KARMINSKI, HANNAH (1897–1942), German social worker. Born in Berlin, she taught at a Jewish kindergarten. After moving to Frankfurt, she took charge of a club for young girls. Here she met famous Jewish personalities who had a decisive influence on her future development. She made the acquaintance of Franz *Rosenzweig and Bertha *Pappenheim who persuaded her to work for the Juedische Frauenbund ("Jewish Women's Organization"). Hannah Karminski was appointed secretary general of this organization, which developed rapidly under her leadership. From 1924 she edited the Frauenbund's monthly journal, Die Blaetter des juedischen Frauenbundes. When Hitler's Gestapo ordered the organization to terminate its activities, Hannah Karminski became a leading figure in the work of the *Reichsvertretung (later Reichsvereinigung) der Juden in Deutschland, a body set up by the Nazis to represent the Jewish community and to manage its affairs. Hannah Karminski continued working until 1942 under incredibly difficult conditions. She was arrested while seriously ill and died on the way to a concentration camp in the East.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

E.G. Loewenthal, Bewaehrung im Untergang (1965), 89–93. ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: G. Maierhof, "Bleiben oder Gehen – Die Diskussion um Auswanderung im jüdischen Frauenbund in den Jahren 1933 bis 1938," in: Exil – Emigration, 32 (1997), 8–14.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.