When Rebbetzin Sarah Bayla Hirschenson arrived in Eretz Yisrael in the mid-1800s, she found desolation. With tenacity, ingenuity, and wisdom, she helped bring both spiritual and material sustenance to the people of theHoly Land.
“Ask Sarah Bayla” — it was an oft-repeated refrain during Rebbetzin Sarah Bayla Hirschenson’s lifetime. Whenever help was needed she was there.
Born in Pinsk Belarus in 1816 Sarah Bayla earned acclaim for her innovative thinking helped her husband establish yeshivos in Tzfas and Jerusalem brought Jews back to Yiddishkeit and hosted yeshivah bochurim and dignitaries alike.
A magnetic personality Sarah Bayla also stepped in when intervention was needed between Jews and government officials in Eretz Yisrael especially when tension arose because of the expansion of the Jewish community. The mother of two was the first Ashkenazic woman of her time to learn Arabic giving her a unique ability to resolve disputes with local Arabs.
It is perhaps no wonder then that Rav Shmuel Salant Jerusalem’s chief rabbi at the time would stand up for Sarah Bayla when she entered his presence.
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