Henrietta Szold Continues to Give Me Permission to Say Yes |
The first time I walked into the California State Capitol to advocate, I almost turned around.
I remember standing outside the building thinking that I do not belong here. I was not an elected official. I was not a policy expert. I was a volunteer, a woman who cared deeply about women’s health and justice but I still carried a quiet doubt about stepping into rooms of influence.
And then I remembered Henrietta Szold.
In 1912, before women in America could even vote, Henrietta founded Hadassah. She did not wait for an invitation. She did not soften her ambition. She organized American Jewish women to build the health infrastructure in a land that was still forming its identity. She believed women could do more than support causes – that they could build institutions.
That belief changed Jewish history. It also changed me.
I did not grow up in a home where authority felt steady or safe, so stepping into leadership as an adult did not feel automatic. It felt vulnerable.
When I first became involved with Hadassah, I was happy to help. I could plan. I could speak. But I did not immediately see myself as someone who belonged at the decision-making table.
Hadassah saw it before I did.
That kind of belief, especially when you are still finding your footing, is life changing.
On February 13, the anniversary of Henrietta’s death, I thought about how one woman’s clarity regarding the capability of women led to the birth of generations of women who step forward — because someone before them stepped first.
Henrietta did not build something symbolic. She introduced concrete foundations of health care in Jerusalem that would later become the Hadassah Medical Organization, a world-renowned medical center that encompasses two state-of-the-art hospitals — Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus and Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
Later, she helped rescue Jewish children during one of the darkest periods in Jewish history. She did not debate whether the work was too large.
She did not wait. She did not shrink. She organized a plan to rescue those children.
And because of Henrietta’s example, I stand in rooms I once thought were not meant for me.
Through Hadassah, I have had opportunities I never imagined: participating in national assemblies, joining the Hadassah Writers’ Circle and taking a leadership role advocating in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., on behalf of issues that further Hadassah’s mission.
Each time I walk into those spaces, I still feel two competing forces: fear and responsibility.
Fear whispers, “You do not belong here.” Responsibility answers, “Someone built this path. Walk it.” Henrietta built that path.
But what moves me most about Henrietta is not just her courage, but that she was intellectual, disciplined and relentless. She did not apologize for taking up space. I am still learning how to do that.
In our Northern Area Chapter of Hadassah Southern California, I see her legacy in the way women collaborate rather than compete. We mentor. We teach others to lead. We work together because that is how Henrietta began, by gathering women around a table and trusting their collective strength.
On February 13, also celebrated as “Family Day” in Israel, I do not only celebrate Henrietta’s accomplishments of 1912. I reflect on the seeds she planted inside women like me. She gave me a model of leadership that feels constructive. Purpose-driven. Rooted in healing.
She gave me permission. Permission to speak when I feel hesitant. Permission to say yes when I feel afraid.
Henrietta believed Jewish women could shape history. Because of her, I learned that leadership does not require perfection. It requires commitment. It requires stepping forward even when you feel unsteady.
The truth is, I still sometimes feel that flicker of doubt before walking into a meeting or taking a podium. But I no longer mistake that doubt as cause for disqualification.
Because Henrietta once said yes in a world that did not expect it of her, I can –and do– say yes in mine.
Stacey is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 800 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested in writing? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.