Annie Jacobs Davis

Annie Jacobs Davis was the founder of the Hebrew Ladies’ Hospital Aid Society and the Ladies Auxiliary of B’nai Israel Congregation. She was born in Vladimir, Russia and immigrated to the United States with her mother and two older siblings in 1873, arriving in Pittsburgh the following year. In September 1883, she married Barnett Davis, who ran a diamond firm. They had 11 children together, several of whom predeceased their mother. After her husband died of a heart attack in 1913, Davis raised their children alone while continuing her charitable ventures. Her activities with the Hebrew Ladies’ Hospital Aid Society led to the founding of Montefiore Hospital in 1908. She was also president of the Jewish Home for Babies and Children, and she was involved in local Zionist activities and active in the women’s suffrage movement.