During Purim in 1912, Henrietta Szold directed the expansion of the Daughters of Zion study group into a national organization called Hadassah (original meaning myrtle, a hardy plant used to bind and enrich sandy soil), after Queen Esther in the Old Testament. Inspired by a trip to pre-state Israel with her mother in the early 1900s, Szold sought to create an organization to support the health needs of Palestine’s people and Jewish women’s independence. Ever since then, Hadassah has been taking the initiative to run not only on medical needs, but also to assist young immigrants, vocational educational programs, various Zionist oriented programs, and tree-planting activities. Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO), Youth Aliyah, Hashachar (Young Judea), Hadassah Israel Educational Service, and Jewish National Fund are based on Hadassah members’ fundraising operations.

During 1925, a small group of women led by Anna Boff in Niagara Falls formed the Fireside Study Group, which became a backbone of Hadassah. Mamie Shafer was the first Niagara Falls Chapter president of Hadassah. By 1931, 25 women were members. In the early days, meetings were held in Regina Zubkoff’s home to plan events, study, and raise funds to support people in Palestine.

During the 1940s, Niagara Falls members gave linen showers for Israel and participated in knitting for GIs and rolling bandages during World War II. With the growth of membership, its meetings were held at Temple Beth Israel. Activities grew as a surge of young professional couples and singles moved into the area due to a growth of local chemical industries and the Niagara Falls power project in the 1950s and 1960s. In elegant donor affairs at Louie's Restaurant and Hotel Niagara, the members held annual musical parodies to entertain, instruct, and raise funds.

Membership declined from the 1970s on; however, the Niagara Falls Chapter continued. Family involvement was crucial for the chapter, from having three generation members to recruiting in-law family members after marriage. Although their membership became more paper based, they maintained around 100 members through the 1990s. Even during this decline of membership, Hadassah continued to have a yearly program in cooperation with the two sisterhoods of Temple Beth Israel and Temple Beth El.

After 87 years of operation, they finally closed their chapter in 2012.