Dr Fanny Reading : 'A clever little bird'

- Debney-Joyce, Jeanette

Title
Dr Fanny Reading : 'A clever little bird'
Creator
Debney-Joyce, Jeanette
Date
2016
Type
Text; Thesis; PhD
Identifier
http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/165283
Identifier
vital:13208
Identifier
https://library.federation.edu.au/record=b2743559
Abstract
This thesis is the biographical study of the ‘transnational’ life of Dr. Fanny Reading (1884-1974). Dr Reading came to live in the Ballarat area c. 1888 when she was four years old. Originally she was born in Karelitz near Minsk, Russia as Zipporah Rubinovitch. The thesis tells the story of her transformation and also the story of her family members because they were a close-knit orthodox Jewish family. Reading’s biography is of a migrant woman who belonged to a persecuted minority group, and who through force of character rose above the challenging circumstances of her birth. It serves to redress the fact that historically she has been overlooked. It confirms that at a grassroots level she mobilised the Jewish women of Australia and was a significant Jewish leader. As a transnational figure of considerable stature, Reading’s biography contains themes of place, class, gender, ethnicity and diaspora that are woven throughout the thesis. It covers her early childhood and adolescence in Ballarat, then her move to Melbourne early in the twentieth century where she became involved in Jewish youth activities and taught Hebrew at the St Kilda Jewish Congregation. The family name was changed to Reading about 1919. Reading entered the University of Melbourne firstly to study music and then medicine (M.B., B.S.1922.) After graduation, she went into general practice with her eldest brother, who was also a doctor, in Sydney. Inspired by a Zionist emissary Bella Pevsner, Reading founded the Council of Jewish Women in 1923. This organisation became the National Council of Jewish Women in 1929. Reading had a keen interest in the health and education of women and girls, the Hebrew language and Israel. She was held in high regard in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities and received an MBE in 1961.; Doctor of Philosophy
Publisher
Federation University Australia
Rights
Copyright Jeanette Debney-Joyce
Rights
Open Access
Rights
This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
Subject
Dr. Fanny Reading; Ballarat; Jewish migrant; Melbourne; Russia; Zipporah Rubinovitch; Women's movement
Full Text
Thesis Supervisor
Beggs-Sunter, Anne
  • Hits: 5387
  • Visitors: 4862
  • Downloads: 207
Thumbnail File Description Size Format
SOURCE1 Australian Digital Thesis 48 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF