Queen Esther’s courage to act and save her people inspired Henrietta Szold to aid American immigrants and ensure healthcare to millions by founding Hadassah. Read about Szold’s incredible drive to help others throughout her life in this outstanding picture book biography. (Sydney Taylor Notable Picture Book) ( )

Henrietta Szold was born in 1860 in Baltimore, Maryland, the eldest daughter of a Rabbi. From the time she was little, she was inspired by the story of the Jewish holiday of Purim. Purim celebrates the story, as told in the Old Testament, of the courage of Queen Esther, a Jewish woman married to King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as Xerxes I (died 465 BCE). Haman, who was the principal minister of the king Ahasuerus, sought to have all the Jews in the Persian Empire killed, but Queen Esther outsmarted Haman and saved the Jews.

But, as the author tells us, when Henrietta was growing up, girls weren’t supposed to be brave or make a difference:

“…as she grew older, she saw that women didn’t have the same chance to make a difference that men did. Women couldn’t vote, own a business, be doctors or lawyers. They only way a woman could make a difference was to get married and have children.

But Henrietta didn’t marry. Or have children. Instead, in 1877, right out of high school, she became a teacher.”

In the late 1800s, many Jewish immigrants arrived in America fleeing antisemitic violence in Poland and Russia. Henrietta thought she could make a difference by opening a night school for these adults to teach them English after they finished work. The author notes: “Her school was the first of its kind, offering an important way for immigrants to learn the language and adjust to their new home.”

Whenever Henrietta saw a need, she continued trying to make a difference: “There weren’t enough Jewish books? In 1893, she became the first editor for the Jewish Publication Society.”

In 1909, she traveled to Palestine and was upset by the disease and hunger she saw there. On the holiday of Purim in 1912, she met with a group of women to found a charity for Palestine, giving it Queen Esther’s Hebrew name: Hadassah.. We learn in the Author’s Note at the end of the book that at first, Hadassah just endeavored to provide emergency care to infants and mothers [in Palestine]. That goal expanded to offering advanced medical care for all through two world-class medical and research centers in Jerusalem and additional outreach programs. . . . Henrietta’s insistence that Hadassah serve all in need, regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality, earned Hadassah a nomination for the Nobel Peach Prize in 2005.

In 1933 she was ready to retire, but then Hitler came to power in Germany. . . . She wanted to help save her people, as Queen Esther had. Henrietta took a boat to Germany and worked to get exit visas form German ambassadors and entrance visas from the British leaders who ran Palestine, to bring children to safety. She also was a part of the group that helped save the “Tehran Children” - 860 Jewish children who had escaped from Russia and were trapped in Iran. She worked to get them released to go to Palestine. She found them all homes.

In all, the author reports, “Henrietta and her friends in Hadassah saved 11,000 children in a program called Youth Aliyah. Henrietta never had children of her own, but everywhere she went, the children she’d saved hugged her and called her ‘ima,’ Hebrew for ‘mom.’”

The author concludes: “She loved watching them dress up to tell the story of Purim. Henrietta had been brave like Queen Esther, speaking up to save her people. And now maybe, as these children grew, they’d know what she’d always known - that Purim wasn’t just about a queen from long ago, but a reminder that every one of them, boys and girls, could stand up, be brave, and make a difference, too.”

Henrietta died at age 84 in the Hadassah Hospital she had helped build in Jerusalem. . . . the country honored her as ‘the mother of Israel’ by choosing the date of her death as their Mother’s day. A child she had rescued form the Holocaust said Kaddish (the prayer for the dead) for her.”

An author’s note, photo of Henrietta Szold, timeline of her life, and bibliography conclude the book.

Lovely illustrations by Yevgenia Nayberg employ elongated figures with the palette changing according to the mood depicted in the narrative.

Evaluation:. Henrietta Szold accomplished so many things during her lifetime, and did so much for so many, it is a shame her story is not better known. This story may inspire young people to emulate their heroes in ways both large and small. ( )

A picture book biography that doesn't sugarcoat sexism/misogyny and anti-Semitism. Back matter includes an extensive author's note, information about Purim, a photo of Henrietta Szold, a timeline, and a bibliography. ( )

"Henrietta Szold took Queen Esther as a model and worked hard to save the Jewish people. In 1912, she founded the Jewish women's social justice organization, Hadassah. Henrietta started Hadassah determined to offer emergency medical care to mothers and children in Palestine. When WWII broke out, she rescued Jewish children from the Holocaust, and broadened Hadassah's mission to include education, youth development, and women's rights. Hadassah offers free help to all who need it and continues its mission to this day."