Category: Immigrant (born outside the Continental US)
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Theresa Swartz Grotta
1836-1922 Theresa Grotta was a Bohemian Jewish immigrant who worked tirelessly on behalf of needy families in Newark. She was president of Hebrew Ladies Immediate Relief Society and other relief societies. Theresa was a member of the National Council for Jewish Women, first president of the Newark Council for Jewish Women. In 1893 she represented…
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Dr. Vera Schectman
1890-1971 Vera Schectman the first woman doctor at Beth Israel Hospital in Newark. She was on the staff at Beth Israel through 1970 and had a practice in Newark. She was also medical examiner for the Civil Service Commission for many years and gave lectures on sex education to women and girls. Vera was a…
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Rose Kussy
1887-1955 Rose Kussy was president of the West Side Trust Company after the death of her husband. She was a director of the Jewish News. She was a member and secretary of the Newark Central Planning Board. Rose was appointed to the Planning Board in 1943, was Secretary of the Planning Board as early as…
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Marie E Gonzalez
c. 1915-2006 Marie E Gonzalez was called the “Puerto Rican Mayoress of Newark”. She was a specialist on Puerto Rican Affairs with the Newark Human Rights Commission from 1963-1981. She was Chairman of the City’s Advisory Council on Bilingual Programs and a founder of FOCUS. She is credited on “The Puerto Ricans in Newark, NJ:…
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Augusta Levine Parsonnet
1870-1949 Augusta Parsonnet was president of the Women’s Political Union of New Jersey. She was the first President of the League of Women Voters of Newark. She was also first President of the Ladie’s Guild of Beth Israel, a founder of Haddasah’s Newark Chapter and first President the Newark Council of Jewish Women. She also…
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Melinda Scott
1876-1954 Melinda Scott was an English immigrant and President of a Hat Trimmers Union in Newark & worked for suffrage including being part of a delegation to President Wilson. She was also a key figure in the labor movement and later was a Newark tax commissioner, the first woman on the Newark Tax Board and…
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Leila Gardner
1914-1993 Leila Gardner was executive director of the Newark Traveler’s Aid Society. She was the first African-American in the nation to head a Travelers Aid unit. She later worked for Family Services as a social worker for many years. The unit helped vulnerable travelers like children, immigrants and senior citizens at Newark Penn Station and…
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Maria DeCastro Blake
1911-2001 Maria DeCastro Blake was a dean of admissions at Rutgers and recruited hundreds of Hispanic students. She was one of the founders of ASPIRA, a founding member of the Puerto Rican Congress of New Jersey, founder and president of the Association for Professional Education of Puerto Ricans, a founding member of FOCUS and involved…