Sidonie Werner: Google dedicates doodle to German-Jewish educator, feminist, activist

Happy Birthday Sidonie Werner!!!

Google celebrates today the 161st birthday of Sidonie Werner, German-Jewish educator, feminist, and activist with a beautiful doodle. Read further to know more about her.

Sidonie Werner was born on March 16, 1860 in Poznan in Poland. She was brought up in a well-to-do Jewish merchant's family. She attended a girls' high school before completing a course in teacher training. She completed a women’s teacher seminar and attending lessons at a Jewish elementary school.

After first working in a Jewish school in the Hamburg suburb of Altona, Sidonie Werner was employed by the Hamburg school authority until her retirement. In association with Gustav Tuch, Sidonie Werner founded the Israelitisch-Humanitären Frauenverein (Israelite Humanitarian Women's Association) in 1893.

Sidonie Werner continued supporting activities for children and women. In parallel, she was a strong proponent of women's rights, supporting professional qualifications for women and encouraging them to participate in commercial and political activities.

Sidonie Werner founded the German League of Jewish Women in association with Bertha Pappenheim in 1904. She continue to campaign for women's suffrage and fought against the trafficking of girls. She represented the organization both in Germany and abroad.

In 1908, Sidonie Werner became the leader of the IHWA, where she successfully instituted programs for women and children, such as providing professional training for women to make a living outside of domestic work.

In 1929, Sidonie Werner assembled the World Conference of Jewish Women in Hamburg, which united 200 representatives from 14 countries and increased international solidarity among Jewish women. She established a considerable number of facilities for Jewish women and children over the years.

In the late 1920s, Sidonie Werner established a home for sick children in Wyk (1927), extending the facility in 1929. It was destroyed by fire in 1938. She was a candidate for the city elections by representing the German Democratic Party in 1919 but was not elected.

Sidonie Werner died on December 27, 1932. Google today pays tribute to her for her contribution in multiple dimensions.

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