Bertha Pappenheim
Edited by: Natalie Naimark Goldberg
At the center of the book is the image of Bertha Pappenheim (1859-1936), a Jewish feminist born in Vienna, among the most prominent women in the Jewish world in the early 20th century. Pappenheim, known in the history of psychoanalysis as "Anna O", suffered in her youth from a disorder diagnosed as hysteria, She was treated by Joseph Breuer with an innovative method she called "speech therapy". After her recovery, she moved to Frankfurt and from there ran a wide range of social assistance and feminist activities, contributing to the establishment of social work in Jewish society. She led an uncompromising struggle against prostitution and trafficking in women and worked to improve Jewish women's education and raise their status and value in community life and Judaism. This book brings its readers in touch with the fascinating character of Pappenheim through a comprehensive collection and a variety of her letters in German to Hebrew translation.