Hannah G. Solomon

1897 article describing Hannah Solomon as a "first woman rabbi". The Burlington Free Press, 16 Mar 1897. Hannah Greenebaum Solomon (; January 14, 1858 – December 7, 1942) was a social reformer and the founder of the National Council of Jewish Women, the first national association of Jewish women. Solomon was an important organizer who reached across boundaries of religious conviction at the local, national, and international levels.

Biography Solomon was born in Chicago on January 14, 1858, the fourth of ten siblings, to Sarah (née Spiegel) and Michael Greenebaum. Her father was part of the earliest group of Jews to settle in the frontier city of Chicago. Her uncle was Joseph Spiegel, the founder of the Spiegel catalog. Solomon’s parents set an example of strong civic involvement; her mother organized Chicago's first Jewish Ladies Sewing Society, where they made clothes for the needy, and her father founded the Zion Literary Society, was a volunteer fireman, and also helped found Chicago's first Reform synagogue, Kehilath Anshe Maarav.

In 1876, Hannah and her older sister Henriette were the first Jewish women ever to be elected to the elite Chicago Women's Club. Many of Solomon's ideas for the National Council of Jewish Women stemmed from her experiences with the Chicago Woman's Club, which emphasized philanthropy and education.

Solomon became involved in an attempt to build a national association for Jewish women out of an evident lack of associations for Jewish women and a desire to propagate change.

In her later years, as well as after her death, Solomon was celebrated again and again for her trailblazing work. The National Council of Jewish Women still evokes her words as an inspiration to "improve the quality of life for women, children and families and... ensure individual rights and freedoms for all".

Legacy An elementary school named in her honor was opened on Chicago's North Side in 1955.

In 1995, Solomon was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.