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Minnie Dessau Louis (June 21, 1841 – March 12, 1922) was an American educator, writer, and community leader, one of the founders of the
In 1894, she helped to found the National Council of Jewish Women. She served as a district inspector for New York public schools, as director of the Clare de Hirsch Home for Girls, and as field secretary for the Jewish Chautauqua Society.
As a writer, Louis edited the Personal Services department of the ''American Hebrew'' from 1901 to 1903. She published a book-length poem, ''Hannah and her Seven Sons: An Incident of the Persecution of the Jews by the Syrian monarch Antiochus Epiphanes, 167 B.C.'' in 1902.
"Settlement House Spirit Lives on in a New York School for Immigrants"
''Jewish Forward'' (May 11, 2001).
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 ...
.
Early life and education
Miriam Dessau was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
in 1841, the daughter of Abraham Dessau and Fanny Zechariah Dessau. She was raised in Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
, but attended Packer Collegiate Institute
The Packer Collegiate Institute is an independent college preparatory school for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Formerly the Brooklyn Female Academy, Packer has been located at 170 Joralemon Street in the historic district of Br ...
in Brooklyn, New York, as a young woman.
Career
In 1880, after several years as a volunteer Sabbath School teacher, Miriam Dessau Louis opened a school, the Louis Downtown Sabbath School, later theHebrew Technical School for Girls
The Hebrew Technical School for Girls was a vocational school whose goal was to provide free instruction for women to pursue jobs in commercial and industrial sectors. It was founded in 1880 as the Louis Down-Town Sabbath and Day School by the educ ...
. She remained president of the school until she retired in 1900, and was still active in the school's interests for several years after that. She was also president of the Hebrew Free School Kindergarten, and president of the Mount Sinai Training School for Nurses. In 1893, she spoke at the Chicago World's Fair, to the Jewish Women's Congress.
In 1894, she helped to found the National Council of Jewish Women. She served as a district inspector for New York public schools, as director of the Clare de Hirsch Home for Girls, and as field secretary for the Jewish Chautauqua Society.
As a writer, Louis edited the Personal Services department of the ''American Hebrew'' from 1901 to 1903. She published a book-length poem, ''Hannah and her Seven Sons: An Incident of the Persecution of the Jews by the Syrian monarch Antiochus Epiphanes, 167 B.C.'' in 1902.
Personal life
Miriam Dessau married businessman Adolph H. Louis in 1866. She was widowed in 1897. Minnie Dessau Louis died in 1922, age 80. The Hebrew Technical School for Girls closed in 1932, but the building is now the site of the Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day School, operated by the New York Public Schools, continuing Louis's work of practical education.Susan J. Gordon"Settlement House Spirit Lives on in a New York School for Immigrants"
''Jewish Forward'' (May 11, 2001).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis, Minnie Dessau 1841 births 1922 deaths Writers from Philadelphia Educators from Philadelphia American women educators American Jews