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set business and industry free from the tolls of monopoly and the tribute exacted by special privilege. Mrs. Fels continued with this work. Have been in fullest sympathy with her husband's campaign for economic justice, Fels philanthropy continued on the same generous plan. For every dollar given by another in the U.S., England, France, Spain, Denmark, and
Australia, for the bringing into realization of a single tax state, she would be the largest contributor to the propagation of the
28:
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president, was created to work towards the "Jewish resettlement and nonpolitical reorganization of
Palestine"; for "enlightenment in the field of land taxation and general taxation"; and for "in general, the awakening of religious and spiritual thought, the furtherance of improved economic conditions, and the promotion of human betterment".
297:
Fels condemned all sorts of special privilege, including those forms by which the fortune of her husband had been amassed -the patent monopoly, land monopoly, and tariff protection monopoly-, all of which contributed to the making of the Fels fortune. When her husband was alive, he had been trying to
278:
She married Joseph in the Fall of 1881, and they began a career which took them all over the world. Their only child, Irving, died at the age of six months, in 1884. In 1886, when the
Russian Jews reach the U.S., destitute and helpless, she began her public activities. She also worked alongside her
325:
institutions and was active for many years in the rebuilding of
Palestine, visiting the Holy Land and personally supervising her work there. She incorporated the Joseph Fels Foundation, Inc. of New York in 1925 to utilize the fortune left by her husband. The foundation, of which she was the
320:
She effected the creation of school gardens, and was a pioneer in the farm colony movement to cope with unemployment and to bring people back to land. She adopted work in prisons as part of a program of prison reform movement. Fels created numerous endownments for
251:, lived in the vicinity, and upon visiting them, found that the head of the family was a distant relative of his father. Joseph saw the young Mary and was smitten. He said he would go away, make his fortune, and come back and marry her some day.
225:, Germany, March 10, 1863. Her parents were Elias Fels (1824–1898) and Fanny Rothschild Fels (1826–1888). Elias Fels was industrious and far from rich. There were several boys and half a dozen girls in the family, Mary being the youngest.
279:
husband in his plans for the betterment of the poor. Some believed that Mrs. Fels was the abler financier and planner of the two, but certainly, she was always at her husband's side with advice and encouragement."
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At the age of five, Fels had taken an unaccountable hatred of the German alphabet, which she refused to learn. In 1869, the family emigrated to the U.S., settling in the vicinity of
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After she was widowed in
February 1914, Fels took up the burden of the couple's wealth, and her husband's theories and charities. In May, Fels attended the
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201:, author, and journal editor. She was interested in all the different movements that supported democracy. She was an ardent supporter of
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209:, in his campaign for economic justice, it was not until after his death that Mrs. Fels became active in the
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834:"Collection 1953 Joseph and Mary Fels Papers 1840-1966 (bulk 1905-1944) 11 boxes, 5 vols., 5.4 lin. feet"
294:", Fels told the audience,— "The single tax movement ... is like woman suffrage - it is bound to come."
213:. She established and supervised the Joseph Fels International Commission, which included welfare funds.
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When Fels was nine years old, a 19 year old soap peddler, Joseph Fels, later the founder of the
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Fels was 16 when she graduated from the Keokuk high school, 1879; and in 1880, she studied at
205:, and was active in the promotion of Israel. Though she supported and encouraged her husband,
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593:"MARY FELS, WIDOW OF SOAP KING, DECLARES SINGLE TAX IS SOLUTION OF INDUSTRIAL WAR"
243:
soap brand, arrived in her neighborhood. Joseph heard that a family with the same
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348:(George Dobsevage, New York, 1927). From 1917 to 1919, she was the editor of
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185:; March 10, 1863 - May 16, 1953) was a German-born American philanthropist,
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In 1916, Fels proposed a gift to the
Zionists of a single tax colony in
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290:. In December of that year, at a meeting of the "Single Tax League of
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999:, Fels statement at the Zionist Convention, Philadelphia, 1916, via
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The
National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Current volume
418:
as "Mary" or "Mollie". It is possible that her original legal
719:. Vol. 1. Jewish Biographical Bureau. 1927. p. 151
474:. Jane Addams Digital Edition - Ramapo College Of New Jersey
422:
was "Mollie", later changed to "Mary"; or "Mollie" was a
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344:(B. W. Huebsch, New York, 1916) and a religious work,
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839:. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. June 2004
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805:. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 144.
266:for one year and completed special courses at
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661:. Keokuk, Iowa. 10 December 1918. p. 10
626:"MRS. MAY FELS, 90, NEW YORK PHILANTHROPIST"
284:National American Woman Suffrage Association
709:
707:
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221:Mary (or Mollie) Fels was born in Sembach,
26:
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340:Fels published two books, the biography,
747:"MARY FELS - A DREAMER WHO DREAMED TRUE"
462:
460:
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1003:, June 23, 1916, vol. 1, no. 7, p. 222.
