Klara Zamenhof (née Silbernik; 6 October 1863 – 6 December 1924) was a Polish Esperantist. She was married to L. L. Zamenhof, the inventor of the Esperanto language.

Klara Zamenhof
Zamenhof in Vienna in 1924 for the 16th World Esperanto Congress
Born(1863-10-06)6 October 1863
Died6 December 1924(1924-12-06) (aged 61)
Burial placeJewish Cemetery, Warsaw
Spouse
(m. 1887)
ChildrenAdam, Zofia, and Lidia

Biography edit

She was born on 6 October 1863 in Kaunas, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire as Kovno.[1] She was the oldest daughter of Alexander Sender Silbernik and Golda Silbernik, wealthy Jewish merchants from Kovno.[2]

Contributions to Esperanto edit

After her husband's premature death on 14 April 1917, she took over the promotion of Esperanto. She continued the development of the community centred around the language and supported her daughter Lidia, who trained as an Esperanto teacher in Europe and the United States.

Personal life edit

She married Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof in 1887,[3] and raised three children: Adam, Lidia, and Zofia. All three were murdered in the Holocaust.

She died in Warsaw on 6 December 1924, and is buried in the Jewish Cemetery there.

References edit

  1. ^ Christer Kiselman. "ESPERANTO: ITS ORIGINS AND EARLY HISTORY" (PDF). math.uu.se.
  2. ^ "Voyager en Pologne à travers sa culture et ses US".
  3. ^ "100th anniversary of the death of L. ZAMENHOF, the creator of the Esperanto". PolishCulture.eu.

External links edit