The group, initially called the "Self-Denial Club," wasn't officially chartered as the Minneapolis Chapter of Hadassah until 1924.

The late 1940s saw further organizational development with the creation of the Upper Midwest Region. The group concept, in which women of similar age ranges and interests within a chapter affiliated, also developed during this period. The Minneapolis Chapter initially formed three groups, Herzl, Szold, and Brandeis. Groups continued to form and dissolve as the interests and backgrounds of Hadassah women changed throughout the years. In 1991 members of both the St. Paul and Minneapolis Chapters formed Hadassah's first joint group, the Twin Cities Career Women's Network, later renamed D'vorah.

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These records are divided into the following sub-series:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Hadassah Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,303; 10,775

Processing Information:

Processed by: Lara D. Friedman-Shedlov, June 1998

Catalog ID number: 990017347230104294

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Administrative Records

Topical Files

Chapters

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Administrative Records

Groups

Topical Files

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The newsletter of the St. Paul Chapter of Hadassah, entitled Kol Hadassah (1934-1937), St. Paul Chapter of Hadassah (1937-1954), Bulletin (1954-1969, 1985-present), and This is Hadassah (1969-1985), is separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.

Our Story: A History of Hadassah, St. Paul Chapter 1913-1988 by Linda Mack Schloff is separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society book collection.

The Hadassah Idea: History and Development, edited by Hannah Goldberg and Bernice Salpeter is separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society book collection.

The annual roster of the St. Paul Chapter of Hadassah is separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Jewish women -- Middle West -- Societies and clubs.

Jews -- Minnesota.

Jews -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.

Medical care -- Israel.

Women -- Social networks.

Zionism -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Szold, Henrietta, 1860-1945.

Gordon, Bernice Cowl. A girl of Baltimore: the story of Henrietta Szold.

Organization:

Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. Minneapolis Chapter.

Type of documentation:

Photographs.

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