Mary Antin

Mary Antin (Mashke) and sister Fetchke, as young children

Mary Antin (June 13, 1881 – May 15, 1949) was an American author and immigration rights activist.

Born to a Jewish family in Polotsk, she immigrated to the Boston area with her mother and siblings in 1894, moving from Chelsea to Ward 8 in Boston's South End, a notorious slum, as the venue of her father's store changed. She married Amadeus William Grabau in 1901, and moved to New York City where she attended Teachers College of Columbia University and Barnard College. Antin is best known for her 1912 autobiography The Promised Land, which describes her public school education and assimilation into American culture, as well as life for Jews in Czarist Russia. After its publication, Antin lectured on her immigrant experience to many audiences across the country, and became a major supporter for Theodore Roosevelt and his Progressive Party.

Further reading

• A. Mazur, A Romance in Natural History, Garret. 2004.

External links

• Review at the National Yiddish Book Center
• Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Women's History at search.eb.com
• Vom Ghetto ins Land der Verheissung, 1913 (digitized version)
• Pamela S. Nadell, Mary Antin, Jewish Women Encyclopedia
• Works by Mary Antin at Project Gutenberg