Rosa Ginossar

Rosa Ginossar (1890-1979) was a leading female Zionist and a trailblazing lawyer and public figure in Israel. She was the second female lawyer in Mandatory Palestine and the first, and for many years the only, practicing female attorney in Israel.^[1] She was greatly involved with the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO), where she served as President from 1966 to 1970.

Personal life

Rosa Ginossar was born on July 14, 1890 in Gomel, Belorussia, daughter to the writer Mordecai ben Hillel Hacohen. She immigrated to pre-State Palestine with her family in 1907, where she studied law.^[2]

Rosa met her future husband, Shlomo Ginzberg (later hebraized to Ginossar) through the friendship between her father and his, Ahad Ha'am (Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginzberg), who was a Zionist leader and writer. In 1908, Shlomo came to Palestine and stayed with the Hacohen family. He persuaded Rosa to go with him to study at the University of Paris, which she graduated from with a law diploma on October 19, 1913.

During World War I, she initially stayed with her parents in Tel-Aviv, but in 1917, she married Shlomo in Switzerland and together they moved to her father-in-law's house in London for four years. While there she came into contact with many Zionists through her father-in-law, and she and her husband became involved with the movement.^[1]

Rosa and Shlomo returned to Palestine in 1922, where they stayed until Shlomo was appointed as the first Israeli ambassador to Italy from 1949 to 1951, after which they returned and remained in Israel. It was when Shlomo was appointed as ambassador that the couple hebraized their family name from Ginzberg to Ginossar.^[2]

Struggle to Practice Law in Palestine

After returning to Palestine with Shlomo in 1922, Rosa attempted to take the bar examination for foreign lawyers, but her requests were rejected on the grounds that the word orekh din (the masculine Hebrew term for lawyers) only referred to males. She renewed he request in 1924 to take the bar exam with the help of the Union of Hebrew Women for Equal Rights in Eretz Israel, although she remained unsuccessfull.

Rosa interned and clerked for over three years at the law firm Adv. Harry Sacher and Adv. Shalom (Solomon) Horowitz beginning in 1925, where she was given work that did not require court appearances. Horowitz submitted a petition on her behalf in December 1928 to the High Court of Justice as Rosa tried to influence the British authorities through her contacts and by using feminist arguments. Rosa Ginossar's case was still held up, but debate on a draft ordinance regarding women practicing law in Palestine resumed, with Rosa representing herself before the High Court of Justice, a story that received international press attention.^[1]

The Supreme Court announced their ruling in favor of the right of women to become lawyers on February 15, 1930. Two days later, Rosa took the bar examination and was the second woman to pass, after Freda Slutzkin.^[3]

Authorities were at the same time hurrying to pass a draft ordinance from 1925 which was meant "to restrict women from appearing before Muslim, religious, and tribal courts and to bar them from various legal occupations."^[1] This led to widespread protest led by Rosa, who, with the help of the press, the Association of Jewish Attorneys in Palestine, the Union of Hebrew Women, and the Women’s Council, was able to have the ordinance amended so women were not restricted from appearing in civil courts.

Rosa received her law license on July 26, 1930,from the Chief Justice, who stated that although she "was not the first woman to receive the law license, the right of women to serve as lawyers in Palestine was a direct result of her struggle."^[1]

Legal career

Rosa Ginossar opened her own law practice in Jerusalem soon after receiving her license, and was the only woman in the country to have her own practice for many years. Her work reflected her interest in helping immigrants, children, and women. She considered it a special mission to deal with cases brought by the British authorities against “illegal” immigrants. She was also one of the first people to bring the issue of adoption and child custody before the courts.^[1]

Rahel Ossorguine, Rosa's sister-in-law, joined her law firm as a partner in the late 1930s. The two of them were joined by a third partner later. Rosa continued with her legal work until 1949, when she went with her husband to Italy after he was appointed as ambassador.^[1]

Activism

While in London between 1917 and 1922, Rosa and her husband became involved with the contemporary Zionist movement through Shlomo's father. She served as the Women's International Zionist Organization's (WIZO) first Honorary Secretary when it was founded in 1920, and continued to be involved in the organization after her return to Palestine in 1922. She often served as WIZO's emissary and traveled to nearly every chapter in different countries and around the globe.^[1] Even after the state of Israel was established, WIZO continued to fight for equal rights and representation for women in the government, and Rosa was a part of the struggle for women to be allowed to hold various public offices.

Rosa was involved in other women's and Zionist organizations in Palestine besides WIZO, and served on the boards of both the World Zionist Organization and Youth Aliyah. She also helped hundreds of Jewish refugees from Germany and across Europe to get aliyah certificates to immigrate to Palestine.^[4]

In 1951, after returning to Palestine from Italy, where Shlomo had served as the Israeli ambassador, Rosa was elected Chairwoman of WIZO. She became Acting President in 1963 and President from 1966 to 1970, after which she retired from active work and was appointed Honorary President.^[2]

Honors

Rosa Ginossar became Honorary President of the World WIZO in 1970 and an Honorary Citizen of Jerusalem in 1974.^[4]

References