Stephen Winsten (1893–1991) was the name adopted by Samuel Weinstein, one of the '

Whitechapel Boys The Whitechapel Boys were a loosely-knit group of Anglo-Jewish writers and artists of the early 20th century. It is named after Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets ...

' group of young

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish men and future writers in London's East End in the years before

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 ...

(the others included

Isaac Rosenberg Isaac Rosenberg (25 November 1890 – 1 April 1918) was an English poet and artist. His ''Poems from the Trenches'' are recognized as some of the most outstanding poetry written during the First World War. Early life Isaac Rosenberg was born ...

John Rodker John Rodker (18 December 1894 – 6 October 1955) was an English writer, modernist poet, and publisher of modernist writers. Biography John Rodker was born on 18 December 1894 in Manchester, into a Jewish immigrant family. The family moved ...

and

Joseph Leftwich Joseph Leftwich (28 September 1892 – 28 February 1983), born Joseph Lefkowitz, was a British critic and translator into English of Yiddish literature.Schwartz, Richard H. (2001). ''Judaism and Vegetarianism''. p. 175. Lantern Books. Biograph ...

). In the First World War he was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

, and imprisoned in Bedford and Reading gaols. He is now known for his works about

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

, and his writing on the life of Henry Salt. He married the artist Clara Birnberg (1894–1989); they both became

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

s. She as Clare Winsten is known for some

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

s, including one of St. Joan in the garden of Shaw’s house in

Ayot St Lawrence Ayot St Lawrence is a small English village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hertfordshire, west of Welwyn. There are several other ''Ayots'' in the area, including Ayot Green and Ayot St Peter, where the census population of Ayot ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, where Shaw and the Winstens were neighbours. Stephen's and Clara's daughter

Ruth Harrison Ruth Harrison (; 24 June 1920 – 13 June 2000) was an English animal welfare activist and writer. Biography Harrison was born in London, the daughter of the author Stephen Winsten and the artist Clara Birnberg. She was educated at Bedford ...

, a conscientious objector in

WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

, was known as a campaigner for

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

Works

* ''G.B.S. 90: Aspects of Bernard Shaw's Life and Work'' (1946); editor * ''Days with Bernard Shaw'' (1948) * ''Salt and His Circle'' (1951); preface by Shaw * ''Shaw's Corner'' (1952) * ''Jesting Apostle: The Private Life of Bernard Shaw'' (1956)

External links

''Jewish Quarterly'' article on the Whitechapel Boys
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winsten, Stephen 1893 births 1991 deaths English biographers British conscientious objectors British emigrants to the United States American Quakers Converts to Quakerism from Judaism Converts to Quakerism English Jews Jewish British writers Whitechapel Boys People from Ayot St Lawrence