891:"SINGLE TAX ADVOCATE ATTEND CONVENTION"
454:
407:
655:"THE ROMANCE OF MOLLIE FELS OF KEOKUK"
1082:Saint Mary's College (Indiana) alumni
1062:German emigrants to the United States
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520:
176:
7:
1032:20th-century American women writers
397:(George Dobsevage, New York, 1927)
350:The Public: A Journal of Democracy
14:
1087:University of Pennsylvania alumni
1027:20th-century American biographers
865:"WOMAN WHO WOULD UPLIFT A WORLD"
863:North, Luke (19 November 1914).
388:(B. W. Huebsch, New York, 1916)
286:'s (NAWSA) annual conference in
969:"TOWARD THE LIGHT BY MARY FELS"
777:. J.T. White. 1930. p. 430
438:in 1916 is equivalent to about
313:at an estimated cost of nearly
745:Singer, Mary (6 August 1919).
1:
1001:The American Jewish Chronicle
975:. 12 December 1927. p. 3
897:. 16 November 1914. p. 2
599:. 22 December 1914. p. 1
562:. 4 September 1915. p. 2
472:digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu
414:Various sources refer to her
997:"Mrs. Fels Talks On Zionism"
917:"$ 1,000,000 in 1916 → 2022"
799:Rosen, Evelyn Bodek (2000).
499:"OBITUARY. MRS. JOSEPH FELS"
372:home on West 80th Street in
983:– via Newspapers.com.
957:– via Newspapers.com.
905:– via Newspapers.com.
879:– via Newspapers.com.
761:– via Newspapers.com.
716:Who's who in American Jewry
698:– via Newspapers.com.
669:– via Newspapers.com.
640:– via Newspapers.com.
570:– via Newspapers.com.
556:"MARY FELS A NOTABLE WOMAN"
513:– via Newspapers.com.
368:, England. She died at her
232:. She was brought up in an
1103:
1052:American women biographers
386:Joseph Fels: His Life-work
342:Joseph Fels: His Life-work
334:Joseph Fels; his life-work
264:University of Pennsylvania
688:The Jewell County Monitor
632:. 17 May 1953. p. 6B
505:. 17 May 1953. p. 89
25:
1077:People from Keokuk, Iowa
1067:American philanthropists
1042:American public speakers
949:. 23 May 1925. p. 1
597:St. Louis Globe-Democrat
468:"Fels, Mary (1863-1953)"
217:Early life and education
690:. 7 May 1914. p. 2
268:Bedford College, London
163:Fanny (Rothschild) Fels
947:Petaluma Argus-Courier
923:. Inflation Calculator
751:The Denver Jewish News
560:Modesto Morning Herald
532:Jewish Women's Archive
337:
921:www.in2013dollars.com
332:
1047:American suffragists
630:Poughkeepsie Journal
288:Nashville, Tennessee
262:. She also attended
256:Saint Mary's College
1072:People from Bavaria
659:The Daily Gate City
260:Notre Dame, Indiana
211:single tax movement
973:The Daily Reporter
869:Idaho Labor Herald
360:Fels had homes in
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1037:American Zionists
812:978-0-8386-3823-1
300:economic ideology
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376:, May 16, 1953.
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96:Other names
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20:Mary (Fels) Fels
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230:Keokuk, Iowa
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64:May 16, 1953
1022:1953 deaths
1017:1863 births
871:. p. 1
753:. p. 4
684:"MARY FELS"
528:"Mary Fels"
270:, England.
241:Fels-Naptha
207:Joseph Fels
140:Joseph Fels
104:Occupations
99:Mollie Fels
88:Nationality
1011:Categories
503:Daily News
450:References
420:given name
416:given name
195:suffragist
160:Elias Fels
119:suffragist
68:1953-05-17
45:1863-03-10
1057:Georgists
442:in 2022.
370:Manhattan
323:Palestine
311:Palestine
292:St. Louis
199:economist
173:Mary Fels
122:economist
76:Manhattan
55:, Germany
51:Sembach,
979:10 March
953:10 March
781:10 March
723:10 March
636:10 March
537:10 March
509:10 March
424:nickname
247:as his,
187:Georgist
146:Children
113:Georgist
91:American
927:9 March
901:9 March
875:9 March
843:9 March
818:9 March
757:9 March
694:9 March
665:9 March
603:9 March
566:9 March
478:9 March
245:surname
223:Bavaria
191:Zionist
154:Parents
116:Zionist
66: (
53:Bavaria
43: (
809:
390:(Text)
366:London
336:, 1916
274:Career
236:home.
136:Spouse
128:editor
125:author
82:, U.S.
837:(PDF)
402:Notes
981:2022
955:2022
929:2022
903:2022
877:2022
845:2022
820:2022
807:ISBN
783:2022
759:2022
725:2022
696:2022
667:2022
638:2022
605:2022
568:2022
539:2022
511:2022
480:2022
364:and
249:Fels
183:Fels
61:Died
38:Born
32:1915
317:.
302:of
258:of
178:née
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175:(
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
