Annie Jacobs Davis

Annie Jacobs Davis (1865-1952) was a communal worker involved in numerous organizations and ventures in Pittsburgh, most notably the Hebrew Ladies Hospital Aid Society and the B’nai Israel Ladies Auxiliary. She was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States with her mother and two siblings in 1873. They settled in Pittsburgh, where she met her future husband Barnett Davis around 1863.

While raising a family that eventually grew to 11 children, she began volunteering for many local philanthropic organizations, including the Gusky Orphanage, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Pittsburgh Conference of Jewish Women’s Organizations, Hadassah, and the House of Shelter. Upon learning of the difficulties facing Jewish patients as well as Jewish doctors and medical students in the city, she founded the Hebrew Ladies Hospital Aid Society in 1898. The organization raised funds for what eventually became Montefiore Hospital. She also performed informal midwifery, nursing, and social work throughout the Hill District.

The Davises initially lived in the Hill District and were affiliated with Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Congregation. After relocating to the East End in the early 1900s, she helped found the B’nai Israel Ladies Auxiliary. As a widow in the late 1920s, she moved to Squirrel Hill.

Annie and Barnett Davis addresses

Bibliography

Exhibit history

• Author: Eric Lidji
• Originally Published: January 18, 2022
• Current Version: January 18, 2022