Elena Raffalovich (1842-1918) was a Russian educator. A noted figure within the pioneers of the ''

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

'', she was foremost active in Italy.

Biography

Elena Raffalovich was born on 22 May 1842 in Odessa. She was the third daughter of Leon and Rosette Lowensohn; her sisters were Marie and Nadine. In 1861, her family settled in Western Europe. In 1872, Raffalovich went to Florence, where she met Bertha von Marenholtz-Bülow. Marenholtz-Bülow was an adherent of Froebelism and introduced the philosophy to Raffalovich. Raffalovich attempted to found a kindergarten in Florence, to limited success. In 1873, Raffalovich founded the first Froebelian kindergarten in Venice. Raffalovich died on 29 November 1918.

Family

She married the scholar Domenico Comparetti on 13 August 1863. They had one daughter, Laura. Raffalovich and Comparetti separated in January 1872, possibly after she attempted suicide. She was the paternal great-grandmother of

Lorenzo Milani Lorenzo Carlo Domenico Milani Comparetti (27 May 1923 – 26 June 1967) was an Italian Catholic priest. He was an educator of poor children and an advocate of conscientious objection. Biography Milani was born in Florence in 1923 to a rich middle ...

References

* Duilio Gasparini, Adolfo Pick. Il pensiero e l'opera, 3 voll., Biblioteca Nazionale Pedagogica, Firenze, 1968 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raffalovich, Elena 1842 births 1918 deaths Emigrants from the Russian Empire 19th-century Italian educators