Ruth Gay (née Slotkin; October 19, 1922 – May 9, 2006) was an American writer whose work concerned Jewish life. She won the 1997 National Jewish Book Award for non-fiction for Unfinished People: Eastern European Jews Encounter America (1996).[1]
Ruth Gay | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ruth Slotkin October 19, 1922 New York |
| Died | May 9, 2006 (aged 83) |
| Education | Queens College Columbia University |
| Spouse(s) |
Nathan Glazer
(m. 1942; div. 1957) |
| Children | 3 |
| Honors | National Jewish Book Award |
Early life and education
editRuth Slotkin was born to Harry Slotkin and Mary (Pfeffer) Slotkin on October 19, 1922, in New York City. Although she grew up in The Bronx, her family moved to Queens due to her father's job. As a result, she transferred to Queens College, where she was a member of the leftist student Zionist organization.[2]
Slotkin earned a bachelor's degree from Queens College and a master's in library science from Columbia University in 1969.[3]
Career
editFrom 1948 to 1950 she was the editor of the JDC Review of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.[4]
In 1997, Gay received the National Jewish Book Award for nonfiction for her book "Unfinished People: Eastern European Jews Encounter America."[1]
In 2002, she published "Safe Among the Germans: Liberated Jews After World War II" through Yale University Press.[3]
Personal life
editRuth Slotkin was first married to sociologist Nathan Glazer in 1942; during this 15-year marriage they had three daughters. She published extensively in Commentary and other publications during this period. They divorced in 1957.
Slotkin married historian Peter Gay in 1959.[5]
Gay died in 2006 from leukemia.[3]
Publications
edit- Safe among the Germans liberated Jews after World War II (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2002)
- Unfinished People: Eastern European Jews Encounter America (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997)
- The Jews of Germany: A Historical Portrait (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1992)
External links
edit- “Biographical Note.” Guide to the Ruth Gay Collection 1980s–1993, 2002. Processed by Yakov Illich Sklar.
References
edit- ^ a b "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ Paula E. Hyman. "Ruth Gay". jwa.org. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c Fox, Margalit (May 11, 2006). "Ruth Gay, Author of Books About Jewish Life, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ “Biographical Note.” Guide to the Ruth Gay Collection 1980s–1993, 2002. Processed by Yakov Illich Sklar.
- ^ "Jewish refugee who became an eminent cultural historian". The Irish Times. May 12, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2019.