She was insistent on decorating the Jewish Theological Seminary's sukkah, which would be named in her memory. She used the status of her husband to encourage and educate Jewish women especially to think forward and on their own terms, keeping a separation of church and state so as not to muddy the two equally important pillars of life. Blog by Rebecca Winn
Adele Ginzberg, Also Known as Mama G
Adele Ginzberg was born on May 11th 1886 in Frankfurt Germany, daughter of Michael and Sophie Katzenstein. She was the wife of professor Louis Ginzberg who was, according to an article in the Hartford Courant, considered by many to be “the greatest authority on Jewish Theological Law”. Alongside her husband, she was a proud and active member of the Conservative Movement.
Adele met Louis in Berlin, according to an article in the New York Times titled “Adele Ginzberg, at 90, Says, ‘So What?’. Her future husband was working with Henrietta Szold, his English teacher and companion. Henrietta was thirteen years older than he and had a tremendous infatuation with him, admiring him for his intelligence and passion. However, in 1908 Louis went to Berlin for a visit, and there in the synagogue he saw Adele and was immediately smitten.
According to the article, he saw her a few days in a row and then left for two weeks but then proposed to her by mail. Also stated, the “seminary was agog over the painful news” that such an exceptional woman as Henrietta be passed up by such an intelligent and ambitious man. He would later caution his students “Don’t look up” as he had when he first laid eyes on Adele in the synagogue gallery. He would pride himself on always having had good eyesight.
They married in 1909 in London after a short engagement. The newlyweds immigrated to the United States in1909, the same year Adele joined the Liberty Bond Campaign during WW1.
She called her husband “Schatzi” or treasure, and he called her "The Missus”.
Together, Adele and her husband devoted themselves to the Jewish community. In the book “(The Westminster Handbook to Women in American Religious History)” her and her husband were unofficially titled “Mr. and Mrs. Seminary” at the Jewish Theological Seminary. In 1920 she also joined the National Women’s League of the United Synagogue.
She also worked alongside her husband by "hosting students for shabbat, decorating the Seminary sukkah, and fighting for equal rights for women in synagogue life.” She would be known by many as Mama G.
Her accolades would accumulate steadily in her lifetime, one of which being named New York State Mother of the Year in 1966. According to the aforementioned book, she was “an early and strong supporter of equal participation by women in synagogue ritual.” She was a monthly columnist for the National Women’s League Outlook Magazine. It was this work and the project she initiated in 1946 that would lead to the creation of the Menorah Award merit badge for Girl Scouts.
In order to obtain this badge, the Girl Scout would complete meaningful activities which increased her knowledge and experience within the context of Jewish living. One could achieve this through the topics of ethics, heritage, Israel, or the Arts and Women to name a few.
A possible contribution to her devotion to the community was her childhood. Adele had been brought up very harshly in what seemed to be an unkind environment. Born in Frankfurt Germany, she was also the older sister of Max and Martha. Her mother died suddenly, no record telling just how, and shortly after she and her remaining family moved to Berlin where she would attend school and work in her fathers real estate office, despite her desired profession to be in nursing.
She vowed to show her children a different upbringing and would treat them fairly based on their behavior towards her. She wanted to be lenient and not hurt them. In the New York Times article she was quoted saying “I didn’t make problems for them and they didn’t make problems for me.”
Her husband Louis dies suddenly at the age of 53 from a stroke he suffered in his home. After his death she continued to dedicate her life to the Seminary and family, consistently hosting students for Shabbat meals. She was also insistent on decorating the Jewish Theological Seminary’s sukkah, which would be named in her memory. She used the status of her husband to encourage and educate Jewish women especially to think forward and on their own terms, keeping a separation of church and state so as not to muddy the two equally important pillars of life.
She passed away of natural causes at the age of 93 in her own home, just two days before her 94th birthday. Posthumously, she would be awarded the Mathilde Schechter Award, and would be known for her endless energy and passion towards her life’s work for her community and heritage.
~Blog Written by Rebecca Winn
