Lena Gitter Collection
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists primarily of published materials - clippings and off-prints - by and about Lena Lieba Gitter. These include among others Lena Gitter, Montessori for the under-achieving child in: “Montessori for American children”, American Montessori society seminar, 1963, in folder 2; and some of her contributions to the journal of special education in folder 4.
Copies of her educational certificates, 1920-1938, and of the 1997 certificate for the medal of merit from the Republic of Austria may be found in folder 3, which also holds copied photographs and correspondence, as well as clippings and photocopies pertaining to her husband, the physician Richard Gitter. Copies of Lena Gitter’s photographs and of her 1938 passport may be found in folder 5.
Dates
- Creation: 1920-2000
Creator
- Gitter, Lena L. (Person)
Language of Materials
This collection is in German and English.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org
Biographical Note
Lena Gitter was born 1905 as Lina Lieba Rosenblatt in Vienna, Austria, where she became a high ranking Montessori pedagogue and founded one of Vienna’s first Montessori schools. She immigrated to the United States in 1938, where she continued her work as a Montessori educator and also worked as a human rights activist, campaigning for Charles Evers, who became the first black mayor in Mississippi in the 1960s. As a Montessori consultant she lectured all over the United States and authored numerous articles and books. In 1997 she was honored by the president of the Republic of Austria with its medal of merits (Goldenes Verdienstzeichen).
Extent
5 Folders
Abstract
The collection consists primarily of published materials by and about Lena Lieba Gitter. Also included are copies of her educational certificates as well as some copied photographs and correspondence.
Separated Material
Lena Gitter’s questionnaire from the Austrian Heritage Collection is held in folder 1 of the paper collection, which also has an additional folder 6 with more clippings.
Processing Information
During microfilming and consequent digitization the original order of the collection has been disrupted.
Subject
- Gitter, Lena L. (Person)
- Gitter, Richard, 1901- (Person)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Inventory of the Lena Gitter Collection, 1920-2000 AR 10851
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- © 2009
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- The inventory is in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
