Jews of the United States paused yesterday to pay tribute to the Grand Old Lady of American Zionism, Miss Henrietta Szold, on the occasion of her seventy-fifth birthday.
While 300 chapters of Hadassah, women’s Zionist organization which she founded, were celebrating the event throughout the country, and hundreds of rabbis were devoting their Chanukkah sermons to extolling her career, Miss Szold passed the day quietly with her family in Baltimore.
From Governor Herbert H. Lehman of New York came the following message, released by Hadassah:
“At the age of 73 Miss Szold, with historic courage, undertook the task of rescuing the disinherited children of Germany, and today, upon her 75th birthday, she has the joy of finding Hadassah, the creation of her spirit, turning its immense reservoir of energy to the service of those children and to the fulfillment of one of the greatest tasks that has yet confronted the Jewish people.”
Glowing tribute to Miss Szold was paid by Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the Jewish National Fund of America, in a sermon at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun of which he is rabbi.
Dr. Goldstein said in part:
“Henrietta Szold is not only the greatest Jewish woman of American Israel, but probably ranks with Justice Louis D. Brandeis and Dr. Stephen S. Wise, as one of the three outstanding Jewish personalities to the credit of American Jewry today…..On this Macca-bean Festival, when we recall the story of Judith and of Hannah, we can speak of Miss Szold as one who represents a synthesis of Judith’s nationalistic zeal and Hannah’s religious passion.
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