Ethel Jenner Rosenberg (6 August 1858 – 17 November 1930) became the first English Baháʼí. Rosenberg became a Baháʼí when she converted in 1899, after having been introduced to the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

by Mary Thornburgh-Cropper, an American resident in London who had converted in 1898. Rosenberg was born in the city of

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family and was a painter trained at the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised a ...

in London. She was

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: ‎, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás ( fa, عباس), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh and served as head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 until 1921. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was later canonized as the ...

's social secretary during his visits to London. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá asked her, among others, to give consideration to publishing Baháʼí books, which resulted in the publication of ''ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in London'' and ''A Brief Account of the Bahai Movement.'' Rosenberg also assisted

Laura Clifford Barney Laura Dreyfus-Barney (born Laura Clifford Barney, also known as Laura Alice Barney; 30 November 1879, Cincinnati, Ohio – 18 August 1974, Paris, France) was a leading American Baháʼí teacher and philanthropist. She was the daughter ...

in compiling ''

Some Answered Questions ''Some Answered Questions'' (abbreviated SAQ; Persian version: ''Mufáviḍát-i-‘Abdu'l-Bahá'') is a compilation of table talks of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá that were collected by Laura Clifford Barney between 1904 and 1906 across several pilgrimages. ...

'' and

Lady Blomfield Sara Louisa Blomfield (née Ryan; 1859 – 1939) was a distinguished early member of the Baháʼí Faith in the British Isles, and a supporter of the rights of children and women.

in compiling ''

Paris Talks ''Paris Talks'' is a book transcribed from talks given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá while in Paris in the first stages of his journeys to the West. It was originally published as ''Talks by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá Given in Paris'' in 1912. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá did not rea ...

.'' Rosenberg traveled to America three times, initially doing so with

Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl Mírzá Muḥammad ( fa, ميرزا أبوالفضل), or Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl-i-Gulpáygání (1844–1914), was the foremost Baháʼí scholar who helped spread the Baháʼí Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one ...

and Laura Clifford Barney. She would spend many months in the United States and stayed with

Phoebe Hearst Phoebe Elizabeth Apperson Hearst (December 3, 1842 – April 13, 1919) was an American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist. Hearst was the founder of the University of California Museum of Anthropology, now called the Phoebe A. Hearst Mu ...

. Rosenberg made three

pilgrimages A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to Haifa, in 1904, 1909 and 1921. When she arrived in Haifa for her third pilgrimage, in 1921, she found that ʻAbdu'l-Bahá had recently died. Remaining in Haifa, she greeted Lady Blomfield,

Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; 1 March 1897 – 4 November 1957) was the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, appointed to the role of Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. He created a series of teaching plans that over ...

, and Shoghi Effendi's sister Ruhangiz when the three arrived from England on 29 December 1921. Shoghi Effendi gave her instructions for the calling of the first National

Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼí Faith. Because the Baháʼí Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...

of England, on which she would serve.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenberg, Ethel Jenner 1858 births 1930 deaths Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art British Bahá'ís British Jews Converts to the Bahá'í Faith from Judaism History of the Bahá'í Faith Artists from Bath, Somerset