Lina Morgenstern (1830–1909) was a pioneering German social reformer, feminist, writer, and pacifist, whose influence shaped public welfare and women’s rights in 19th-century Germany.
Gerhard J. Rekel is an award-winning Austrian author and filmmaker, born in Graz in 1965. His books include a biography of the Berlin social reformer Lina Morgenstern. In the interview, Rekel discusses Morgenstern’s remarkable life and enduring influence.
Born into a Jewish family in Breslau in 1830, Lina Bauer began her activism early, founding a league to aid poor school children at just eighteen. After moving to Berlin and marrying Theodor Morgenstern, she became a leading advocate for early childhood education, co-founding the Berlin Kindergarten Association and helping to establish eight kindergartens at a time when such institutions were banned in Prussia. She also set up a training school for kindergarten teachers, laying the groundwork for modern preschool education.
Morgenstern’s most renowned achievement was the creation of Berlin’s first public kitchens (Volksküchen) in 1866, which provided healthy, affordable meals to thousands of people daily, especially during times of economic hardship and war. These kitchens, run on the principle of solidarity rather than charity, inspired similar initiatives in other cities and set a new standard for social support.
Her activism extended to founding organisations for the protection of illegitimate children, an academy for young women’s education, and the Berlin Housewives’ Association, which offered employment services and practical training. Morgenstern was also a prolific author, writing influential works on education, health, and women’s issues, including a widely used kindergarten textbook and popular cookbooks.
During the Franco-Prussian War, she organised care for wounded soldiers and, witnessing the devastation of conflict, became a committed pacifist, later joining the German Peace Society. In 1896, she organised the first International Congress of Women in Germany, bringing together leading feminists from across the world.
Despite facing antisemitism and personal setbacks, including bankruptcy, Morgenstern’s legacy endures as a testament to the power of compassion, innovation, and solidarity in advancing social justice and women’s rights.
We encourage readers to explore the original German feature for a deeper understanding of Morgenstern’s life and work: https://fuf-leobaeck.de/2025/05/lina-morgenstern-sozialreformerin-feministin-visionaerin/. The article is part of the series ‘Civil Engagement and Democracy in German History: Jewish Experiences and Perspectives’.
For more on the Leo Baeck Institute’s anniversary events and new archival collections, visit the LBI’s 70th anniversary website: https://lbi-70.org
