Baila Round Shargel is a graduate of Goucher College, the Baltimore Hebrew College, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She is currently teaching at Manhattanville College and SUNY Purchase College, both in Purchase, NY. As a social and cultural historian, Professor Shargel has written dozens of essays on Jewish life, culture, and religion. Her books include Practical Dreamer: Israel Friedlaender and the Shaping of American Judaism; The Jews of Westchester: A Social History; and Lost Love: The Untold Story of Henrietta Szold.

• Part 1 PrefaceChapter 2 Introduction: Female Leadership in American ZionismChapter 3 Born for LeadershipChapter 4 Bet Zeirot Mizrachi, Jerusalem, 1933-1935Chapter 5 Challenges and New Opportunities: Youth Aliyah and a New School, 1933-1935Chapter 6 Facing Competition, 1935-1936Chapter 7 "Never a Rubber Stamp" 1936-1939Chapter 8 Wartime Propaganda, Peaceful Activities, 1939-1942Chapter 9 The Children of TeheranChapter 10 Wartime Expansion, 1943-1945Chapter 11 Post-war Pressures and Accomplishments, 1945-1947Chapter 12 A Climactic Year, 1947-1948Chapter 13 Final YearsChapter 14 Personality and PrinciplesChapter 15 Female Leadership and EmpowermentPart 16 Appendix: Two Important SpeechesPart 17 EndnotesPart 18 IndexPart 19 About the Author

This newly published book will give everyone dedicated to AMIT the fascinating background of our origins…The fundraising mechanism [Bessie Gotsfeld] set up in New York, and her management of resources in Mandatory Palestine and Israel, made the MWOA the most successful part of the Mizrachi movement…Through her leadership, she advanced the cause of religious Zionism in the United States and Israel. Because of her, our work on behalf of the children of Israel continues to this day