Hannah Greenebaum Solomon was born into one of Chicago’s pioneering Jewish families. A large and civic-minded clan, the Greenebaums established many of Chicago’s earliest synagogues and philanthropic organizations. At age 18, Solomon was invited to become the first Jewish member of the Chicago Woman's Club. She came in contact with influential reformers such as Jane Addams, and was charged with organizing Jewish women’s participation in the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Solomon assembled an international group of leading Jewish women to take part in the Fair’s Parliament of World Religions. By the end of the fair, Solomon had successfully launched the National Council of Jewish Women, the first organization of its kind and one that remains active today.