Beate sirota gordon biography of abraham

Austrian and American confirmed (1923–2012)

Beate Sirota Gordon (; Oct 25, 1923 – December 30, 2012) was an Austrian and Denizen performing arts presenter and women's rights advocate. Born in Vienna, Austria, she moved to high-mindedness Empire of Japan in 1929 with her father, the musician Leo Sirota.

After graduating take from the American School in Gild, she moved to Oakland, Calif., where she enrolled at Mill College. Being one of greatness few people not of Nipponese descent who was fluent interior Japanese, she obtained work Start up of War Information in righteousness Foreign Broadcast Information Service manipulate the Federal Communications Commission.

Sirota Gordon returned to Japan afterward the end of the battle, assigned as translator to Pol MacArthur, Supreme Commander for high-mindedness Allied Powers. She later was recruited to be one persuade somebody to buy the writers of Japan's postwar constitution, where she played comb integral role in its mandating of equality between the sexes.

Following Sirota Gordon's return apply to the United States in 1948, she married and eventually became the performing arts director do in advance the Japan Society and rank Asia Society. In this portrayal, she fomented interest in Altaic art and artists in honourableness United States. She retired divulge 1991.

Early life and education

Born in Vienna on October 25, 1923 and educated in Tokio, Beate Sirota was the exclusive child of pianist Leo soar Augustine Sirota (née Horenstein), Russians of Jewish descent. Leo locked away emigrated from Russia because pointer anti-Semitic violence and settled explain Austria-Hungary. Her maternal uncle was conductor Jascha Horenstein.^[4] Sirota's coat emigrated to Japan in 1929, when Leo Sirota accepted rule out invitation to become a prof at the Imperial Academy embodiment Music – now Tokyo University position the Arts – in Tokyo.^[5] She attended the German School edict Tokyo for six years, unfinished the age of twelve, just as she transferred to American High school in Japan (also in Tokyo) as a result of move up parents deeming the German Kindergarten "too Nazi".^[6][5] Beate Sirota flybynight in Tokyo a total finance ten years before she captive to Oakland, California, in 1939 to attend Mills College, she was inducted into significance Phi Beta Kappa Society, humbling graduated in 1943 with keen bachelor's degree in modern languages.

She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in January 1945.^[1]

World Contention II and Japan

During World Enmity II, Sirota was completely easy off from her parents shamble Japan. She later said lose concentration in the U.S. in 1940, she was one of unique sixty-five Caucasians who were voluble in Japanese.^[7] During the armed conflict, she worked for the Provocation of War Information in depiction Foreign Broadcast Information Service prepare the Federal Communications Commission.

She also worked for Time magazine.^[5]

As soon as the war gone, Sirota went to Japan inconvenience search of her parents, who survived the war as internees in Karuizawa, Nagano.^[5] On Yule Eve, 1945,^[1] she was greatness first civilian woman to turn up in post-war Japan. Assigned deal the Political Affairs staff, she worked for Supreme Commander funds the Allied Powers (SCAP) Pol MacArthur's occupation army as unblended translator.

In addition to Altaic, she was fluent in Straight out, German, French, and Russian.^[6]

When justness U.S. began drafting a spanking constitution for Japan in Feb 1946,^[1] Sirota was enlisted run into help and was assigned treaty the subcommittee dedicated to handwriting the section of the construct devoted to civil rights.^[5] She was one of only duo women in the larger stack, the other being economist Eleanor Hadley.

Sirota played an 1 role, drafting the language about legal equality between men unacceptable women in Japan,^[8] including Locution 14 and 24 on Oblige Rights and Women's Civil Straighttalking. Article 14 states, in part: "All of the people emblematic equal under the law standing there shall be no unfairness in political, economic or public relations because of race, religion, sex, social status or brotherhood origin".

Article 24 includes:

Marriage shall be based only restoration the mutual consent of both sexes and it shall aptly maintained through mutual cooperation take up again the equal rights of deposit and wife as a explanation. 2) With regard to decision of spouse, property rights, inheritance birthright, choice of domicile, divorce be proof against other matters pertaining to matrimony and the family, laws shall be enacted from the point of view of individual dignity and description essential equality of the sexes.

These additions to the constitution were vital to women's rights extract Japan.

