Last Update: May 27, 2022
(Eva) Ruth (Alexander) Zeilberger was born on Aug. 2, 1915, in Berlin, Germany, to Paul Alexander(1870-1942) and Elfride (Pinner) Alexander(c. 1875-1942) . After graduating from high-school, she entered a teacher training college, preparing to be a kinder-garten teacher.
After graduating, On July 1938, she immigrated to Palestine, and became a student at the `Midrasha lemorei Musika' (College(Seminary) for music teachers), and was certified as a music teacher. On May 24, 1942 she volunteered to the ATS, the women's corps of the Palestine unit of the British army, and was stationed for most of the time in Alexandria, Egypt. She eventually became a First Sergeant.
In Alexandria she met, and became a very good friend of,
(William) Harry Gabb
(April 5, 1909- March 16, 1995), CVO,
an organ player, who also gave her organ lessons.
Harry later became sub-organist of St. Paul's
Cathedral, and organist of Her Majesty's Royal Chapel
[Harry's only son is Roger Michael Gabb,
a wine-businessman]
After her discharge from the British Army, on March 21, 1946, she moved back to Jerusalem, teaching music
in elementary schools. In 1948, during the war of independence, she
was drafted, and became Lieutenant in the Women's corps (Khen) of
the Israeli Defense Force.
After the War of Independence she moved to Tel-Aviv, where
she met her husband,
Yehuda Heinz Zeilberger(1915-1994), in
a party held in the apartment (in Gordon Street,
Tel-Aviv) of her music and rythmics guru,
the legendary Kaethe Jacob. Kaethe Jacob shared the apartment with her good friend Clara Jacobson.
Ruth was invited to the party by Kaethe and Yehuda was invited by Clara, so both deserve
credit for the "shidukh" (and as a corollary, to the creation of Gil, Doron, and recursively, their
current and future descendants).
[Added April 30, 2012: I just scanned Kaethe Jacob's classic book,
that Ruth loved:
part 1,
part 2).]
Ruth and Yehuda were married on Feb. 28, 1949.
In 1950 they moved to Haifa, where Doron Zeilberger was born. Shortly after, they moved into a former chicken coop, in the farm of her sister Marianne and her husband Alfred, in Kfar Bialik, near Haifa. A few months later, they moved to an apartment in shikun Pentagon, Kiryat Motzkin (Rehov Yehuda Halevy 5). In Jan. 11, 1952, her second son, Gil Haim Zeilberger, was born. Between 1955 and 1958 Ruth and her family were in Kopenhagen, Denmark, where Yehuda was sent, by the Jewish Agency, to teach Hebrew to the local Jews. After their return to Israel, in 1958, Ruth worked part-time, teaching recorder to the neighborhood kids (including Doron and Gil).
(Here is a family photo, ca. 1955 and a family photo, ca. 1959 .)
In 1963 she took an intensive one-year course for the teaching of Rythmics, and got certified again. In 1964, the family moved from Motzkin to Holon, near Tel-Aviv. Ruth got a full-time teaching position in special education, teaching music and movement to very retarded children. (Read her Introduction to a Demo-Lesson she gave to colleagues c. 1970.) She held this job until her retirement in 1977.
In 1977 she became sick, and died on Oct. 22, 1979. She was the best mother in the world, and always cheerful. She loved reading.
Her children are: Gil Zeilberger and Doron Zeilberger(b. July 2, 1950).
Her parents are: Paul Alexander(1870-1944) and
Elfride (Pinner) Alexander (1875-1944).
pe"nun
yakiratenu
ruth zeilberger
lebet alexander
nun pe' alef khesvan tav shin"mem
bat samekh"dalet lekhayeah
tav nun tsadek bet" heh
Added May 28, 2022: Here is Ruth's sister's Gertrude note [courtesy of Gertrude's daughther, Anne Howson]
Previous Updates:
May 5, 2013 [To put links to Karola Nick's wonderful summaries of the letters of Paul and Frieda to Ruth and her sisters, and her short biographical sketches] April 18, 2013: to correct the immigration date of Ruth (thanks to Karola Nick)
Feb. 17, 2013: to put a link to Karola Nick's transcription of Katherina Wolff's birthday letter to (my mother) Ruth Zeilberger.
Feb. 17, 2013 (thanks to Karola Nick)
Jan. 23, 2013 (to put a link to the nachlass at the Frankfurt Jewish museum).
Jan. 8, 2013 (thanks to Karola Nick), to add Karola's transcriptions of Letters to Ruth in this directory.
April 30, 2012 [To put a link to Ruth's Rythhmics guru, Kathe Jacob's seminal book (in Hebrew) "Khinuch Ritmi" (Rythmical Education): part I, part II).
Aug. 31, 2011 [Thanks to Gil Zeilberger, to place documents and essays (see below)]
Aug. 4, 2009 (to link to some pictures).
Dec. 31, 2000.
