Anitta Müller-Cohen born Rosenzweig (; 1890–1962) was an Austrian-born Jewish woman who emigrated to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

, in 1935. In Austria, she was a prominent social worker, politician and writer who became increasingly interested in

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

. One of the leading members of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

's Jewish National Party, she organized and actively contributed to the First World Congress of Jewish Women which was held in Vienna in May 1923. At the

American Jewish Congress The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) is an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests in the US and internationally through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts. History The idea for a ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1925, she addressed the opening session. After emigrating to Palestine in 1935, she became a member of the Mizrahi Women's Organization, founded the Women's Social Service, and continued her welfare work which was mainly concerned with children and immigrants.

Biography

Born on 6 June 1890 in Vienna, Anitta Rosenzweig was the daughter of the merchant Salomon Rosenzweig and his wife Sofie née Schnabel. Brought up in a well-to-do Jewish home, she is thought to have attended the Vienna Bürgerschule or high school and the Von Hoeniger boarding school in Breslau. She then spent two years at Vienna's Pädagogikum or teacher training college where she may have qualified as a schoolteacher. In 1909, she married Arnold Müller, a merchant, with whom she had a daughter, Blanka, who died in 1938. After they divorced in August 1921, the following October she married Samuel Cohen, also a merchant, with whom she had a daughter, Ruth, in 1928, in addition to the two daughters, Eliezer and Ester, he brought into the household. She had met Cohen, a keen

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

, while accompanying children on a recovery stay in Switzerland. The marriage significantly strengthened Anitta Müller-Cohen's own interest in Zionism. During the years of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she devoted herself to social work, establishing the ''Soziale Hilfsgemeinschaft Anitta Müller'' (Anitta Müller Social Assistance Community) which managed a group of institutions for homeless children, mothers and refugees. Her tea and soup kitchen catered to some 3,000 people a day. In particular, she provided assistance to refugees from Galicia and

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

. In 1923, Müller-Cohen made all the main local preparations for the World Congress of Jewish Women which opened on 6 May 1923 at the

Hofburg The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the Innere Stadt, center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also ser ...

in the presence of the Austrian president Michael Hainisch and other dignitaries. At the congress, she made a detailed presentation on problems facing the care of children as a result of the First World War. During the 1920s, she made several trips to Palestine and also visited the United States where she spoke during the opening session of the 1925 American Jewish Congress in

. At the second World Conference of Jewish Women, held in 1929 in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, she was elected as a vice-president of the World Federation of Jewish Women. Although Müller had planned to emigrate to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

with her family in the mid-1920s, in the end they first moved to

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

(1929) and then to

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(1932) where she was able to continue her Zionist activities. They finally moved to

in 1935. She continue her work on new children and worked with new immigrants, creating ''Hitahdut Olei Austria'', the Association of Austrian Immigrants. She founded ''Sherut Nashim Sozialit'' (the Women's Social Service, 1936), and was active in the Mizrahi women's organization but later joined the

Herut Herut () was the major conservative nationalist political party in Israel from 1948 until its formal merger into Likud in 1988. It was an adherent of Revisionist Zionism. Some of their policies were compared to those of the Nazi party. Early y ...

party. She participated in several Zionist Congresses in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and was elected a delegate-at-large to the Greater Actions Committee at the 1956 Congress. Anitta Müller-Cohen died in Tel Aviv on 26 June 1962 after a long illness. In recognition of her refugee work, on 28 March 1966, a Tel Aviv old people's home for former Austrian refugees was given her name.

Bibliography

* ''Zweiter Tätigkeits- und Rechenschafts-Bericht : der Wohlfahrtsinstitutionen'', 1917 * ''Dritter Tätigkeits- und Rechenschaftsbericht der Wohlfahrtsinstitutionen der Frau Anitta Müller für Flüchtlinge aus Galizien und der Bukowina'', 1918 * ''Zehn Jahre Arbeit des Vereines Sozilae Hilfsgemeinschaft : 1914-1924'', 1924

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muller-Cohen, Anitta 1890 births 1962 deaths Zionist activists Women's International League for Peace and Freedom people Austrian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Austrian feminists Israeli feminists Austrian social workers Austrian Zionists People from Vienna Jewish women activists Israeli social workers