Jewish Women in Fin de Siecle Vienna (Jewish History, Life and Culture)

329 Pages·2008·5.96 MB·English

by  Alison Rose

Jewish Women in Fin de Siècle Vienna
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Jewish History, Life, and Culture
Michael Neiditch, Series Editor
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Jewish Women in
»
Alison
Rose
Fin de Siècle Vienna
University of Texas Press Austin
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The Jewish History, Life, and Culture Series is supported
by the late Milton T. Smith and the Moshana Foundation, and
the Tocker Foundation.
Copyright © 2008 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2008
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to:
Permissions
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713-7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rose, Alison.
Jewish women in fi n de siècle Vienna / Alison Rose.
p. cm. — (Jewish history, life, and culture)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-292-71861-6 (alk. paper)
1. Jews—Austria—Vienna—History—19th century. 2. Jews—Austria—Vi-
enna—History—20th century. 3. Jewish women—Austria—Vienna—Social life
and customs—19th century. 4. Jewish women—Austria—Vienna—Social life
and customs—20th century. 5. Jewish women—Austria—Vienna—Social condi-
tions—19th century. 6. Jewish women—Austria—Vienna—Social conditions—
20th century. 7. Jewish women—Austria—Vienna—Education. 8. Jews—
Austria—Vienna—Identity. 9. Vienna (Austria)—Ethnic relations. I. Title.
ds135.a9r595 2008
305.48′892404361309034—dc22
2008011078
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To Mitch, Ilan, and Keshet
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Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. Childhood and Youth of Jewish Girls 9
2. Community, Spirituality, and Philanthropy 43
3. University and Political Involvement 87
4. Women and the Zionist Movement 109
5. Medicine and Psychoanalysis 141
6. Literature and Culture 181
Conclusion 219
Notes 223
Bibliography 261
Index 295
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Preface and Acknowledgments
During the course of my research and writing on Jewish women in fi n
de siècle Vienna, which began with the early stages of my dissertation
research in 1989, I have come to feel quite close to the personalities
I study, without of course having met any of them. Whenever I have
found that one of these women met a tragic end I have felt an inevitable
sadness and despair. While unfortunately many ended their lives in
tragedy, I hope that my work will help them to be remembered for their
caring and compassion for their fellow human beings, which guided
them in their lives, as well as for their accomplishments, which are
manifold. So many of the women in this study devoted themselves to
bettering the world in which they lived, to improving the lives of the
less fortunate, to contributing to progress in humanistic and scientifi c
scholarship, to expanding the possibilities for education and freedom
for youth. The tragedy that in many cases no one was there for them
in their hour of need inspires me to see that I do all I can to prevent
similar injustices from being perpetrated in the present. I hope that
in some small way, telling the stories of these women, their struggles,
their successes, and their inner strength, will inspire readers to think
more about the way that they perceive and treat those who appear to be
diff erent or “other” in their world today.
I would like to express my deep appreciation to many individuals
and institutions that have provided essential assistance and support for
me during my research, which is now in its second decade! I apologize
for any inevitable omissions as over the years I have crossed paths with
so many, and I of course am solely responsible for all errors.
My parents, Myna and Terry, and my sister, Holly, have always been
there for me, believed in me, and supported me in countless ways.
I fi rst learned my love of history from my history teacher at Aspen
High School, George Burson, and I fi rst learned that I cared about
politics and was destined for a career involving public speaking from
my speech and debate coach at Aspen High, Ken Lyon. These experi-
ences and my desire to move further west led me to an incredible learn-
ing experience at Reed College, where I was constantly engaged and
excited by many inspiring professors—especially Christine Mueller,
who advised my senior thesis and ignited my interest in the Habsburg
ix
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