Olga Hankin
Olga Hankin was a feminist, professional midwife and Zionist activist who, together with her husband, Yehoshua Hankin, was responsible for most of the major land purchases of the Zionist Organization in Ottoman Palestine and Mandatory Palestine. While he became known as a prominent "redeemer of lands" גואל האדמות she, too, was instrumental in this work.
Biography
Olga Hankin was born in the small town of Lahoysk, in Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire. She was the oldest child of Meir and Shifra Belkind. She moved to St. Petersburg as a young woman and to the Land of Israel as part of the First Aliyah in 1886. Two years later she married Yehoshua Hankin in the agricultural settlement of Gedera. They moved to Jaffa, where she became known for her midwifery skills, having studied the profession in St. Petersburg; "she was most likely the first professional midwife in the country". She was 13 years older than he and would become his partner in their endeavors. Ironically for a woman who brought many children into the world, her marriage with Yehoshua was childless.In the following years, because the Zionist organizations were reluctant to pay for land, the Hankin couple frequently purchased lands and then convinced the Jewish Agency or others to finance the "done deal." In this way the Hankin couple became responsible for most of the major land purchases of the Zionist Organization in Ottoman Palestine and Mandatory Palestine. "In 1890, Yehoshua worked to purchase 2,500 acres of the lands of Duran, where the city of Rehovot is now located. In total, more than 148,262 acres purchased by Yehoshua were used for the establishment of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel... Olga was the driving force behind Yehoshua in his dedication to the redemption of the land." What is more, she supported him by working as a midwife, since he never made any money in his real estate dealings.
Olga Hankin died at her house in Tel Aviv on April 2nd 1942, and was buried in the Galilee in a tomb made of pinkish limestone that her husband had built for them near their other house at Ma'ayan Harod on Mount Gilboa in the Jezreel Valley. He died two years after her and was buried by her side.
Feminism
Olga Hankin was reputed to be a brave woman, who would ride alone on horseback, even at night, to perform as a midwife for women, whether Jewish or Arab. She believed that women should have a profession; before immigrating to the Land of Israel she was a telegrapher on the Trans-Siberian Railway in order to save money for her tuition to study midwifery.She was also known to have encouraged the young people of her extended family to study, especially the young women.
In an undated letter to the Tel-Aviv municipality, Olga Hankin wrote to complain about the lack of women's names among the city's street names, indicating her gender outlook:
"Why is there no mention of women among the biblical names, heroes of the nation, such as Deborah and others?... I hope my words will find an echo in the hearts of the committee members and that they will correct the distortion and will also invite women to participate in the naming committee." Notably, as of 2022 there are five streets in Israel named after Yehoshua Hankin and 13 named after Hankin but not one named after Olga Hankin.