author
Elma Ehrlich Levinger
b. 1887
A prolific early twentieth-century writer and educator, she created books and plays that introduced young readers to Jewish history, holidays, and identity in America. Her work was warm, practical, and deeply shaped by a belief that storytelling could help build community.
1 Audiobook
The New Land Stories of Jews Who Had a Part in the Making of Our Country
by Elma Ehrlich Levinger
About the author
Born in Chicago on October 6, 1887, Elma Ehrlich Levinger became a widely read American author and educator whose writing focused on Jewish history and culture, especially for children. Sources from the Jewish Women's Archive and the University of Oregon describe her as the author of more than thirty children's books as well as works for adults, with themes centered on sustaining Jewish identity in American life.
She studied at the University of Chicago and later at Radcliffe College, where she received a fellowship in drama. Alongside her books, she also wrote plays and educational material for Jewish schools and community programs, helping make history, holidays, and tradition more accessible to young readers and families.
Levinger's papers are preserved in archival collections, a sign of her lasting place in American Jewish literary and educational history. She died in 1958.