ADELA KEAN-ZAMETKIN

ADELA KEAN-ZAMETKIN (October 12, 1863-May 19, 1931)

            She was born in Molev-Podolsk (Mohyliv-Podils'kyi).  She came to the United States in 1888.  She wrote for the socialist Arbayter-tsaytung (Workers’ newspaper), Abend-blatt (Evening newspaper), and Forverts (Forward) which she helped to found and for which she (together with her husband M. Zametkin) translated Chernyshevsky’s novel Vos tut men? (What is to be done? [original: Chto delat’?]) and Émile Zola’s Di tsveyfisike khaye (The two-legged animal [original: La Bête humaine]).  Her most important journalistic work was tied up with Tog (Day) in New York, in which over the course of ten years she had charge of the sections “Fun a froy tsu froyen” (From a woman to women) and “In der froyen velt” (In the world of women).  There she agitated for women’s rights, birth control, modern education for children, and informed readers about new ways in housing economy.  In book form: Der froys handbukh (The woman’s handbook) (New York, 1930), 648 pp.  She died in New York.

Sources: Autobiographical notes; B. Ts. Goldberg, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (March 1964).

Yekhezkl Lifshits