Emma Kaufman

Last updated
Emma Ratz Kaufman
EmmaRatzKaufman1930s.jpg
Born(1881-08-27)August 27, 1881
Berlin, Ontario
DiedMarch 1, 1979(1979-03-01) (aged 97)
Toronto, Ontario
Resting placeMount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, ON
Organization YWCA
Parent(s)
Relatives Alvin Ratz Kaufman (brother)

Emma Ratz Kaufman (1881-1979) was a Canadian activist and philanthropist who worked as an international YWCA administrator. For over 25 years she served as a secretary on the staff of Tokyo Y.W.C.A., and also a member of the national Y.W.C.A. committee of Japan. In 1929 she was honored for her distinguished service to the Japanese Y.W.C.A. by being presented with the Emperor's silver cup. [1]

Contents

Biography

Kaufman was born in Kitchener (then Berlin) in 1881. [2] She was the daughter of industrialist Jacob Kaufman, founder of the Kaufman Rubber Company, and Mary Ratz. [3] [4] : 62  Her family was active at the local Zion Evangelical Church, which founded the Berlin YWCA in 1905. Her mother served as the organization's first president, later donating funds for a new wing of YWCA building at 84 Federick Street. [5] While growing up in Kitchener, she attended the Suddaby Public School and the Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School. [6] After graduating from high school Kaufman studied Home Economics at the Ontario Ladies' College in Whitby, Ontario. [7] : 80  She went on to study at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Household Science and the Methodist Training School, before spending a year at Teachers College in New York. [4] : 62 

Kaufman first visited Japan in 1909, remaining there for six months during which time she taught and assisted with work at the YWCA. [8] While there she taught cooking classes at Tsuda College. [7] : 80  She also met Tokyo Y employee Catherine Macdonald, who assured Kaufman, who wanted to stay in the country on a more permanent basis, that there would be work available for her within the organization. [7] : 80  After a brief time at back in Canada, Kaufman returned to Japan in 1911, spending the next 27 years helping to push the status of Japanese women forward through social and religious education. [8]

In 1918, Emma was appointed to the position of Associate General Secretary for the Tokyo YWCA, acting as a representative of the Canadian YWCA and declining a salary, as she did with all of her YWCA positions. [7] : 81  Ms. Kaufman introduced camping as well as other activities. Girls were able to learn democratic principles and cooperation skills. Physical education instructors were brought in from the US which started to raise awareness for Japanese girls physical schooling. The Kaufman family had made their fortune in rubber, [9] and from her inheritance she donated money to the YWCA organization at Kyoto and Nagoya; she built an apartment for Y staff, sponsored 27 young Japanese women for studying abroad, and brought 12 from the USA and Canada to work at the Japanese Y. [7]

The Second World War prompted Kaufman to resign from her work at the Tokyo Y resulting in the donation of her home in the city and two cottages at Karuizawa Lake to the organization. [7] : 81  Back in Canada she involved herself in the plight of Japanese-Canadians, many of whom were taken from their West Coast homes during the war and transported to camps on the prairies and in Ontario. [2] She also worked to support other people displaced by the way, including Gregory Baum, a Jewish-born Christian refugee interned as a German and later shipped to Canada, whom she sponsored so that he could attend university. [7] : 87  Kaufman remained an executive committee member of the YWCA after her work in Japan and spent the rest of her life in Toronto, Ontario. [2] In addition to her continued involvement with the YWCA she help positions within the Canadian Institute of International Affairs and the Canadian Institute on Public Affairs. [7] : 87  She also played active role in the establishment of a Japanese Cultural Center in Toronto. [7] : 88 

Kaufman died in Toronto in 1979 at the age of 97. [2] She was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Kitchener, Ontario, in the Kaufman family plot. [10]

Honours

In Kaufman received a silver cup from the Emperor of Japan in recognition of her contributions to the YWCA of Japan and efforts to support refugees following an earthquake in 1923. [8] [1] [11] : 384 

During the Golden Jubilee celebration of the "Y" in Japan, a special ceremony was held for the unveiling of a bust of Kaufman. [12] In 1941 Kaufman was appointed by the world's Y.W.C.A. executive committee to make a survey of the British West Indies. In 1965 she received an International Cooperation Year medal from Cardinal Leger at a ceremony in Montreal. [7]

In honour of Ms. Kaufman, there was a reception and dinner within a week of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the YWCA.

On November 3, 1965, Kaufman's services to young Japanese women’s education, was recognized by being awarded another Silver Cup given to her by the Emperor.

Related Research Articles

Hilary Weston 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Hilary Mary Weston, is an Irish–Canadian businesswoman and writer who served as the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002. During her five-year tenure, Weston focused on issues related to women, volunteerism and young people, drawing public attention to people working with the homeless, in hospices and as mentors to at-risk youth.

Adelaide Hoodless

Adelaide Sophia Hoodless was a Canadian educational reformer who founded the international women's organization known as the Women's Institute. She was the second president of the Hamilton, Ontario Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), holding the position from 1890–1902. She maintained important ties to the business community of Hamilton and achieved great political and public attention through her work.

Elizabeth Witmer Canadian politician

Elizabeth Witmer is a former Deputy Premier of Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 until 2012, representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Baden, Ontario Suburban Community in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Baden is a suburban community and unincorporated place in Township of Wilmot, Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It has a population around 4,500 and was named after Baden-Baden, Germany. The approximate population as of 2015, as per township statistics, is 4,940.

Kaufman Footwear was a Kitchener, Ontario-based shoe company. It was known for its Sorel brand.

Lorna Marsden, is a Canadian sociologist, academic administrator, and former politician. She is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of both Wilfrid Laurier University and York University, and a former member of the Senate of Canada.