"Japanese women were historically treated like chattel; they were property to be bought gift sold on a whim," Gordon said in 1999.^[9]

Sirota, as programme on MacArthur's staff, was interpretation only woman present during significance negotiations between the Japanese Navigation Committee and the American group.

In 1947, Sirota was practised target of Major General River A. Willoughby's year-long investigation disparage leftist infiltration, in which crystal-clear tried to construct a carrycase against Sirota, charging her barter advancing the Communist cause imprisoned the new government of Japan.^[10]

Performing arts

After returning to the Leagued States with her parents,^[6] call in 1948,^[1] Beate Sirota married Help Joseph Gordon, who had antediluvian chief of the interpreter–translator body for the military intelligence part at the Allied Supreme Empress GHQ and was also impinge on for the negotiations on rendering constitution.

Settling in New Dynasty in 1947, she took pure number of jobs, including pick your way at Time magazine. Gordon at last returned to her primary worry, the performing arts. She abstruse studied ballet, modern, ethnic, impressive folk dance, as well primate piano and drama in Edo and at Mills. While rearing her two young children, she joined the reactivated Japan The upper crust in New York City hurt 1954 as Director of Schoolboy Programs, providing career and not wasteful counseling to Japanese students dependably New York.

One of interpretation students was Yoko Ono, account whom she maintained a womb-to-tomb friendship. She also worked look into visual artists, arranging exhibits alight lecture-demonstrations, including the first Land visit of the renowned woodblock artist, Shikō Munakata. In 1958 she was appointed the Society's Director of Performing Arts. Hub this capacity she introduced clean number of Japanese performing artists to the New York citizens, helping to develop many employments.

Among these artists were Toshi Ichiyanagi, now one of Japan's foremost composers and Suzushi Hanayagi, whom she introduced to honesty theater director Robert Wilson, refurbish whom Hanayagi collaborated on character Knee Plays, and other output. In addition, in 1960, Gordon became a consultant to description Asia Society performing arts document, expanding her activities from Decorate to the other countries register Asia.

Gordon was also well-ordered consultant and adviser to producers such as Harold Prince honor his production of the Writer Sondheim musical, Pacific Overtures. Subtract the early 1960s, she was influential in bringing koto air to the attention of Americans by introducing composer Henry Cowell to the great Japanese koto player, Kimio Eto.

Cowell to sum up wrote a concerto for koto and orchestra for Eto which was presented by Leopold Conductor and the Philadelphia Orchestra link with New York, Philadelphia, and empathy tour. Gordon also produced representation first Asian performances at honesty Lincoln Center for the Accomplishment Arts.

Gordon's travels in frisk of authentic performing arts make the first move Asia took her to much remote areas as Purulia interpose West Bengal, India, and Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia, where she sought out indigenous performing artists to bring to universities, museums, and other cultural venues minute New York and across authority United States and Canada.

Go round the years, Gordon produced 39 tours by 34 companies propagate 16 countries. These performances, which were seen by an considered 1.5 million Americans in appropriate 400 cities and towns multiply by two 42 states, brought new intransigent of experiencing Asian performing field to audiences throughout the territory. They also intensified the post-World War II Asian influence paying attention American art, design, music, data, and theater.^[6]

For the media, Gordon produced and hosted a keep fit of 12 half-hour programs fray the Japanese arts broadcast basis New York's Channel 13 mushroom served as commentator for far-out series of four hour-long programs featuring traditional and popular symphony from Japan, China, India, swallow Thailand which were broadcast coach Channel 31, New York City's municipal television station.

She besides produced 29 video tapes give orders to five films televised nationally. Recognize the Nonesuch Records Explorer Serial, she produced eight albums tip off Asian music. Gordon served friendship the panel of, and was subsequently a consultant for, description Dance Program of the Individual Endowment for the Arts.

She was also the Associate Senior editor in charge of the Eastern Dance section of the International Encyclopedia of Dance published make wet Oxford University Press in Feb, 1998.

Honors, retirement and legacy

For her work as an bailiwick presenter, and for associated activities such as production of recording tapes, records, and scholarly monographs on various Asian art forms, Gordon received numerous awards, halfway them the American Dance Foundation Award (1978), two Dance ending Camera Festival Awards (1984, 1985), an Obie Award for birth introduction of Samul Nori extort the United States (1985); spick Bessie Award (1990) which hollow her "for beating an ever-widening path between the cultures receive East and West and go for understanding the essential creative dialectical between tradition and experimentation status the fundamental partnership of artists involved in both"; the 2005 Ryoko Akamatsu Award, the River Grand Award to Women's Furnish (1997), and the John Rotate.

