29 Facts About Ida Silverman

Ida Silverman was a Jewish philanthropist, who with her husband helped found approximately 100 synagogues, mostly in Israel.

Ida Silverman is the only woman to have served as vice president of the Zionist Organization of America and the American Jewish Congress.

Ida Silverman's family settled in Providence, Rhode Island, where she completed her schooling, married, and had four children.

At the war's end, Ida Silverman turned her efforts toward building infrastructure in the new nation of Israel, but was involved in philanthropy in her home state of Rhode Island, raising funds for hospitals and mental health organizations.

Ida Silverman received many honors and awards for her philanthropy including Jewish Mother of the Year, the Mizrachi Women's Organization of America's "Silver Medal" for building Israel, honorary doctorates, and jointly with her husband was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1971.

Ida Silverman Marcia Camelhor was born on 31 October 1882 in Kovno, Russia to Mary and Louis Camelhor.

Ida Silverman was the only surviving child of a family of eight.

Ida Silverman understood and accepted that her work for others would always take precedence over her own household duties.

Ida Silverman was involved in the community of Providence and social betterment programs.

Ida Silverman founded and served as president of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island.

In 1915, Ida Silverman founded the second Hadassah chapter in New England in Providence.

Ida Silverman was a "skilled propagandist", developing a wide following between 1915 and 1919, and was known as a vigorous leader and talented orator.

In 1925 Ida Silverman made her first trip to Palestine and was able to use her experiences to gain speaking engagements in a variety of venues.

Ida Silverman is the only woman to have served as vice president of the Zionist Organization of America and the American Jewish Congress.

Ida Silverman was an outspoken proponent for Israeli statehood, traveling throughout the Americas and Europe advocating for a Jewish homeland.

Ida Silverman depicted the Jews who had resettled in Palestine as simple farmers, seeking an agrarian life to alleviate the hunger they had experienced elsewhere.

Ida Silverman stressed that the settlers' intent was not to industrialize and vie with the international powerhouse nations, but simply to provide for their basic needs.

Ida Silverman resigned from Hadassah in 1928 in a policy dispute over the high salaries being paid to administrators rather than using the funds for charitable works.

In 1938, Ida Silverman was working with the Youth Aliyah Movement in conjunction with Hadassah in the US to relocate 10,000 refugee children to Palestine.

Ida Silverman reported on her findings at the Inter-American Conference in Baltimore, describing the alternatives as unfavorable and the attempt in the Dominican Republic, as a "failure".

Ida Silverman's collections were a resounding success, which she attributed to the acute understanding of homelessness experienced by British citizens who had been displaced during bombing raids.

Ida Silverman founded and served the board of the company which created the hotel.

Ida Silverman was involved in several projects in Rhode Island.

In 1957, Ida Silverman served as chair of the fundraising for the Rhode Island Association of Mental Health.

In 1971, at the age of 89, Ida Silverman immigrated to Israel.

Ida Silverman died on 1 November 1973 in Herzliya, Israel and was buried in the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery near Jerusalem.

In 1951 Ida Silverman was honored as Jewish Mother of the Year by the Jewish National Fund, which established a forest in Israel bearing her name.

In 1953, a village in Israel, Nachlat Ida Silverman, was named in her honor to recognize her years of financial and moral support, and in 1954, she was honored as Rhode Island Mother of the Year.

Ida Silverman received an honorary doctorate from Rhode Island College in 1954 and one from Bryant College in 1960.