Lizzie Black Kander (1858-1940) was a compassionate leader whose desire to help the immigrant community in her hometown, led to one of the most successful cookbooks of the 20th Century.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
All month we’re talking about Local Legends. Women who had a major impact on their hometowns and left legacies extending well beyond. Our legend of the day was a compassionate leader whose desire to help the immigrant community in her hometown, led to one of the most successful cookbooks of the 20th Century. We’re talking about Lizzie Black Kander.
Elizabeth Black was born on May 28, 1858 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was the third of five children born to John and Mary Black. Elizabeth, or Lizzie, as she was called, was raised in the Jewish Reform tradition that emphasized reconciling religion with progressive ideas. In that vein, Lizzie’s mother emphasized the traditional, spiritual importance of domestic work while also strongly advocating for Lizzie to receive an education -- something that was not a given at the time. The importance of both domestic work and education would guide Lizzie throughout her life -- starting as early as high school. Lizzie graduated valedictorian of her class. Her acceptance speech was titled, “When I Become President.”
In 1881, at the age of 23, Lizzie married Simon Kander. The two had gotten to know each other through their mutual interest in public education reform. The couple was married for fifty years.
Around the time Lizzie married Simon, she joined the Ladies Relief Sewing Society, where she collected used clothes and repaired them for families in need. Within a few years, Lizzie rose through the ranks and became the president of the Society. In her new role, she expanded the reach and mission of the organization to include health education and outreach to Milwaukee’s immigrant community.
In the 1880s, there was an influx of Russian-Jewish immigrants to the United States. While Lizzie was born in Wisconsin, she saw reflections of her parents and ancestors in these communities fleeing persecution from overseas. Her desire to serve this growing immigrant community drove the expansion of her work. In 1896, the Society changed its name to the Milwaukee Jewish Mission to reflect it’s increased presence in the community.
The Milwaukee Jewish Mission eventually merged with a sister organization to form the first Jewish settlement house in Milwaukee. Called “The Settlement,” it offered educational services in both English and Hebrew. There was an athletic club, a bank, a library and bath house. Courses were available to both the immigrant and long-time resident community in history, sewing, and most importantly -- cooking.
Lizzie’s greatest claim to fame may be her legacy in the kitchen. In her classes at The Settlement, Lizzie taught modern cooking technique, nutrition, menu planning and how to craft traditional Jewish dishes with readily-available American ingredients. But she received pushback from the Jewish immigrant community. What did food have to do with assimilating to America? To convince skeptics, Lizzie asked the board of the Settlement for $18 so she could create and circulate a recipe booklet. She was denied. Undeterred, Lizzie petitioned local businesses and raised the funds herself.
The result of her efforts was the first edition of “The Settlement Cookbook: The Way To A Man’s Heart” published in 1901. The title, which suggests that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, is a true hybrid of scientific and domestic instruction, Jewish and American tradition. It was a huge success.
In addition to recipes, there was advice on good housekeeping practices, food storage and overall cleanliness. Lizzie became the head of the Settlement Cook Book Company in 1914 and oversaw the subsequent publications of the book. For each new edition, Lizzie would update the cookbook, adding recipes and revising the supplemental segments on household management. There are now over 40 editions of the Settlement Cookbook, twenty-three of which were published under Lizzie’s watchful eye. Due to the breadth of topics covered and its vast popularity, the book is, in many ways, a cultural history of early 20th Century America. To date, The Settlement Cookbook has sold over 2 million copies.
Profits from the cookbook helped secure new ventures for The Settlement, including an expansion to what was called “The Abraham Lincoln House” in 1911, and then a further expansion in 1931 to create the Jewish Community Center.
Outside of her work with the Settlement and the cookbook, Lizzie continued to remain passionate about education. She served on the Milwaukee school board from 1907 to 1919 and helped establish nursery schools and the Girls Technical High School.
Lizzie passed away on July 24, 1940. She was 82 years old.
Just prior to her death, Wisconsin honored Lizzie as one of the state’s most outstanding women. Her leadership, compassion and entrepreneurial spirit lifted up the most vulnerable members of her community.
All month, we’re talking about Local Legends. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter, Womannica Weekly. Find us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica. You can also find me on twitter @ jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!