Hadassah, Hartford Chapter records

Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold and a group of like-minded women interested in Zionism and social welfare established the national Hadassah organization in 1912. Initially the new organization was known by two different names: the Women's Zionist Organization and the Daughters of Zion. However, because the founding meeting was held around the time of Purim, the organization eventually adopted the name “The Hadassah Chapter of the Daughters of Zion,” The use of the name Hadassah was significant, because the name represents both strength and tradition. Hadassah is the Hebrew name of Queen Esther. Hadassah can also mean “myrtle,” a plant with both biblical and literary significance.

Szold had two goals in founding Hadassah. Appalled by health conditions she observed in Palestine in 1909, Szold sought to help raise health standards throughout the region. Additionally she saw this mission as a way to reinvigorate Jewish life in the United States by galvanizing Jewish women in support of the Zionist cause.

Henrietta Szold visited Hartford in 1914 and addressed a group of local women. At some point thereafter (both 1914 and 1918 are celebrated as the date), the Hartford Chapter was founded. Hartford had always been a stronghold of Zionism. Over time, the Hartford chapter became one of the largest and most influential in the country.

The primary activity of the Hartford chapter is to raise funds for Hadassah projects that include Hadassah hospitals, Youth Aliyah for the rescue of Jewish children from countries in crisis, the Jewish National Fund, and Young Judaea Zionist camps in the United States. Throughout the decades, the chapter has grown and split into several smaller chapters, offering a flexibility that has enabled the group to attract a variety of women of differing ages and backgrounds.