A New Patronage: St. Edith Stein and Women’s Suffrage

Abstract

Known as Jew and Christian, philosopher and monastic, Holocaust victim and Christian martyr, St. Edith Stein (1891-1942) is survived by yet another identity: suffragette. After a brief biographical overview of Stein’s advocacy for gender equality as a young woman, I turn my attention to the late fall of 1918, when Stein became involved in the German Democratic Party in Breslau. As evidenced in the recovery and assessment of newly discovered archival documents, Stein was led by deeply held convictions to advocate for women’s equality. Ultimately, Stein’s legacy far exceeds her status as “Holocaust martyr” and “Jewish-Christian saint.” In upholding Stein as a champion for women’s rights, Stein as a suffragette, we encounter an opportunity to more fully consider the multiplicity of her legacy today.