Leonard S. Kenworthy
Leonard S. Kenworthy was a prominent Quaker humanitarian and educator, best known for his role as the director of the Quaker International Center in Nazi Berlin from 1940 to 1941. Working with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), he helped individuals fleeing the Nazi regime, particularly those deemed Jewish, while also providing support to prisoners of war in accordance with the Geneva Convention. Despite the risks, Kenworthy noted that Quaker organizations may have received some tolerance from the Nazis due to their previous humanitarian efforts after World War I. Born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1912, he pursued higher education at Earlham College and Columbia University, later teaching at various Quaker boarding schools. During World War II, he was a conscientious objector who contributed to the Civilian Public Service. Following the war, Kenworthy joined UNESCO, where he became the first director of its Division on Education for International Understanding and authored key publications. He spent the latter part of his career teaching at Brooklyn College until his passing in 1991. Kenworthy's legacy reflects his commitment to humanitarian principles and education in challenging times.
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Leonard S. Kenworthy
Writer
- Born: March 26, 1912
- Birthplace: Richmond, Indiana
- Died: December 17, 1991
- Place of death: Kennet Square, Pennsylvania
Biography
Quaker humanitarian and educator Leonard Kenworthy is remembered primarily for his work as the director of the Quaker International Center in Nazi Berlin during 1940 and 1941. Run by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the center assisted individuals emigrating to safety whom the Nazis considered to be Jewish. The Quaker organization also provided important assistance to those prisoners of war who were protected under the Geneva Convention.
Although Kenworthy never claimed to understand fully why the Third Reich permitted the Center’s work, he pointed out that Quaker organizations may have been accorded some deference because they provided humanitarian assistance to many Germans after World War I. Furthermore, many of the “Jews” they helped were not culturally or religiously Jewish, and Kenworthy felt he may have, in essence, been helping a pre-Final- Solution Nazi government relocate those individuals.
Born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1912, Kenworthy attended nearby Earlham College, where his father was a religious studies professor. After receving a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1935, Kenworthy taught at several Quaker boarding schools before beginning his tenure with the AFSC and eventually being drafted as a conscientious objector into the Civilian Public Service.
Kenworthy joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after the war, becoming the first director of its Division on Education for International Understanding and the author of its first published text, The Postwar Child in War-Devastated Countries. After leaving UNESCO, he taught at the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York for thirty years, until shortly before his death in 1991.