Heidelberg University admitted Rahel Straus as its first regular female medical student in 1899, setting the trajectory for a career defined by clinical practice and social advocacy. Over the subsequent decades, she navigated the professional challenges of early twentieth-century Germany before relocating to Palestine to expand her efforts in medicine and community development.
Early Education and Medical Qualification
Born in Karlsruhe on 21 March 1880, Rahel Goitein was the daughter of Gabor Goitein, an Orthodox rabbi, and schoolteacher Ida Löwenfeld. Following her father's death, her mother oversaw her education. After completing her matriculation at a gymnasium for girls in 1899, Straus enrolled at Heidelberg University. She graduated from the medical faculty in January 1905, becoming the first female medical student at the institution allowed to pursue a regular course of study.
Professional Practice in Munich
Upon graduation, she married lawyer Elias Straus and settled in Munich. The couple had five children: Isa, Hannah, Frederic, Gabriele, and Ernst. From 1908, Straus managed her own private practice as a gynecologist and general practitioner for twenty-five years. Her Munich home functioned as a social hub for Jewish intellectuals, including Albert Einstein, Martin Buber, and Judah Leon Magnes. Alongside her clinical duties, she engaged with the Women’s International Zionist Organization and the League of Jewish Women, frequently editing the latter's publication, Blätter des Jüdischen Frauenbundes für Frauenarbeit und Frauenbewegung.
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Following the death of Elias Straus in 1933, she emigrated to Palestine with her children. She maintained a medical practice until 1940, at which point she pivoted to full-time social work. Her initiatives included providing clothing for the needy, training young female immigrants, and launching a workshop for handicapped women. She founded the AKIM training institute for disabled children in Jerusalem, currently identified as Beit Rahel Straus. In 1952, she helped establish the Israeli branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Authorship and Later Years
Beyond her medical and activist career, Straus was a published author. She wrote children’s fairy tales in Hebrew and documented her experiences in pre-Nazi Germany in her 1961 memoir, Wir lebten in Deutschland: Erinnerungen einer deutschen Jüdin, 1880-1933. She remained active in social causes until her death in Jerusalem on 15 May 1963. She is buried at the Sanhedria Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 21 March 1880, Karlsruhe
- Died: 15 May 1963, Jerusalem
- Education: Heidelberg University
- Occupations: Physician, gynecologist, feminist
- Citizenship: Germany, Israel
- Burial site: Sanhedria Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What medical fields did Rahel Straus specialize in?
She worked as a general practitioner and a gynecologist.
When did she move to Palestine?
She emigrated to Palestine in November 1933.
Did she hold any honorary positions in later life?
Yes, she remained an active honorary member of the Israeli branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Achievements
- Fields: women's rights and Zionism
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