Eva Violet Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading (; 6 August 1895 – 14 August 1973) was a British philanthropist,

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

activist, children's welfare advocate, and writer. Among other roles, she served as Vice President of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act as ...

, President of its British section, and President of the National Council of Women.

Biography

Eva Violet Mond was born in

Lowndes Square Lowndes Square is a residential garden square at the north-west end of Belgravia, London, SW1. It is formed of archetypal grand terraces of light stucco houses, cream or white. The length of the central rectangular garden is parallel with Sloan ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the eldest daughter of Sir Alfred Mond and Violet Goetze (later the 1st Baron and Baroness Melchett). Her paternal grandfather was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

-born chemist and industrialist

Ludwig Mond Ludwig Mond FRS (7 March 1839 – 11 December 1909) was a German-born, British chemist and industrialist. He discovered an important, previously unknown, class of compounds called metal carbonyls. Education and career Ludwig Mond was born ...

. Though her father was of

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 ...

descent, Eva was

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

and raised in her mother's Anglican faith. On 28 September 1914, she married Gerald Rufus Isaacs, son of

Alice Cohen Alice Cohen (born November 25, 1958) also known by the stage name Alice Desoto, is a New York City-based American singer, songwriter, musician and fine artist. She has performed as the lead vocalist for two major label bands, the Vels and Die Mon ...

and Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading, in a

civil ceremony A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the United Kingdom, this person is typically called a registrar. In the United States, civil ceremonies may be performed ...

. She began reconnecting with her Jewish heritage after a series of trips to Palestine, and formally

converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( he, גיור, ''giyur'') is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. " ...

under the supervision of Rabbi Dr. Maurice Perlzweig in 1933. She thereafter became a member of London's

Liberal Jewish Synagogue The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, or LJS ( he, קהל קדוש לב חדש, ''Qahal Kadosh Lev Chadash'', "Holy Congregation New Heart"), is a house of prayer in St John's Wood, London, founded in 1911. It is the oldest and largest member of Britai ...

and an active Zionist. Lady Reading became involved in various

child welfare Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to ...

charities, including as Chairman of the National Society of Day Nurseries and as member of the

General Nursing Council The General Nursing Council for England and Wales was established by the Nurses Registration Act 1919 to administer the register of nurses. It was responsible for deciding the rules for admission to the register. There were nine lay members a ...

. She toured the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

as a representative of the

United Jewish Appeal The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Co ...

in 1939, and the same year became president of the British section of the

. Under her leadership, the organisation petitioned the British government to take action to save

Jews 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 ...

during

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. She meanwhile served as regional adviser on child care for the Ministry of Health from 1940 to 1945, and served as vice chairman of the Children's Refugee Movement, which supported 10,000 orphaned Jewish refugees. She became vice president of the World Jewish Congress in 1947, and from 1955 to 1957 served as president of the National Council of Women. She died at her home in Thakeham,

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

, on 14 August 1973, one week after her 78th birthday.

Personal life

Lady Reading and her husband had three children: *

Michael Alfred Rufus Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading Michael Alfred Rufus Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading (8 March 1916 – 2 July 1980) was an English aristocrat and banker. Biography Early life He was born in 1916. His father was Gerald Rufus Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading (1889–1960), and ...

(8 March 1916 – 2 July 1980), who married Margot Irene Duke; * Lady Joan Alice Violet Isaacs (19 July 1918 – 25 March 2000), who married

Solly Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman Solomon "Solly" Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman (30 May 1904 – 1 April 1993) was a British public servant, zoologist and operational research pioneer. He is best remembered as a scientific advisor to the Allies on bombing strategy in the Second Wo ...

; and * Lady Elizabeth Ann Mary Hornsby (11 October 1921 – 9 February 2019).

Titles and honours

She was styled as Viscountess Erleigh from 1917, and as Marchioness of Reading upon her father-in-law's death in 1935. She was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1957 for her work in child welfare, and in 1971 received an

honorary fellowship Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in recognition of her "distinguished services to the cause of Israel and humanity".

Publications

* Illustrated by

Mary Adshead Mary Adshead (15 February 1904 - 3 September 1995) was an English painter, muralist, illustrator and designer. Biography Adshead was born in Bloomsbury, London, the only child of Stanley Davenport Adshead, architect, watercolourist, and Profes ...

. * Illustrated by E. H. Shepard. * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reading, Eva Isaacs, Marchioness of 1895 births 1973 deaths British Ashkenazi Jews British marchionesses British political consultants British women children's writers British Zionists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Converts to Judaism from Anglicanism Daughters of barons English children's writers English humanitarians English Jewish writers English justices of the peace English people of French descent English people of German-Jewish descent English women philanthropists Jewish English activists Jewish women philanthropists Jewish women writers Mond family Presidents of the National Council of Women of Great Britain Zionist activists People from Thakeham Wives of knights