Though there’s never a wrong time to praise Jewish authors — they’ve been contributing significantly to literature throughout history — National Jewish Book Month officially celebrates the writers and stories that influence Jewish culture for a month leading up to Hanukkah. This year, beginning November 24, Hadassah is celebrating the ultimate Jewish subject matter: Hadassah and our founder, Henrietta Szold.
Enjoy one (or more!) of these books this National Jewish Book Month. And let us know if you have a favorite that’s not on the list!
For Inspiration
Real Stories of Hadassah Life Changing Moments by Stacey K. Battat
Kiwi Publishing, 2012
Published in celebration of Hadassah’s centennial, this book shares the stories of 100 Hadassah supporters, out of millions since Hadassah’s inception, whose lives have been touched by Hadassah. It features a chronology of 100 years in photos.
Henrietta Szold: Hadassah and the Zionist Dream by Francine Klagsbrun
Yale University Press, 2024
One pioneer writes of another as best-selling author Francine Klagsbrun gives a detailed history of Henrietta Szold’s life leading up to and following the pivotal period in which she helped to build a nation. Wall Street Journal reporter Diane Cole recently called this book “a timely reminder of Szold’s vision for a land that Jews and Arabs alike could call home.”
To Repair a Broken World: The Life of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Dvora Hacohen
Harvard University Press, 2021
This biography of Henrietta Szold, with a foreword by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was awarded the top prize in the 2022 National Jewish Book Awards, named the Everett Family Foundation Book of the Year and won the Biography Award in Memory of Sara Berenson Stone. It was also featured in Hadassah Magazine, where author Hacohen said, “Szold reminded me of my mother, who was very alert to suffering people.”
This Labyrinth of Darkness and Light: Henrietta Szold, the Rescue of Children from Hitler's Europe and her Palestine Experience by Randy Grigsby
Vallentine Mitchell, 2022
This inspirational narrative tells of Henrietta’s courage to, beginning at 73 years old, work tirelessly for a decade to rescue more than 20,000 Jewish children from Nazi Europe by transporting them to Palestine. The author draws on Szold’s own diary and letters, research and historical sources.
It Takes a Dream: The Story of Hadassah by Marlin Levin
Gefen Publishing House, 1997
“It is a given in the Jewish world: if you want a project to come to fruition, if you want an initiative to have a follow-up, you think of Hadassah,” wrote Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel in his foreword for this work, which highlights how women, through Hadassah, won Zionism’s battles and helped create the State of Israel.
Henrietta Szold: The Saga of an American Woman by Nachum T. Gidal
Gefen Publishing House, 1997
Known as one of the pioneers of modern photojournalism, Gidal documents through photos and text the span of Henrietta Szold’s life. He dedicated the book to the women of Hadassah, who he said, “contributed, with passion, so much to the saving of children and betterment of humankind.”
Hadassah and the Zionist Project by Erica Simmons
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006
Using historical documents, this book examines Hadassah's roots in the American Progressive movement. According to the Journal of Israeli History: Politics, “Simmons is to be congratulated for bringing Hadassah's maternalist Zionism into focus and for her substantive discussion of Hadassah's distinctive impact on the fabric of Israeli public culture.”
From Fashion to Politics: Hadassah and Jewish American Women in the Post World War II Era by Shirli Brautbar
Academic Studies Press, 2014
This book is an exploration of Hadassah’s role in shaping Jewish women’s political action and identity after World War II. “Not only fashion and politics, but scholarship, gender, religion, discrimination — every hot button issue is examined in the story of the triumphant rise of Hadassah,” said Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.
The History of Jewish Women in the United States by Joyce Antler
Oxford University Press, 2023
This work chronicles the significant contributions of Jewish women to politics and culture in each historic time period leading up to the 21st century, noting how by the mid-20th century, leadership at Hadassah and other Jewish women’s organizations worked to end immigration restrictions, rescue refugees fleeing from the Nazis and create a Jewish state.
For Young Readers
A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Nancy Churnin and Yevgenia Nayberg
Creston Books, 2021
It’s never too early to learn about Jewish heroines, and this picture book uses compelling art and text to convey how Henrietta Szold took inspiration from Queen Esther and did her part to save the Jewish people.
For Jewish Learning With Hadassah
The Hadassah Jewish Family Book of Health and Wellness by Dr. Robin E. Berman, Arthur Kurzweil and Dale L. Mintz
Jossey-Bass, 2006
Written in collaboration with Hadassah, this is a practical resource about physical health and spiritual issues that are of concern to Jewish families, including Jewish genetic diseases, such as Tay-Sachs and Niemann-Pick, and marriage and family, food and diet, and more. Filled with useful advice and contributions from top experts in medicine and Jewish education.
Moonbeams: A Rosh Hodesh Guide by Leora Tanenbaum
Jewish Lights, 2000
Hadassah published this guide for anyone wanting to engage in the historic Jewish practice of text study, either individually or in a Jewish women’s group, specifically when meeting on Rosh Hodesh, the festival of the new moon. This is a perfect resource for women preparing for a bat mitzvah or any Jewish woman seeking to expand her Jewish education or knowledge of Rosh Hodesh observance.
Pray Tell: A Hadassah Guide to Jewish Prayer by Rabbi Jules Harlow
Jewish Lights, 2003
Published by Hadassah, this is a comprehensive guide to Jewish prayer from traditional and contemporary perspectives, with Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, New Age and feminist insights. Meant to heighten your appreciation for Jewish prayer, it will help you understand what it means to pray as a Jew.
Hadassah and Hadassah Magazine are proud sponsors of National Jewish Book Month.
Read More
Hadassah Magazine: Henrietta Szold’s Gifts, By Francine Klagsbrun (2024)
Hadassah Magazine: Henrietta Szold’s Zionist Dream