Kander, Lizzie Black

Lizzie Black Kander was born in Milwaukee in 1858. In 1878, she started volunteering with the Ladies Relief Sewing Society, and became president in 1894. She oversaw its transition to become the Milwaukee Jewish Mission in 1896. The organization co-founded Milwaukee's first settlement house, called "The Settlement." Kander served as president of The Settlement from 1900 to 1918. While there, she conducted cooking classes for immigrants and wrote a cookbook. She was appointed to the school board in 1907 for a six year term. During this term, the position became an elected one. After her first term, she was elected for a second term on the Board. Kander advocated technical education for girls. In 1909, the Board passed her resolution to create the Girls' Trade School. She was also responsible for the creation of the Girls' Technical High School and a nursery school at the Milwaukee Teachers' College. Although Kander was not a Socialist, she often voted with the Socialists on the Board, particularly on issues relating to promoting and expanding school welfare initiatives. She worked with Meta Berger, a Socialist on the Board, on several other initiatives during World War I, all of which failed. They attempted to deter military recruitment in schools, raise the compulsory schooling age from fourteen to fifteen, and raise the age of military service by one year. During this period, she also advocated for free speech and the rights of ethnic minorities. Kander identified as a pacifist.