Martha Wolfenstein | |
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Born | Insterburg, Gumbinnen, Kingdom of Prussia | August 5, 1869
Died | March 17, 1906 Cleveland, Ohio, United States | (aged 36)
Resting place | Willet Street Cemetery , Cleveland [1] |
Occupation | Author |
Martha Wolfenstein (August 5, 1869 – March 17, 1906) [2] was a Prussian-born American author. She was once described as "the best Jewish sketch writer in America." [3]
Martha Wolfenstein was born in 1869 in Insterburg, East Prussia, the eldest daughter of Dr. Samuel Wolfenstein (1841–1921) and Bertha Brieger ( c. 1844–1885). [4] Her father, who served as rabbi in that city from 1865 to 1870, had received rabbinic ordination under Zvi Mecklenburg. [5] During her infancy the family emigrated to the United States, after her father's election as director of the local Höhere Töchterschule was overturned by the Prussian government. [5] They eventually settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as superintendent of the Jewish Orphan Asylum. [4] She resided at the orphanage and received a public school education. [6] [7]
Wolfenstein's first publications were translations from German of short fiction by Leopold Kompert. [6] She went on to write short stories based on her father's experiences in a Moravian Judengasse, which she contributed to many of the leading American Jewish journals, and to other magazines like McClure's and Lippincott's. [8] [9] Among her writings were A Priest from the Ghetto and A Sinner in Israel (in Lippincott's) and The Renegade (in the Outlook).
In 1901 the Jewish Publication Society of America released her first novel, Idyls of the Gass. A German translation was later published in Die Zeit of Vienna. It is noted for its strong female characters, [6] and sympathetic depiction of ghetto Jews. [9] The work received praise from Henrietta Szold, Israel Zangwill, Simon Wolf, Kaufmann Kohler, and other Jewish public intellectuals. [6] [9] [10]
At the time of her death, she was working on a play. [11]
Wolfenstein died from tuberculosis on March 17, 1906, after a prolonged illness. [12] The Central Conference of American Rabbis extended official condolences to her family in recognition of her literary talents. [13] Martha House, a residence for poor women and girls, was established in her memory the following year by the Cleveland Council of Jewish Women. [14]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Adler, Cyrus; Haneman, Frederick T. (1906). "Wolfenstein, Martha". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 550.
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