Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Rosenberg | |
|---|---|
 Ethel Rosenberg in London. | |
| Born | August 6, 1858 Bath, Somerset, England |
| Died | November 17, 1930 London, England |
| NSA member | British Isles 1923 - 1926 |
| Parent(s) | George Rosenberg Hannah Fuller Jenner |
Ethel Jenner Rosenberg (August 6, 1858 - November 17, 1930) was the first English Bahá'í to declare in England and served on the first National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, hosted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in her home during His visit to England, and briefly served as a secretary for Shoghi Effendi. She was named a Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by Shoghi Effendi.
Biography[edit]
Rosenberg was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1858 and raised in the town. She was born into a family of artists with both her father and paternal grandfather being painters,[1] and she moved to London in the 1870's to study art at the Slade School specializing in portraits.[2]
Rosenberg was close friends with Mary Thornburgh-Cropper who introduced her to the Bahá’í Faith in 1899 and she accepted the religion that year.[2] After declaring Rosenberg began actively teaching the Faith proclaiming it to many people in London. In 1901 she went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.[3] After returning to London she began giving public talks on the Faith, sometimes to large audiences, and studied Persian enabling her to assist with early translation of the Writings into English. In 1901 she briefly visited the United States of America to accompany Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl who ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had sent to the country to teach and she stayed with Phoebe Hearst during her visit.[4] She made a second pilgrimage in early April 1904, accompanied by Laura Barney, and remained in the Holy Land for eight months.[5]
In the mid to late 1900's Rosenberg promoted the Bahá’í Faith in England, made several teaching trips to France, notably assisting with introducing Lady Blomfield to the religion in Paris in 1907, and made two teaching trips to the United States of America. She made a third pilgrimage in January 1909 during which she painted a portrait of Bahíyyih Khánum which remains part of the British Bahá’í Archives.[6] In 1910 she wrote a short introductory essay about the Bahá’í Faith titled A Brief Account of the Bahai Movement which was printed and utilized to promote the Faith on a mass scale.[7]
In 1911 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited England during His tour of the West spending over four weeks in London. For all but three days He stayed in Rosenberg's home while in England in 1911. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 lead to a decline in Bahá’í activity in Britain however Rosenberg was able to maintain a Bahá’í study class for the duration of the war and also maintained a Bahá’í Society in London serving as its secretary.[8]
In 1919 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entrusted John Esslemont with fifty pounds worth of gold during his pilgrimage instructing him to ensure it was given to Rosenberg upon his return to England and also instructing Esslemont to ensure the Bahá’ís of England provide support to Rosenberg. In late 1921 Rosenberg made a fourth pilgrimage to the Holy Land and was in the Holy Land when the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá occurred in November.[9] She remained in the Holy Land well into 1922 and in March that year Shoghi Effendi invited her to participate in consultations held between senior Bahá’ís he had summoned from America, England, France, Germany, and Persia on the future of the Bahá’í Faith. A result of the consultations was the conclusion that Bahá’í Administration at the national level needed to be further developed.[10]
In April 1922 Rosenberg returned to England and shortly after arriving she was elected to the All-Englnd Bahá’í Council which was established to administrate the Faith at a national level. The body was replaced in 1923 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles to which Rosenberg was also elected. She was also elected as the Secretary of the Local Spiritual Assembly of London after returning to England.[11]
In 1926 Shoghi Effendi invited Rosenberg to the Holy Land requesting her assistance with translation work. She accepted his invitation and travelled with Isobel Slade due to health concerns arriving at the close of the year. Slade returned to England after a brief time but Rosenberg remained and assisted Shoghi Effendi with replying to correspondence serving as his secretary.[12] By January 1927 Rosenberg's Persian had improved and she assisted Shoghi Effendi with incorporating suggestions from George Townshend into his translation of the Hidden Words.[13] In May 1927 Rosenberg returned to England and Shoghi Effendi gave her a robe which had belonged to Bahá’u’lláh as a gift to the British Bahá’í community.[14]
Rosenberg passed away in London in 1930. Shoghi Effendi conveyed the following message upon her passing and posthumously named her a Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá several years later:
"Deeply grieved passing Rosenberg England’s outstanding Bahá’í pioneer-worker. Memory of her glorious service will never die. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s family join me in expressing heartfelt condolences to her brother and relatives. Urge friends hold befitting memorial service.[4]
See also[edit]
- Ethel Jenner Rosenberg (book)
References[edit]
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 55
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 262. View as PDF.
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 56
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1942). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 8 (1938-1940), Pg(s) 263. View as PDF.
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 57
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 58
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 59
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 60
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 61
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 62
- ↑ O.Z. Whitehead, Some Early Baha'is of the West, George Ronald: Oxford, 1976, p 63
- ↑ Earl Redman, Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye: Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 2015, p 139
- ↑ Earl Redman, Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye: Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 2015, p 140
- ↑ Earl Redman, Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye: Volume 1, George Ronald: Oxford, 2015, p 141
External Links[edit]
- Ethel Jenner Rosenberg on WikiTree - family tree
