Happy 161st birthday to German-Jewish educator, feminist, and activist Sidonie Werner. The present Doodle, outlined by Berlin-based guest artist Lihie Jacob, praises her life and legacy as a hero for women’s rights and youth social programs.
Sidonie Werner was born in Poznań, Poland, on this day in 1860. In the wake of finishing a women’s teacher seminar and attending lessons at a Jewish elementary school, she entered the Hamburg school system, where she stayed an teacher until she retired.
In 1893, Werner’s public work as a gender rights activist started decisively when she helped to establish the Israelite-Humanitarian Women’s Association (IHWA). She co-founded the Jewish Women’s Association in 1904, an association she later led as chairwoman. In 1908, she turned into the head of the IHWA, where she effectively founded programs for ladies and youngsters, for example, giving professional training to ladies to earn enough to pay the rent outside of domestic work.
All through the mid 1910s, Werner strengthened her endeavors by serving leadership roles in various different associations including the City Federation of Hamburg Women’s Association, the Central Welfare Office of German Jews, and the Hamburg Jewish School Association, where she filled in as the solitary woman on the board. In 1929, Werner amassed the World Conference of Jewish Women in Hamburg, which joined 200 delegates from 14 nations and expanded international solidarity among Jewish women.
Happy birthday, Sidonie Werner!
