How many women can claim to have streets, parks, gardens, and even villages named after them? One of the most prominent is Henrietta Szold, the esteemed and cherished founder of Hadassah. Not only does her name appear prominently in Israel, but it is also seen in the United States, where streets in New York and Boston are named after her.

In its continuing series on names behind the street signs, Israel Today features a biography of Szold that traces her life from her birth in the US to the founding of Hadassah through the development of family health centers throughout Israel.

“Szold was committed to Zionism from an early age,” the article explains. “This was reinforced by a trip to Palestine in 1909, which she undertook with her mother. Horrified by the catastrophic hygienic conditions, the poverty and the high infant mortality rate, Szold declared it her life’s work to devote herself to the welfare of the Yishuv (the pre-state Jewish community of Palestine).”

To read the entire article, click here.