Hannah G. Solomon, 1858-1942

Solomon in 1918 with daughter and granddaughter. Photo credit - Wikipedia

A social reformer, the founder and first president of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).

Hannah Greenebaum Solomon was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a middle-class Jewish family who emigrated from Germany. Both of her parents were deeply involved with the Jewish community- her mother was one of the organizers of Chicago’s first Jewish Ladies Sewing Society, and her father founded the Zion Literary Society. Both were among the founders of the first Reform synagogue in Chicago – Kehilath Anshe Maarav. When she was 18 years old, Solomon and her sister became the first Jewish women the join the elite Women’s Club in the city. Inspired by the club’s emphasis on education and philanthropy, she conceived the idea of a similar club for Jewish women. At the age of 21, she married Henry Solomon, and they had three children.

In 1893, after almost 20 years of planning, the Jewish Women’s Congress finally took place in Chicago. There, they vote to become a permanent organization named the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). In that same meeting, Solomon was elected unanimously as president, a position she held for the next 12 years. The NCJW mission was to preserve Jewish traditions through the education of Jewish women, to improve the community by social programs, and to celebrate motherhood by emphasizing the importance of women’s role. The members organized study circles where they were taught the fundamentals of the Jewish religion. They also acted as social workers within the community as well as supporting the new immigrants. Within three years, the organization had 3000 members in more than 50 sections. During her tenure, Solomon founded and chaired the Bureau of Personal Service, which supervised loan programs, worked for the improvement of housing conditions, provided family counseling, and assisted immigrants to receive social services. She promoted the organization’s activities throughout the country, becoming the first woman to speak from synagogue pulpits.

In 1905, Solomon resigned from the NCJW presidency and was appointed as the president of the Illinois Industrial School for Girls. She also lobbied for the establishment of the first juvenile court in Chicago and the improvement of the city’s laws regarding minors. She served as a board member of various organizations, including the Chicago Civic Federation, the Illinois Federation of Women’s Club, and the Associated Jewish Charities – the only woman on the board. During WW1, she served as the chair for Chicago of the Women’s Division of the State Council of Defense. She passed away at the age of 84, after devoting her whole life to improving the community and helping those in need.

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“We must add our voices to those who cry out that there is a standard below which we will not allow human beings to live, and that that standard is not at the freezing nor starving point ... In a democracy all are responsible.”

“We must add our voices to those who cry out that there is a standard below which we will not allow human beings to live, and that that standard is not at the freezing nor starving point ... In a democracy all are responsible.”

Fun Facts

  • She was the fourth of ten children.
  • Her uncle was the founder of the Spiegel catalog.
  • She studied piano with Carl Wolfsohn.
  • She had a close connection with Jane Addams and the Maxwell Street Settlement House.
  • She served as a delegate to the International Council of Women conference in Berlin in 1904.
  • Her autobiography “Fabric of My Life” was published four years after she died.
  • In 2020 NCJW has 180000 members all over the US.
  • The Hannah G. Solomon elementary school in Chicago is named in her honor.
  • The Hannah G. Solomon Award of the NCJW is named in her honor.

Awards

  • Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame (1995)

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Category: Activism & Feminism
Tags: WDC Metro Area Women

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Activism & Feminism

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Science & Technology

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