Adella Kean Zametkin

Adella Kean Zametkin (born Adella Emanuelovna Khean; October 12, 1863 – May 19, 1931) was an American writer and activist.

Life

Zametkin was born on October 12, 1863, in Mohyliv-Podilskyi,[1] Russian Empire, in modern-day Ukraine, as 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 Robert J. Hunt.[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, she married labor leader Michael Zametkin. They had a son and two daughters,[9] including Laura Z. Hobson.[2]

Death

Zametkin died following a long illness at Presbyterian Hospital on May 19, 1931.[4]

References
  1. Fogel, Joshua (March 29, 2019). "Adela Kean-Zametkin". Yiddish Leksikon. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. "Mrs. Zametkin Dead; A Socialist Leader" (PDF). The New York Times. Vol. LXXX, no. 26779. New York, N.Y. May 20, 1931. p. 25.
  5. 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.
  6. "NY Assembly - Queens 04 Race - Nov 06, 1928". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  7. "NY Assembly - Queens 04 Race - Nov 05, 1929". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  8. "NY Assembly - Queens 04 Race - Nov 04, 1930". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  9. "Mrs. Zametkin, Veteran N.Y. Socialist, Dies". The New Leader. Vol. XII, no. 21. New York, N.Y. May 23, 1931. p. 2 – via Internet Archive.
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