- The National Council of Jewish Women grew out of the Jewish Women’s Congress of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Early members were politically and religiously liberal and established themselves as pioneers in Jewish education and philanthropy. Hannah Greenebaum Solomon (1858-1942) and Sadie American (1862-1944) were the prime movers behind both the Congress and the permanent organization, despite their very different personal styles. The cultured Solomon, who called herself “a confirmed women’s rights-er,” became the first president of Council (1893-1905), and forthright American served as corresponding and subsequently executive secretary until her forced retirement in 1914. Both women also worked for social change and women’s rights through other organizations. Solomon, a friend of Jane Addams, promoted women’s club work locally, nationally, and internationally; in 1904, as a delegate to the International Council of Women in Berlin, she used her linguistic skills to act as Susan B. Anthony’s interpreter. American, an ardent fighter against the international white slave traffic, was active in many progressive organizations, including the Consumer’s League and the National Education Association. Today the National Council of Jewish Women is Page 310 →known across the U.S. for its creation and support of innovative social and educational programs.
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