Zwischen Feminismus und Zionismus

Anitta Müller-Cohen was one of the most famous jewish women in Vienna in the early 20 th century. She was born into the well do to Viennese merchant family Rosenzweig, on June 6,1890. Anitta Müller-Cohen was brought up in a proserous, assimilated home. Already in her youth she became interested in social work and the Austrian bourgeois womens movement. After the outbreak of World War I, she founded the organisation "Soziale Hilfsgemeinschaft Anitta Müller", which ran several institutions for homeless people, children, mothers and refugees. At the same time she got involved in Zionism and politics and joined the jewish-national Party in Vienna. Besides, Anitta Müller-Cohenwrote a vast number of articles in various jewish and non-jewish papers. In the 20ies, she continued her social, political and Zionist activities and was mostly concerned with children welfare. In those years she became religious observant. Hence, she was also involved the jewish womens movement, for example, as vice-president of the World Council of jewish women. As a modern carrier-woman, Anitta Müller-Cohen was able to manage work and family, i.e. to raise four children from her two marriages. As Zionist, Anitta Müller-Cohen and her family immigrated to Palestine/Eretz Israel in 1934, where she continued her work under different circumstances. She died in Tel Aviv on June 29, 1962. Besides the biographical focus the main subjects of the thesis are social work, feminism, Zionism and journalism. My approach takes several important global socio-historical developments into account that influenced the life and work of Ms. Müller-Cohen. Therefore, the socio-historical context constitutes one of the basic frameworks of my work. Methodologically, my thesis links a chronological structure with different thematic focuses, thus contrasting the life of the individual with different spheres of engagement, i.e. social work, feminism, politics and Zionism and pointing at their interdependency. Subject and material of the thesis are predestined for the socio-historical method. Besides, the oral testimony of former friends and colleagues of Anitta Müller-Cohen, who are still alive, comprehend an important supplementary source.