Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
The Organization for Pioneer Women in Palestine-Pittsburgh Council was founded in 1925 as a local chapter of an agricultural work-training program for women in Palestine.
Moetzet Hapoalot (Working Women’s Council) was founded in Palestine in 1921 to train Jewish women for agricultural work. The Organization for Pioneer Women in Palestine began in New York in 1925 to help fund the Moetzet Hapoalot’s work in Palestine. The Pittsburgh chapter was also founded in 1925, initially meeting at the Zionist Institute.
Pioneer Women expanded locally starting in the late 1930s by dividing into neighborhood groups. It eventually had at least 14 chapters in the Pittsburgh area. In the early 1980s, Pioneer Women and Moetzet Hapoalot became Na’amat, an acronym for “working and volunteering women.” Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council closed in 2021.
Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council chapters
| CHAPTER | LOCATION | FOUNDED |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | Pittsburgh | 1921 |
| Dvorah | by 1938 | |
| Kinnereth | 1947 | |
| Hanita | 1948 | |
| Ness Ziona | 1949 | |
| Hadera | 1949 | |
| Ain Karem | East End | 1950 |
| Golda Meir | Squirrel Hill | 1950 |
| Kadimah | South Hills | 1955 |
| Medina | Monroeville | 1956 |
| Rahel | Stanton Heights | 1958 |
| Sabra | Young Married | 1963 |
| Shalom | by 1964 | |
| Aliyah | by May 1971 |
Bibliography
Rauh Jewish Archives
Collections
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council photographs and documents [2012.0019] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council (Pioneer Women) minutes 1962-1972 [2005.0191] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council (Pioneer Women) materials 1939-1900 [2001.0051] (catalog record).
- Photograph of Golda Meyerson with the Pioneer Women’s Organization in Pittsburgh 1934 [2014.0028] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council from Gloria Elbling Gottlieb papers [MSS 545] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council from Gloria Elbling Gottlieb photographs [MSP 545] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council from Sylvia and Donald Robinson Papers and Photographs [MSS 1035] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council from Marvin Verman papers [MFF 2039] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council from Jewish Archival Survey Record [MSS 196] (finding aid).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council from Jewish Chronicle Records [MSS 906] (finding aid).
Books
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council Cookbook [TX724 .N33 1980z] (catalog record).
- Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council Donor installation dinner programs (1959; 1963; 1975; 1977-1980; 1983; 1987-1992; 1994-1996) (catalog record).
University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections
Oral Histories
- Jean L. Davis oral history, 1997, from National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS1664.40] (online).
- Gloria Elbling oral history, 1990, from National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS1664.40] (online).
- Fanny Pearl oral history, undated, from National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS1664.40] (online).
- Fanny Pearl oral history, 1984, from National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS1664.40] (online).
- Gussie Miller Sacks oral history, 1976, from National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS1664.40] (online).
Exhibit history
- Author: Eric Lidji
- Original: January 23, 2025
- Current: January 23, 2025