Nina Salaman

1877–1925

A Pioneer in Jewish Scholarship and Women’s Rights

2025 marks 100 years since the passing of Nina Salaman, a remarkable Hebrew scholar, poet, translator and activist for Jewish female equality and suffrage.

Born in Derby in 1877, Nina became renowned for her anthology of Hebrew poets ('Songs of Exile'), verses for children ('Apples and Honey') and the sophisticated translations of the 12th century Spanish writer Judah Halevi.

Together with her father Arthur Davis, she co-created the groundbreaking Service of the Synagogue, a contemporary translation of festival liturgy that brought poetic beauty to English-speaking congregations.

Nina was also an advocate for women’s rights within the Jewish community, working with the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage and promoting education through lectures for the Parents' National Education Union (PNEU).

Nina married Redcliffe Salaman - a medical man and geneticist famous for cultivating a variety of potato considered to be blight-free. Nina died tragically young of cancer at the age of forty-seven.

She rests alongside her husband at Willesden Jewish Cemetery, North London.

With thanks to Peter Hamburger and Dr. Jeremy Schonfield for their contributions and insights.

Nina Salaman. Photograph shared with permission by Peter Hamburger