Wilfrid Laurier University Public university in Waterloo, Brantford, and Milton, Ontario, Canada

Wilfrid Laurier University is a public university with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Canada. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses of the original Waterloo campus, instead the university describes itself as a "multi-campus multi-community university". The university also operates offices in Kitchener, Toronto, Yellowknife, and Chongqing, China. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields, with over 15,000 full-time undergraduate students, over 1000 full‑time graduate students, and nearly 4,000 part-time students as of fall 2019. Laurier's varsity teams, known as the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, compete in the West Conference of the Ontario University Athletics, affiliated to the U Sports.

Jacob Kaufman

Jacob Kaufman was a manufacturer and industrialist in Berlin, now Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. He built a large lumber operation and pioneered the manufacturing of rubber outerwear.

Edna Staebler

Edna Staebler, was a Canadian writer and award-winning literary journalist, best known for her series of cookbooks, particularly Food That Really Schmecks which is currently available in e-book form. While the book contains Mennonite recipes, the content also includes stories and anecdotes about life and home cooking in the rural areas of the Waterloo Region.

Elizabeth Catherine Bagshaw was one of Canada's first woman physicians. She was the medical director of the first birth control clinic in Canada, located in Hamilton, Ontario.

Vivian Berkeley

Vivian Berkeley is a Canadian two-time World Blind Lawn Bowling Champion, 1996 Paralympic Games Silver Medalist and 2002 Commonwealth Games Bronze Medalist.

The Eastview Birth Control Trial was an important event in the history of contraception in Canada. In keeping with contemporary Christian views on contraception, the dissemination of information and the possession of materials relating to birth control were illegal in Canada. The trial was the first successful legal challenge, and it marked the beginning of a shift in Canadian society's acceptance towards such practices.

Kawai Michi

Kawai Michi was a Japanese educator, Christian activist, and proponent of Japanese-Western ties before, during, and after World War II. She served as the first Japanese National Secretary of the YWCA of Japan and founded Keisen University.

Mandy Bujold Canadian boxer

Mandy Marie Brigitte Bujold is a Canadian former amateur boxer. She won gold medals in the women's flyweight category at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games, and won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and competed at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Hirooka Asako

Hirooka Asako was a Japanese businesswoman, banker, college founder and late in life, a Christian speaker and writer.

Helen Levine was a Canadian feminist and activist known for introducing feminist curricula into Canadian social work education. She taught in Ottawa, Ontario, at Carleton University's School of Social Work, from 1972 to 1988, where she introduced radical feminism into the school's structural approach to social work. Levine was recognized for her achievement in advancing the status of women: she was awarded Canada's Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case, in 1989.

Alvin Ratz Kaufman Canadian industrialist and birth control advocate

Alvin Ratz "A. R." Kaufman was a Canadian industrialist, philanthropist, birth control advocate and eugenicist from Kitchener, Ontario. In 1920 he became president of the Kaufman Rubber Company following the death of his father, Jacob Kaufman, with whom he founded the company in 1908. He held the position until 1964 with his time in the role marked by a strong and persistent opposition to organized labour. An active member of the municipal activities in Kitchener, he chaired the city's planning commission and was a significant supporter the local YMCA and YWCA. Kaufman was also a member of the University of Waterloo's first Board of Governors.

Mabel Dunham Canadian librarian and writer

Bertha Mabel "Mabel" Dunham (1881–1957) was a Canadian librarian and author. She was the first trained librarian in the province of Ontario to hold the position of chief librarian and wrote several historical fiction books for both children and adults. Dunham worked at the Kitchener Public Library for 36 years, in addition to teaching library science courses and playing an active role within local history and professional communities.

Elizabeth Janzen Dreger (1917-1979) was a Canadian politician and businesswoman.

John Motz German-Canadian newspaper editor, politician

John Motz was a Canadian politician, German-language newspaper proprietor, sheriff and tailor. Born near Mühlhausen in the Province of Saxony, Prussia, he immigrated to Berlin, Canada West in 1848. In 1859, he and fellow immigrant Friedrich Rittinger founded the Berliner Journal, a German-language newspaper based in Berlin. Motz served as its editor for the next forty years before retiring in 1899, becoming the honorary sheriff of Waterloo County, a position he held until his death in 1911.

References

  1. 1 2 Miss Kaufman Appointed To Survey Interned Japs, Kitchener Daily Record, May 8, 1942
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Service planned for Emma Kaufman", K-W record. March 8, 1979
  3. ↑ Richardson, Lynn E. "KAUFMAN, JACOB – Volume XIV (1911-1920) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 Prang, Margaret (1995). A heart at leisure from itself : Caroline Macdonald of Japan. UBC Press. ISBN   0774805226.
  5. ↑ "Our History". YW Kitchener-Waterloo. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Noted Western Ontario Women - Emma Kaufman". The London evening free press. 1 April 1925. p. 11. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Russell, Ruth (2000). "Emma Kaufman (1881-1979)". In Russell, Ruth (ed.). Women of Waterloo County. Toronto: Natural Heritage/Natural History. pp. 79–89. ISBN   9781896219721.
  8. 1 2 3 "Missionary Honored by Japanese Emperor". Toronto Daily Star. 15 March 1930. p. 26.
  9. ↑ Anne Shannon (2012). Finding Japan: Early Canadian Encounters with Asia. Heritage House Publishing Co. pp. 135–. ISBN   978-1-927051-55-9.
  10. ↑ "Emma Ratz Kaufman (1881-1979)". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  11. ↑ Uttley, W. V. (1975). A history of Kitchener, Ontario . [Wilfrid Laurier University Press]. ISBN   9780889200241 . Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Hansuld, Kathryn (21 June 1979). "City has had more than its share of prominent women". The Record. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.