Dora Askowith

Dora Askowith
Askowith, from the 1908 yearbook of Barnard College
Born(1884-08-30)August 30, 1884
Kovno, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
DiedOctober 23, 1958(1958-10-23) (aged 74)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
OccupationsHistorian, college professor

Dora Askowith (August 30, 1884 – October 23, 1958) was a Lithuanian-born American college professor, author and historian.[1] Askowith was a founding member and first director of the Women’s Organization for the American Jewish Congress.[1]

Early life and education

Askowith was born on August 30, 1884 in Kovno, Kovno Governorate (present-day Kaunas, Lithuania) to Jacob Baruch Askowith and Sara Golde Askowith (née Arenovski).[1] One of six siblings, the family moved to Boston the same year as Askowith's birth.[1][2] In 1891, her father and her brother Charles designed one of the early versions of the Flag of Israel.[3][4][5]

In 1902, Askowith graduated from the Girls' High School, and from the School's advanced course the following year.[1][6] Enrolling at Barnard College, Askowith graduated in 1908 with a BA in history and anthropology.[1] Askowith began studying medieval and modern history, sociology, and philosophy at Columbia University the following year, earning her MA in 1910 and her PhD in political science in 1915.[1][7]

Askowith continued her studies and research at the American School of Oriental Research, the American Academy in Rome and the Jewish Institute of Religion.[1][2][8]

Career and legacy

Askowith taught at high schools in New York City before she earned her Ph.D.[8] From 1912 to 1957, she taught at Hunter College, and was founder of the Hunter Menorah Society[9] and advisor to the International Relations Club.[8][1] She also taught at the New School for Social Research.[8] For a short period in the 1920s, Askowith studied at rabbinical school, although ordination was denied to female students.[10] She was a founding member and the first director of the Women's Organization of the American Jewish Congress.[1][11]

Askowith died in 1958, at the age of 74, at a hospital in the Bronx.[8] In the 2020s, Hunter College began the "Little Aunt Dora" lecture series, named for Askowith by her niece, philanthropist Patti Askwith Kenner.[12]

Publications

Article by Dora Askowith (Buffalo Jewish Review, 5 Mar 1926, p.3)

Books

  • The Toleration of the Jews in the Roman Empire. Part I. The Toleration of the Jews Under Julius Caesar and Augustus (Columbia University, 1915)
  • Three Outstanding Women: Mary Fels, Rebekah Kohut, Annie Nathan Meyer (1941)[13]

Book chapters

  • Askowith, D. (1927). “Prolegomena: Legal Fictions or Evasions of the Law.” In Jewish Studies in Memory of Israel Abrahams (New York: Jewish Institute of Religion).
  • Askowith, D. (1930). “The Life and Work of Luigi Luzzatti.” In Luzzatti, L. (Ed.) God in Freedom: Studies in the Relations Between Church and State (New York: Macmillan).

Journal articles

Other

  • A Call to the Jewish Women of America (c. 1917) (pamphlet)
  • The purchase of Louisiana (1953) (unknown)

Notes

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Miller, Adinah S. "Dora Askowith August 30, 1884–October 23, 1958". The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Newton, Massachusetts: Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Askowith, Dora (September 16, 1956). "Middle East Expert Gives Views on Arab-Israeli Crisis". The Standard-Times. p. 32. Retrieved June 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Reznikoff, Charles (May 1953). "From the American Scene: Boston's Jewish Community: Earlier Days". Commentary. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ "New State of Israel flag was designed in Boston". The Boston Globe. 18 May 1948, Tue · Pages 1-2.
  5. ↑ Rudolph, James L. (January 12, 2017). "Letter to the Editor: Flag Has More Than One Star". Jewish Journal. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Winners of Old South Historical Society's Prizes". The Boston Globe. February 25, 1903. p. 4. Retrieved June 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Young Roxbury woman awarded PhD degree". The Boston Globe. June 15, 1915. p. 7.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dora Askowith, Teacher, Author; Hunter Instructor in History From '12 to '57 Is Dead; Wrote Religious Works". The New York Times. October 25, 1958. p. 21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Menorah Society of Hunter is 25; Three Events to Mark Silver Jubilee Which Will Run for Two Weeks". The New York Times. May 1, 1938. p. 49. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ Nadell, Pamela S., ed. (2003). American Jewish Women's History: A Reader. pp. 177-181. ISBN 978-0814758076
  11. ↑ "Jewish Congress Plans Pageant". The New York Times. March 19, 1933. p. 72. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ "The Second "Little Aunt Dora" Public Lecture: Still Asking Dr. Ruth". Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Notable Women (review)". The Australian Jewish Herald. December 18, 1941. p. 9. Retrieved June 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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