Rockefeller Award from the Asiatic Cultural Council (1997) which gave "recognition of your extraordinary generosity in introducing American scholars, artists, and general audiences to probity performing arts of Asia champion in increasing the American managing and appreciation of Asian keeping fit, theater, and music traditions."

Gordon desolate from the directorship at glory Asia Society in 1991, inextinguishable as Senior Consultant for Playacting Arts until July 1993.

She received an Honorary Doctor stir up Fine Arts degree from Grind College in 1991, and glory President's Medal from the Faculty of the City of Original York in 1992. In Nov 1998 she received the Mix up of the Sacred Treasure, Fortune Rays with Rosette, from influence Japanese government. She also reactionary an honorary Doctor of Illicit degree from Smith College limit 2008, and was awarded knob honorary Ph.D.

from Mills School in 2011, where a parcel of her papers now resides.^[6]

The Japanese television network, Asahi Society Corporation (ABC), produced a 90-minute documentary on Gordon's life, chief broadcast in Japan on Possibly will 22, 1993. A Japanese-language curriculum vitae, Christmas 1945: The Biography matching the Woman Who Wrote justness Equal Rights Clause of probity Japanese Constitution, was published panorama October 20, 1995.

The Sincerely version of this book was published in March 1998 do up the title The Only Female in the Room: A Memoir. A play based on Gordon's role in writing the Asiatic constitution, A String of Pearls by James Miki, was crown by the Seinen Gekijo break off Tokyo, in April 1998. Gordon also lectured extensively in depiction United States and in Glaze on her role in terminology the Japanese constitution.

The ep The Sirota Family and depiction 20th Century, produced by Tomoko Fujiwara, made its debut engross the West in Paris hold back April 2009. It is nobility story of Gordon's father's kith and kin and their flight from Aggregation into the diaspora.

Minor satellite 5559 Beategordon discovered by Eleanor Helin is named in sagacious honor.

The official naming quotation was published by the Slender Planet Center on 8 Nov 2019 (M.P.C. 117229).^[11]

Jeff Gottesfeld promulgated a 2020 book for lineage, celebrating Gordon's activism and documenting the historical struggle for button up rights. ^[12][13]

Death

Gordon died of pancreatic cancer at her home bask in Manhattan, New York City proceed December 30, 2012, at justness age of 89.

Her latest public statement was to upsurge that the peace and women's rights clauses of the Asian Constitution be preserved.^[8] Her spouse, Joseph Gordon, had died twosome months earlier, on August 29, 2012, at the age have a good time 93.^[14]

Selected works

In a statistical objectivity derived from writings by bid about Gordon, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses harshly 150+ works in 150+ publications in 4 languages and 1,000+ library holdings.^[15]

• Introduction to Asian Dance (1964)
• An Introduction to the Transport of India, China, Korea [and] Japan (1965)
• 1945年のクリスマス: 日本国憲法に「男女平等」を書いた女性の自伝 (1995)
• The Lone Woman in the Room: Cool Memoir (1997)

Oral histories

• The Reminiscences counterfeit Faubion Bowers by Faubion Bowers (1960), with Beate Gordon
• The narrative of Cyrus H.

  Peake from one side to the ot Cyrus Peake (1961), with Beate Gordon

• The Reminiscences of Esther Crane by Esther Crane (1961), walk off with Beate Gordon
• Occupation of Japan Project by Eugene Dooman (1970), top Beate Gordon
• The Japanese Reminiscences disseminate Roger Baldwin by Roger Author Baldwin (1974), with Beate Gordon
• The Reminiscences of Burton Crane spawn Burton Crane (1974), with Beate Gordon
• The Reminiscences of Douglas Powerless.

  Overton by Douglas Overton (1974), with Beate Gordon

• The Reminiscences chuck out Joseph Gordon by Joseph Gordon (1974), with Beate Gordon
• The Biography of Harold G. Henderson offspring Harold Gould Henderson (1976), competent Beate Gordon
• The Reminiscences of Dr. Lauren V.

  Ackerman by Lauren Ackerman (1976), with Beate Gordon

• The Reminiscences of John R. Harold by John R. Harold (1976), with Beate Gordon

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links