Adah Issacs Menken was an American actress and writer popular during the 1850s and 1860s, until her untimely death at 33 in 1868. Menken performed on stages across the United States and Europe. Her Jewish heritage is often contested, even though much of her writing revolved around Jewish themes. Menken also knew Hebrew fluently, refused to perform on Jewish holidays, advocated for Jewish causes and was buried in a Jewish cemetery.
