Olga Hankin was born in what is now Belarus and in 1886 moved to the Land of Israel as part of the First Aliyah.
Two years later she married Yehoshua Hankin in the agricultural settlement of Gedera.
Yehoshua was responsible for most of the land purchases of the Zionist Organisation in Ottoman Palestine and British Mandate Palestine.
Olga was a feminist, a professional midwife who studied in St. Petersburg, and a Zionist activist.
After they moved to Jaffa, she became well-known for her midwifery skills and highly respected by the local Arabs, many of whom lived on the sandy stretches south of the city.
On one occasion while delivering the infant son of a wealthy Christian Arab of Jaffa who owned land south of the city, she learned ten thousand dunams in Wadi Deiran were for sale.
She told Yehoshua about this, and in 1890 he completed his first land deal and the start of a venture purchasing land for the redemption of the land for Jewish settlement.
Olga was the driving force behind Yehoshua in his dedication to this task, but since he never made any money in his real estate dealings, she continued working as a midwife to support him.
Olga was reputed to be a brave woman who would ride alone on horseback, even at night, to perform midwife duties for women, whether Jewish or Arab.
Although trusted among the Arabs, she always carried a whip while riding around, just to protect herself.
Ironically, for a woman who brought many children into the world, her marriage to Yehoshua was childless.
A Dedicated Feminist
Olga Hankin believed that women should have a profession.
She worked hard in Russia as a telegrapher on the Trans-Siberian Railway prior to making aliyah to the Land of Israel.
Her goal was to study midwifery and the money she earned paid for her studies.
In addition, she encouraged young people in her extended family, especially young women, to study and maintain their independence.
Lack of recognition of the contribution by women to the development of Jewish settlement in British Mandate Palestine became an issue with Olga.
In an undated letter to the Tel-Aviv municipality, Olga Hankin wrote to complain about the lack of women’s names among city streets.
“Why is there no mention (in street names) 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 invite women to participate in the naming committee.”
Her words were not dismissed out of hand, and in 1949 Givat Olga was established in her name as a neighborhood of Hadera.
It is a beautiful part of the city and joins the growing number of towns and cities located along the Mediterranean Sea, often referred to as Israel’s Riviera.
Olga and Yehoshua were notable pioneers of the Land of Israel prior to the Declaration of Independence in 1948.
Both were ardent Zionists who worked hard, with passion and dedication to the Zionist movement.
Olga died in 1942 at her house in Tel Aviv and was buried in the Galilee, in a tomb that Yehoshua had built for them on Mount Gilboa in the Jezreel Valley.
He died two years later and was buried by her side.
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