Dr. Benjamin Tannenbaum

Esther's parents were not wealthy. Esther's father was self-employed as a printer; however, as this was during the Great Depression, owning one's own business did not necessarily result in a great deal of wealth. At this time, while Esther was studying at Hunter, many of the students were politically oriented toward the Left. This was a time, of course, when Fascism was on the rise. At Hunter many of the students were Jewish, and were especially conscious of political activities in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco's Spain, Salazaar's Portugal, China's Chaing-Kai-Shih, Gandhi's opposition to the British in India, etc. From the viewpoint of economics, Esther resented being viewed as the daughter of a "rich Capitalist". As Esther said to her second husband, "We were far from rich. We hardly had enough to eat, while many of the students of 'proletarian origin' were quite wealthy in comparison."

To help out economically, Esther's mother worked for a doctor in the local area named Dr. Benjamin Tannenbaum.

Back