Rosa Welt-Straus

Rosa Welt-Straus, born on August twenty-fourth, eighteen fifty-six in the Austrian Empire, was a pioneering ophthalmologist and a dedicated suffragette. She made history as the first girl in Austria to graduate from high school and became the first Austrian woman to earn a medical degree, achieving this remarkable feat in eighteen seventy-eight from the University of Bern. Additionally, she was recognized as the first female eye doctor in Europe.

After immigrating to America with one of her sisters, Rosa established herself as an eye surgeon at the eye hospital and the Women's Hospital in New York. She married businessman Louis Straus and welcomed a daughter, Nellie Straus-Mochenson. Her commitment to women's rights was evident when she participated in the inaugural congress of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in nineteen oh four as part of the American delegation.

Rosa's activism continued as she represented the Union of Hebrew Women for Equal Rights in Eretz Israel at various international assemblies. In nineteen nineteen, she became the leader of the first nationwide women's party in the New Yishuv, a role she held until her passing. Her influence extended beyond borders, as she traveled to London in July nineteen twenty to partake in the assembly that established the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO).

Throughout her life, Rosa was a prominent figure in the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, participating in all its congresses and often representing the organization in discussions with prime ministers. In nineteen twenty-six, a significant declaration was ratified, affirming equal rights for women in all aspects of life in the yishuv. Rosa Welt-Straus passed away in Geneva in nineteen thirty-eight, leaving behind a legacy of courage and commitment to women's rights.