{"id":110293,"date":"2021-10-25T11:11:30","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T08:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/?p=110293"},"modified":"2025-04-27T11:36:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T08:36:35","slug":"hoi_rachel_cohen_kagan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/en\/hoi_rachel_cohen_kagan\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Woman to Sign Israel\u2019s Declaration of Independence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In recent times, elections have been a frequent topic of discussion here in Israel, yet only occasionally does the important issue of women\u2019s representation in the Knesset, Israel&#8217;s parliament, make the headlines. On Election Day, broadcasters busily analyze election forecasts to determine, among many other things, what the number of women will be in the new Knesset, but the issue typically gets pushed to the side fairly quickly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It turns out that the matter of female representation has been a key concern of Israel\u2019s elected representatives\u2014and especially of the elected women representatives\u2014since the very first days of statehood. One person who stood out for her activities on the matter was Rachel Cohen-Kagan, one of the early champions of Israeli feminism. Throughout her years in the Knesset, she fought hard for women\u2019s equality and rights.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_89035\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89035\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Cohen_500.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-89035 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Cohen_500.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Cohen_500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Cohen_500-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Cohen_500-420x600.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-89035\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/he.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A5:Cohen.jpg\">Rachel Cohen-Kagan<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cohen-Kagan was born in the city of Odessa in 1888 to the Lubarski family. She studied mathematics at the University of Odessa, and then married Dr. Noah Cohen, a medical doctor from Tashkent. In 1919, they were among the new immigrant passengers on the <em>Ruslan<\/em>, a famous ship whose voyage marked the traditional beginning of the Third Aliyah, a major wave of Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel. She eventually joined WIZO and became active in the Zionist women&#8217;s organization until she was chosen as its chairperson following the death of Henrietta Szold.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_89039\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89039\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL5043642_500.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-89039 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL5043642_500.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"710\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL5043642_500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL5043642_500-211x300.jpg 211w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL5043642_500-423x600.jpg 423w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-89039\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;<em>Woman!&#8230;Apart from you yourself, no party will protect the special interests of the woman and child, the housewife, the new immigrant\u2026<\/em>&#8221; \u2013 A WIZO party election <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/sheets\/NNL_Ephemera700093325\/NLI\">poster<\/a> in Hebrew for the Constituent Assembly in 1949. The Ephemera Collection at the National Library of Israel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cohen-Kagan was the WIZO representative on the National Committee (the executive branch of the pre-state Assembly of Representatives) where she was in charge of the Social Welfare department, and when the People\u2019s Council was established, Cohen-Kagan was WIZO\u2019s representative there as well. As a member of the People\u2019s Council, she was one of the 37 signatories to the State of Israel&#8217;s Declaration of Independence, and one of only two women to sign it. In fact, she was the first woman to sign the Declaration, before her colleague Golda Meir (Meyerson), since the signing was in alphabetical order, and the Hebrew letter \u05db (<em>kaf<\/em>) comes before \u05de (<em>mem<\/em>). Cohen-Kagan described her feelings during the historic event: \u201cWhen a person feels that a dream becomes a reality and their heart fills with joy, they can scale the rooftops. To this day, I find it difficult to put into words what I felt on that day. My language abilities, specifically, and human language in general, fall short. I think it can only be properly expressed through music and art.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_110297\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-110297\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/0001_FL133146926.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-110297\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/0001_FL133146926-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/0001_FL133146926-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/0001_FL133146926-903x600.jpg 903w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/0001_FL133146926-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/0001_FL133146926.jpg 1354w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-110297\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachel Cohen-Kagan signs Israel&#8217;s Declaration of Independence. David Ben-Gurion sits to her right behind a set of microphones, while Moshe Sharett is to her left. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/sheets\/NNL_Ephemera700093325\/NLI\">Photo<\/a>: Benno Rothenberg, the Meitar Collection, the Pritzker Family National Photography Collection at the National Library of Israel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the run-up to the First Knesset elections, or the \u201cConstituent Assembly\u201d as it was then called, WIZO merged with the Union of Hebrew Women for Equal Rights in Erez Israel in order to run as the first and only all-women party. Even prior to the elections, Cohen-Kagan raised the issue of women\u2019s representation in parliament. She was interviewed by <em>Haaretz<\/em> in December 1948 (a few weeks before the January elections), but the interview was buried in the women\u2019s section of the paper &#8211; \u201c<em>La\u2019isha velabayit<\/em>\u201d (&#8220;For Women and the Home&#8221;).