Martha Wolfenstein
Martha Wolfenstein | |
|---|---|
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| Born | August 5, 1869 Insterburg, Gumbinnen, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | March 17, 1906 (aged 36) Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| 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]
Early life
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]
Career
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]
Death and legacy
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]
Bibliography
- Idyls of the Gass. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. 1901.
- A Renegade and Other Tales. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. 1905.
References
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.
- ^ "Talented Writer Dead". The Jewish Outlook. Vol. 3, no. 22. Denver, Colorado. March 30, 1906. p. 1.
- ^ Board of County Commissioners (1906–1907). Death Records from Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Cleveland, Ohio – via Ancestry.com.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Martha Wolfenstein, Sketch Writer". The Maccabæan. 10 (1). New York: 16. January 1906.
- ^ ISBN 9780911704389.
- ^ a b Adler, Cyrus; Szold, Henrietta, eds. (1905–1906). "Biographical Sketches of Jewish Communal Workers in the United States". The American Jewish Year Book. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. p. 117.
- ^ a b c d Sarna, Jonathan D. (1999). "Martha Wolfenstein". Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- ^
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.
- Case Western University. June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Martha Wolfenstein". Past Masters Project. Cleveland Arts Prize. 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-19-989105-4.
- ISBN 978-0-87338-406-3.
- ^ "Martha Wolfenstein". The Menorah: A Monthly Magazine for the Jewish Home. 40 (5). New York: P. Cowen: 299–300. May 1906.
- ^ Schanfarber, Tobias; Hirshberg, Samuel, eds. (1906). Year Book of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Vol. 16. Central Conference of American Rabbis.
- ^ Greenberg, Gail. "Martha House – The Home for Jewish Girls". Cleveland Historical. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
External links
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