Lidia Zamenhof

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Lidia Zamenhof (1904 - 1942) (sometimes Lidja in Esperanto) was the youngest daughter of Dr. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto. She was born on January 29, 1904 in Warsaw, Poland. She was an active promoter of Esperanto, as well as Homaranismo, a form of religious humanism first defined by her father.

Around 1925 she became a member of the Bahá'í Faith. She came to the United States in late 1937 to teach that religion as well as Esperanto. In December 1938 she went back to Poland, where she continued to teach and translated many Bahá'í writings. She was eventually arrested by the Nazi authorities because of her Jewish background, and was murdered at the Treblinka extermination camp in the autumn 1942.

1 Life
2 Memorial
3 Works
- 3.1 Translations
- 3.2 Original works in Esperanto
4 Literature about Zamenhof
- 4.1 Drama
5 External links

[edit] Life

Lidia Zamenhof learned Esperanto as a nine year old girl. At the age of fourteen she had already done translations from Polish literature; her first publications appeared several years thereafter. Having completed her university studies in law in 1925, she dedicated herself totally to working for Esperanto. In the same year during the 17th World Convention in 1925 in Geneva she became acquainted with the Baha'i Faith. Lidia Zamenhof became secretary of the homaranistic Esperanto-Society Concord in Warsaw and often made arrangements for speakers and courses. Starting at the Vienna World Convention in 1924 she attended every World Convention. As an instructor of the Cseh method of teaching Esperanto she made many promotional trips and taught many courses in various countries.

She actively coordinated her work with the student Esperanto movement — in the International Student League, in the UEA, in the Cseh Institute, and in the Baha'i Faith.

Additionally, Lidia Zamenhof wrote for the journal Literatura Mondo (mainly studies on Polish Literature), and also contributed to Pola Esperantisto, La Praktiko, Heroldo de Esperanto, and Enciklopedio de Esperanto. Her translation of Quo Vadis by Sienkiewicz was published in 1933 and is very well known.

In 1937 she went to the United States for a long stay. In December 1938 she had to leave the United States as that country's Immigration Service declined to extend her visa for the illegal "paid labor" of teaching Esperanto. After returning to her homeland she travelled around the country teaching Esperanto and the Baha'i Faith.

Later under the German occupation regime she was arrested and confined to the Warsaw ghetto. There she endeavored to help others get medicine and food. She was offered help and escape several times by fellow Polish Esperantists but declined. In the end she was transported to the extermination camp in Treblinka, where she was murdered sometime after the summer of 1942.

[edit] Memorial

In her memory and honor a meeting was held in 1995 at the Jewish Holocaust Museum in the capitol city of the United States, Washington D.C. The meeting called attention to the endeavors by Esperantists to save persecuted Jews during the Second World War.

[edit] Works

[edit] Translations

Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era by John Ebenezer Esslemont, an extensive book about the Baha'i Faith;
Paris Talks by 'Abdu'l-Bahá;
Iridiono by the classic Polish author, Zygmunt Krasinski;
novellas by B. Prus;
Quo Vadis, by Henryk Sienkiewicz;

[edit] Original works in Esperanto

Man, God, Prophet (eo:Homo, Dio, Profeto).

[edit] Literature about Zamenhof

(in English) Wendy Heller, Lidia: The Life of Lidia Zamenhof, Daughter of Esperanto.
(in Esperanto) Isaj Dratwer, Lidia Zamenhof. Vivo kaj agado
an extensive chapter dedicated to Lidia Zamenhof in the book "La familio Zamenhof" by Zofia Banet-Fornalowa.
Information about her may be found in a number of publications of the Baha'i Esperanto movement and in a number of other articles.
Note: as of August 2006 most of this article is a translation from the corresponding article in the Esperanto Vikipedio.