Learn about life in Palestine/Israel from 1947-1948 through personal photos and the lively and engaging letters of Zipporah “Zippy” Porath. This presentation will help you experience the joy and the heartbreak that led up to Israel’s statehood and examine the role that gender played in one woman’s Zionist experience.

Session Recording

Due to problems with the audio in the program recording, we are unable to provide a recording of the program.

Instead, we offer a glimpse of Zippy's story in this video from Toldot Yisrael.

You can also view some of the photos she shared in the PowerPoint presentation below.

Session Materials and Handouts

• PowerPoint Presentation
• Chat Log
• Letter from Jerusalem, November 30, 1947
• Letter from Haifa Bay, November 29, 1948

Lesson Links

• Lesson Plan: A Young American Jew in Israel, 1947–1948 from Go & Learn

Related Resources from the Jewish Women’s Archive

• Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah in JWA's Women of Valor
• Zionism in the United States article in JWA's Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia
• People, places, and events related to Zionism in JWA's Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia

Zippy Porath and Israeli Independence elsewhere on the web

• Purchase Letters from Jerusalem on Amazon.com.