Henrietta Szold, 1860 - 1945 In 1911, worn out by JPS and FAZ
obligations and her enduring heartbreak over Louis Ginzberg,
Szold's health finally broke down, resulting in surgery. She
emerged, after a six-month convalescence, seemingly freed from
the burdens of the past and ready to create something of her
own. Convinced of American Jewish women's potential to help
create a Jewish homeland, Szold turned to New York's Zionist
women's study groups. On the holiday of Purim, February 24,
1912, thirty-eight women gathered at Temple Emanu-El to create
"a large organization of women Zionists" devoted to "the
promotion of Jewish institutions and enterprises in Palestine,
and the fostering of Jewish ideals." Szold was elected
president. The specific mission for "Daughters of Zion" and its
New York "Hadassah" chapter crystallized when philanthropist
Nathan Straus offered partial funding to establish district
nursing in Palestine. On New Year's Day 1913, Szold presented
the Hadassah Board with the challenge of raising $