Esther Landa
Esther Landa was born in 1912. She was well-known for her contributions to education and social welfare. Esther Landa was a Utah women's rights activist who was also active in various Jewish organizations and in the antinuclear movement. Her many titles include: President of the National Council of Jewish Women, Vice Chairman of the Utah State Board of Education, Co-founder of Project Head Start in Utah, Director of Women's programs in the Division of Continuing Education at the University of Utah, and leader in Utah's International Women's Year Conference in 1977.
Oral Histories featuring Esther Landa
- Esther Landa, Salt Lake City, Utah : an interview by Fred Buchanan - This oral history discusses Landa's experiences as a Jewish child in Salt Lake City. It also contains detailed information about her campaigns for Salt Lake City School Board. Landa discusses the launch of the Head Start program and the teacher strike in Salt Lake City in 1964. She also recalls her election to the Utah State Board of Education, and issues with bussing children to different neighborhoods. After the transcript of the interview, additional primary source documents and letters related to Landa's campaign and election to school board are also included.
- Esther Norma Rosenblatt Landa, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by Floyd O'Neil and Hynda Rudd, December 26, 1972 - This oral history discusses the history of the Rosenblatt family, with mention of the Eastern Iron and Metal Corporation, or EIMCO. Landa also discusses the stories of early Jewish immigrants to Salt Lake City. Her family lived in the Nelson apartments and the Knickerbocker apartments. Landa discusses reform and conservative Jewish congregations in Salt Lake City. She recalls skipping grades in high school and attending college when she was almost 17. A family tree for the Rosenblatt family is included at the end of the interview transcript.
- Esther Landa, Interviews with Jews in Utah, Accn 998 - This oral history focuses on Landa's memories of her family's business, with information about her grandfather settling in Salt Lake City and working originally as a peddler, followed by the development of the business to junk, steel, and the foundry business. She shares memories of working with her grandfather sorting out metal to be sent to a smelter. She discusses worshiping at the Congregation Montefiore Synagogue, and the difference in religous education for boys and girls at the time. Landa also shares her experiences attending Mills College in California, and how her family lived during the depression. Landa touches on her affinity for sports at multiple times during the interview. She recalls her father's involvement with the Shriners and Masons. Landa mentions that she went into organizational work because women were not able to go into business at the time.
