STEINER, HANNAH

STEINER, HANNAH (1894–1944), Czech leader of women Zionists and social worker. She was born in Ceska Lipa. While studying in London before World War i, Hannah Steiner (née Dub), joined the Zionist movement. After her marriage in 1920 to Ludwig Steiner, a secondary school teacher, she settled in Prague. She was one of the founders of the wizo in Czechoslovakia and its president from its foundation, as well as a member of the executive of world wizo. From 1927 she edited, with Miriam Scheuer, the Blaetter Fuer die Juedische Frau, a women's supplement in *Selbstwehr, the central Zionist weekly which appeared in Prague. As a result of her influence and leadership, the Czechoslovak wizo played a central role in the pioneer training of young women, Hebrew education, and in caring for the impoverished Jews of *Sub-Carpathian Ruthenia, the eastern part of Czechoslovakia. Hannah Steiner also was active in general Zionist work, at first within the Radical Party and later within the General Zionists, and in fundraising. When thousands of Jewish refugees fled from Germany to Czechoslovakia in 1933, she and Marie *Schmolka became leaders of the relief committee for refugees (Juedisches Hilfkomité), which later became the Czechoslovak branch of hicem.

On March 16, 1939, the day after the Nazi occupation of Prague, Hannah Steiner was arrested, but was released a few weeks later. While arranging the aliyah of their son and daughter she and her husband chose to remain with their oppressed coreligionists. They were interned in the ghetto of *Theresienstadt, where she was in charge of the relief service for women (Frauenhilfsdienst). In 1944 she and her husband were deported to *Auschwitz, where she died in the gas chambers.

bibliography:

F. Grove and D. Pollak (eds.), Saga of a Movement; Wizo: 1920 – 1970 (1971), 234–9; C. Yahil, Devarim al ha-Ẓiyyonut ha-Czechoslovakit (1967).

[Chaim Yahil]