14 August 2026
(Rachel Cohen-Kagan signs Israel's Declaration of Independence. PHOTO: static.timesofisrael.com)
Intent continuesits series of articles about outstanding women and men from Odesa. This time, the article will be dedicated to Rachel Cohen-Kagan.
On November 27, 1919, the ship Ruslan, carrying more than 600 passengers, left the port of Odessa forever. All of them were Jewish. They were allowed to take only the bare essentials: “clothing, household goods, and hand tools.” Not a single extra kilogram of luggage. The main priority was to get as many people as possible on board. Only the destination was known—the port of Jaffa in Palestine. Everything else was complete uncertainty.
Among the passengers is a young woman named Rachel and her young son. The woman is 31 years old. She was born in 1888 in Odessa to the family of attorney Yakov Lyubarsky, one of the co-founders of the Society of Friends of Zion. Rachel attended gymnasium, then studied at the Higher Women’s Courses at Novorossiysk University. She went on to pursue higher education in St. Petersburg. Her field of study—mathematics—was rather unusual for a young woman. But life had challenges in store for her that were far more complex than any existing mathematical formula.
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Rachel Kagan. PHOTO: upload.wikimedia.org
The last peaceful year, 1913, brought Rachel personal happiness with her husband, Noah Kagan—a family doctor from Tashkent. Like many young Jews of that time, he set out for Palestine to settle in the Promised Land.
Meanwhile, a whirlwind of major events was unfolding: World War I, the revolution and the October coup, and the collapse of empires. By that time, Jewish refugees from Palestine had already been living in Odessa for several years. Many of them were natives of the Russian Empire who had previously settled in Ottoman Palestine while retaining their Russian citizenship. They were waiting for the war to end so they could return to Palestine. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks came to power in Odessa, which only reinforced the need to leave.
The ship *Ruslan*, owned by a Russian shipping and insurance company, was ready to make this voyage. If we convert the cost of the charter to today’s currency, it amounts to approximately half a million dollars. The entire community raised the money, each contributing what they could. Among the passengers on the “Ruslan” were writers, architects, scientists, and political and civic leaders who would later play an important role in the cultural and political life of Jewish Palestine and the future State of Israel.
On December 19, 1919, along with the other passengers, Rachel Kagan, a native of Odesa, arrived in the small settlement of Jaffa, which would later become a district of the future city of Tel Aviv.
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The ship “Ruslan” in the port of Kushta on its way to Palestine. PHOTO: upload.wikimedia.org
Since 1925, Rachel Kagan has lived in Haifa with her family. She became actively involved in political activities. She joined the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) and served as its president beginning in 1938. She was particularly concerned with issues of motherhood and childhood. She actively promoted the development of the “Tipat Halav” (“Drop of Milk”) network of nurseries and child health clinics—a system of preventive care for mothers and children that later became an important component of Israel’s healthcare system.
In 1932, she was appointed chair of the Social Welfare Committee of the Haifa Municipal Council and remained in that position until 1946. In 1946, Rachel was elected to the National Council and became the head of the Social Welfare Department. Two years remained until the declaration of Israel’s independence.
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Rachel with her husband’s sister, Olena Kagan. PHOTO: new.ejwiki.org
On May 14, 1948, the British Mandate in Palestine came to an end. It was on this day that the Declaration of Independence of the new state was signed. Among the 37 signatories, there were only two women: Golda Meir and Rachel Cohen-Kagan. Since the signatures were arranged alphabetically, Rachel Cohen-Kagan became the first woman to sign Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
Here is how she described her emotions at that moment: “It is impossible to put into words what I was feeling. The voice reading the Declaration was Ben-Gurion’s, a voice I knew well. I knew all the people sitting next to me very well. And yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that none of this was really happening. At that moment, I began to understand Chagall—his lovers soaring through the sky with joy. My soul triumphed; it soared above the hall.”
Once Israel had gained independence, Rachel continued her work as the sole representative of the Women’s Party of Israel in the Knesset. The party won only one seat in parliament. And Rachel took that seat, becoming the voice of all women.
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ID card of a member of the Provisional State Council. PHOTO: www.israelstory.org
She described her situation as follows: “To be honest, being the only woman in the Knesset is very difficult. And it doesn’t matter which party I represent. Let any male lawmaker imagine that he is working in a parliament where only women sit.”
Her legislative initiatives were far too progressive for their time. For example, she drafted a bill to protect women from domestic violence. This bill was heavily watered down by the religious parties. In protest, Rachel Kogan left the Knesset. Her initiative was not adopted until 1973. Former Minister of Justice Pinchas Rosen recalled that when she spoke in the Knesset about equal rights, she emphasized that she was advocating not only for equal rights for women, but also for men.
From 1951 to 1961, Rachel Kagan headed WIZO. And in 1961, she once again became a Knesset member representing the Liberal Party. Among her initiatives were: supporting the conscription of women into the army, establishing legal counseling services, charitable foundations for women, and mobile libraries.
When asked about the secret to her longevity, she said: “Actually, I have two talents. I know how to relax—reading a book, listening to music, taking a walk. And I fall asleep quickly.” Rachel Cohen-Kagan died in 1982 at the age of 94.
Rachel Kagan had two sons—Eliyahu (who became a physicist) and Mika (who became a producer). Her great-grandchildren live in Haifa. On the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence, during an interview about the state’s founders, one of her grandsons brought the very same dress his grandmother Rachel Kagan had worn when she signed the historic document. Rachel was named an honorary citizen of Haifa. One of the city’s streets is named in her honor.
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