Adella Kean Zametkin
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Adella Kean Zametkin (October 12, 1863 – May 19, 1931) was a Russian-born Jewish American writer and activist.
Life[]
Zametkin was born on October 12, 1863 in Mohyliv-Podilskyi,[1] Russia under the name Adella Emanuelovna Khean. Her parents were saloon-keepers.[2]
Zametkin was given private lessons from a tutor at an early age, and as a young woman was a tutor herself to poor girls. She immigrated to America in 1888 and quickly gravitated towards the socialist movement. She participated in the Socialist Labor Party, lectured in women's groups, and contributed to leading socialist publications. She helped found The Forward in 1897 and worked as its cashier. She wrote and lectured on women's issues like nutrition, hygiene, birth control, and child education.[3] She focused on aiding Americanizing poor Jews in the Lower East Side, and was credited with organizing several women's organizations.[4]
In 1918, Zametkin began running a weekly column in Der Tog called Fun a froy tsu froyen (From one woman/wife to another), which was soon supplemented by a second weekly column called In der froyen velt (In the world of women/wives). The columns included mainly advice on household management like cooking tips and recipes as well as teaching women about topics like microbes and the importance of getting fresh air, with the goal of making Jewish working-class immigrant more educated of modern American society She also wrote about history, science, notable women like Florence Nightingale.[5]
Zametkin translated several books into Yiddish, including Nikolay Chernyshevsky's What is to Be Done and Émile Zola's La Bête humaine. In 1930, she published Der froys handbukh (The woman’s handbook).[1]
In 1928, Zametkin ran for the New York State Assembly as a Socialist in Queens County's 4th District, losing to Republican .[6] She ran again in the same district in 1929, losing to Democrat Joseph D. Nunan.[7] She ran for a third time in the district in 1930, losing to Democrat James A. Burke.[8] The district was in Jamaica, Queens. While she lost each election, she polled more votes than any other previous Socialist candidate had in the district.[4]
In 1889, Zametkin married Jewish labor leader Michael Zametkin. They had a son and two daughters,[9] including Laura Z. Hobson.[2]
Zametkin died from a long illness in Presbyterian Hospital on May 19, 1931.[4]
References[]
- ^ a b Fogel, Joshua (2019-03-29). "Adela Kean-Zametkin". Yiddish Leksikon. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ a b Hobson, Laura Z. (1983). Laura Z: A Life. New York, N.Y.: Arbor House. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-87795-469-9 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Michels, Tony (2005). A Fire in their Hearts: Yiddish Socialists in New York. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-674-01913-3 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c "Mrs. Zametkin Dead; A Socialist Leader" (PDF). The New York Times. Vol. LXXX, no. 26779. New York, N.Y. 20 May 1931. p. 25.
- ^ Cassedy, Steven (1997). To the Other Shore: The Russian Jewish Intellectuals Who Came to America. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. pp. 101–103. ISBN 978-0-691-02975-7 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "NY Assembly - Queens 04 Race - Nov 06, 1928". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "NY Assembly - Queens 04 Race - Nov 05, 1929". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "NY Assembly - Queens 04 Race - Nov 04, 1930". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "Mrs. Zametkin, Veteran N.Y. Socialist, Dies". The New Leader. Vol. XII, no. 21. New York, N.Y. 23 May 1931. p. 2 – via Internet Archive.
External links[]
- 1863 births
- 1931 deaths
- People from Mohyliv-Podilskyi
- People from Mogilyovsky Uyezd (Podolian Governorate)
- American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
- Jews of the Russian Empire
- Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
- Jewish American community activists
- Jewish American journalists
- Jewish American trade unionists
- New York (state) socialists
- Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America
- Socialist Party of America politicians from New York (state)
- American women journalists
- Journalists from New York City
- 20th-century American journalists
- Translators to Yiddish
- Yiddish-language journalists
- Politicians from Queens, New York
- People from Jamaica, Queens