Estelle Miller Sternberger (1886–1971) was an American activist, writer and broadcaster. As executive secretary of the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Founded in 1893, NCJW is self-described as the oldest Jewish women’s grassroots organization in the United States, now comprised by over 180,000 members. As of ...

, she encouraged women to take up careers outside the home. She later became a popular radio personality, ready to discuss any topic related to politics or culture.

Early life

On July 6, 1886, Sternberger was born as Estelle Miller in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Sternberger's parents were Abraham Miller and Hannah née Greeble. Sternberger had a brother Milton Miller (b.1885) and a sister Sadie Miller (b.1893).

Education

Sternberger attended the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

studying social work, and the Cincinnati School of Jewish Philanthropy.

Career

After graduating, Sternberger began lecturing and joined civic organizations before becoming a member of the

, NCJW. In 1921, Sternberger became the founding editor of ''The Jewish Woman'' which was initially an internal newsletter of the NCJW. Over the years, it became an important source of inspiration for American Jewish women, promoting social initiatives and encouraging Jewish women to seek success in every field of endeavor. In 1923, she participated in the First World Congress of Jewish Women in Vienna, representing the NCJW. Sternberger was an active proponent of world peace, heading the pacifist organization World Peaceways in the 1930s. In 1936, she published ''The Supreme Cause: A Practical Book About Peace''. Sternberger later became an outspoken radio commentator, broadcasting on religious

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

radio stations, including

WLIB WLIB (1190 AM) is an urban contemporary gospel radio station licensed to New York City. WLIB is owned by Emmis Communications, along with sister stations WBLS (107.5 FM) and WQHT (97.1 FM). The three stations share studios in the Hudson Square ...

WMCA WMCA may refer to: *WMCA (AM), a radio station operating in New York City * West Midlands Combined Authority, the combined authority of the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom *Wikimedia Canada The Wikimedia Foundation, ...

and WQXR.

Personal life

Sternberger's first husband was Harry Sternberger and they have a daughter Minette Cathryn Sternberger (1906–1977). Sternberger married the rabbi J. Max Weiss (died 1968). On December 23, 1971, Sternberger died in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sternberger, Estelle 1886 births 1971 deaths People from Cincinnati Jewish American community activists American community activists American editors American women writers American radio personalities University of Cincinnati alumni