February 19, 1888
Rachel Cohen-Kagan Is Born
Historical context
On February 19, 1888, Rachel Cohen-Kagan was born in Odessa. She later signed Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- February 19, 1888
- Verified sources
- 2
- Archive threads
- 6
On this day, Rachel Cohen-Kagan was born in Odessa. The Jewish Women’s Archive records that her father, Yaakov Lubarsky, helped found Hibbat Zion, and that she studied mathematics in Odessa. In 1913 she married the physician Noah Cohen. He left for Palestine in 1914. She and their son followed in 1919, after the war.
She worked with the Hebrew Women’s Organization and helped found child-welfare centers. In 1946 she headed the Social Welfare department of the National Council, the post Henrietta Szold had held. She and Golda Meir were the two women who signed the Declaration of Independence. She represented WIZO in the First Knesset and introduced a bill for women’s equality.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Rachel Kagan-Cohen · Jewish Women’s Archive · Jewish Women’s Archive View source
- The First Woman to Sign Israel’s Declaration of Independence · National Library of Israel · National Library of Israel View source
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