Kaufman, Bel

Bel Kaufman (1911 2014) was a bestselling writer, dedicated teacher, and lecturer best known for her novel "Up the Down Staircase" (1965), a classic portrayal of life in the New York public school system. Kaufman was born in Berlin, the daughter of Russian parents and granddaughter of celebrated Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem. Her family moved to Odessa when she was three, and Russian is her native language. The family also lived in Moscow before immigrating to New York City when Kaufman was twelve. There, she graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College and with high honors from Columbia Uni...