\u00a0 In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/newspapers\/haretz\/1948\/12\/21\/01\/article\/35\/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1\">interview<\/a>, titled \u201cWomen Needed for our Constituent Council,\u201d Cohen-Kagan said: \u201cTo be honest, being the only woman in parliament is not pleasant; it\u2019s even hard! . . . The very fact implies difficulties. Just as it would be rough for a man if he were the only one in an all-women parliament.\u201d Later she added, &#8220;\u2026to this day the male public views the appearance of a woman at the parliamentary gates as a very special phenomenon. In this respect, a good degree of maturity is still lacking on the part of men. They simply have a hard time forgetting that I am a woman\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_89047\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89047\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL6283516_500.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-89047 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL6283516_500.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL6283516_500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL6283516_500-215x300.jpg 215w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FL6283516_500-430x600.jpg 430w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-89047\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A WIZO Party election <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/sheets\/NNL_Ephemera700155266\/NLI\">poster<\/a> for Constituent Assembly in 1949, the Ephemera Collection, the National Library of Israel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cohen-Kagan, who believed that women bring a unique perspective, saw women\u2019s representation in the Knesset as a necessary component for the running of the state: \u201cIt is important and imperative that the women\u2019s point of view be given greater prominence. Just as a man and a woman\u2019s viewpoints integrate in the private household and everything is conducted through the merging of the two approaches for the sake of harmony and good will, it should be the same in the running of the state. In this way, the woman\u2019s viewpoint will be expressed and realized in all general matters, and especially in those in which a woman\u2019s participation is essential, because she is the one who looks out for the needs of daily life.\u201d Cohen-Kagan believed there were certain issues in which the women\u2019s viewpoint was especially significant: \u201cMost important here are questions of welfare, social security for children and the elderly and the problem of education in general. I have no doubt that with the influence of women\u2019s participation in the life of the state, there would be greater concern for all the weak and disadvantaged in our country, a more humane approach to their problems, and without doubt, their situation would improve.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_89051\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89051\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/haaretz-21-december-1948_500.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-89051 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/haaretz-21-december-1948_500.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/haaretz-21-december-1948_500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/haaretz-21-december-1948_500-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/haaretz-21-december-1948_500-482x600.jpg 482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-89051\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201c<em>Women Needed for our Constituent Council<\/em>\u201d &#8211; A segment of the Hebrew interview with Rachel Cohen-Kagan in the December 21<sup>st<\/sup>, 1948 issue of Haaretz. You can find the complete interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/newspapers\/haretz\/1948\/12\/21\/01\/article\/35\/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1\">here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">WIZO won one seat, and Rachel Cohen-Kagan entered the first Knesset. During her tenure, she proposed the &#8220;Family and Equality of Women\u201d law in 1951, sought to combat violence against women, supported women\u2019s service in the IDF and dealt with other issues to promote the status of women in Israel. In 1951, the Knesset dissolved and the WIZO party never ran again as an independent party. Ten years later, Rachel Cohen-Kagan ran again for the Knesset and was elected as a member of the Liberal Party in 1961. She served as a Knesset member for another four years.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Many thanks to Dr. Sharon Geva who greatly assisted in the preparation of this article. You can find more information about Rachel Cohen-Kagan and the activities of other women in the early days of the State of Israel at the <a href=\"https:\/\/merhav.nli.org.il\/primo-explore\/search?query=any,contains,Women%20in%20the%20State%20of%20Israel&amp;tab=default_tab&amp;search_scope=Local&amp;vid=NLI&amp;lang=en_US&amp;offset=0\">National Library of Israel<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rachel Cohen-Kagan was one of the most prominent activists for the advancement of women&#8217;s rights in the young State of Israel. Her efforts led to her being among the signatories of the Declaration of Independence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":89058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[1232,1989,1829,1908,3089],"tags2":[2656,2816,2779,2780],"class_list":["post-110293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-land-of-israel","tag-history-of-israel","tag-israeli-independence-day","tag-israeli-politics","tag-israeli-women","tag-women"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The First Woman to Sign Israel\u2019s Declaration of Independence<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rachel Cohen-Kagan was one of the most prominent activists for the advancement of women&#039;s rights in the young State of Israel. 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