History

The Henrietta Szold Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Nursing was founded in 1918- one of the initial projects of the Hadassah medical Organization, which was formed in the same year.  This early recognition of the need to train local personnel with knowledge of the language, the country and its conditions, was instrumental in assuring a firm foundation for Israel's then nascent medical services.

It proved to be a wise policy, which characterizes Hadassah's development in additional fields of medical teaching throughout the ensuing decades.  Originally, it was due largely to the foresight of the late Henrietta Szold, social worker, educator and founder of Hadassah, who came to this country from the U.s. at a late age, inspired with the idea of serving her people and raising health standards among all section of the population in the Holy Land, regardless of race or creed.  The Nursing School, which bears her name, graduated its first class of 22 nurses in 1921.  Since then, over 2500 graduates have joined the ranks of the nursing profession, many of them serving in key positions all over Israel. 

Until 1936, the Hadassah School of Nursing remained the only school of its kind among the Jewish population.  With the opening of the first medical center on Mount Scopus in 1939, it was transferred to new premises alongside the Rothschild University Hospital. 

In 1948, following the attacks on a medical convoy which resulted in the tragic death of 76 members of the Hadassah and Hebrew University staff, the buildings on Mount Scopus were evacuated.  The Nursing School was temporarily lodged in St. Joseph's Convent in the center of town, where it faced its greatest challenge thus far.  The army called upon it during the War of Independence, and in response nursing aides were trained, and the students treated soldiers and civilians alike during the siege of Jerusalem.

With the establishment of the State and the subsequent mass immigration of Jews from all over the world, the student body was temporarily enlarged, emergency short-term courses for auxiliary nurses were created, and one-year courses for practical nurses were also established in order to provide additional skilled personnel for the preventive medical services.

In addition, a program of post-graduate study was drawn up and aimed at enhancing the nurses' basic education acquired during the regular three-year course and preparing them for the specialized fields in which the school had concentrated on since its establishment: public health, midwifery and surgery. 

In 1961, the school was transferred to its permanent home in the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center at Ein Karem, where it still resides today.