Rahel Straus

Rahel Straus née Goitein (; 1880–1963) was a pioneering German-Jewish medical doctor, feminist and writer. She was the first female student of medicine at Heidelberg University, graduating in January 1905. After marrying her childhood friend, the lawyer Elias Straus (1878–1933), she moved with him to Munich where she opened a medical practice and became an important figure in support of Zionism and the League of Jewish Women. After her husband's death in 1933, she emigrated to Palestine with her four teenage children. There, she continued to practice medicine until 1940 when she retired to devote her time to activities in support of women, especially young immigrants. In 1952, she was a co-founder and active member of the Israeli branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

Biography Born on 21 March 1880 in Karlsruhe, Rahel Goitein was the daughter of Gabor Goitein (1848–1883), an Orthodox rabbi from Hungary, and Ida Löwenfeld (1848–1931), a schoolteacher. After her father died when she was three years old, she was raised by her mother. Thanks to her matriculation in 1899 from Germany's first gymnasium for girls, she became the first regular female student at the University of Heidelberg. She graduated from the medical faculty in January 1905, her degree enabling her to practice anywhere in Germany.

Following her husband's death from cancer in June 1933, Straus realized she could no longer remain in Germany where she was increasingly threatened by the Nazis. The following November, she emigrated to Palestine with her children.