Hadassah

   The Women's Zionist Organization of America (see WIZO) founded in 1912 at the instigation of Henrietta Szold. (The name Hadassah is the Hebrew name for Esther, a Jewish queen who dedicated herself to the saving of her people. It is also the equivalent of myrtle, a plant indigenous to Israel.) Its activities in Palestine and Israel were limited at first to health and medical care and then extended to include social and educational projects. At the Second Zionist Congress, Theodor Herzl asked Mrs. Richard Gottheil to direct her energies to enlisting the interest of her American colleagues in the principles of Zionism. Mrs. Gottheil joined a group of the Daughters of Zion, which met in New York and introduced the name "Hadassah Circle." In 1907, Henrietta Szold joined this group, and in 1909, she and her mother visited Palestine. On her return, Szold described the distressing social and health situation in Palestine, and the group developed a program of action. On 24 February 1912, the national organization of Daughters of Zion was established, and the New York chapter retained the name Hadassah. At the suggestion of Professor Israel Friedlander, the Daughters of Zion adopted the motto "The healing of the daughter of my people." Hadassah began its involvement in health and medical services in Palestine and Israel in 1913 and has continued in those areas since.

   See also Hadassah Hospital.