Alma Birnbaum

Alma Birnbaum (born Valters, in the first marriage – Raterman; 30th of May 1889, Riga, Russian Empire – ?) – a teacher of Latvian language in Russian schools.

Alma Valters was born in Riga; however, no information about her parents has been found. It is known that as a young girl she studied at the private girls’ gymnasium of L. Tailova, which suggests that her family was relatively well-off. In 1907, Alma completed the full course of the gymnasium and continued her education in Moscow. In 1912, she graduated from Tikhomirov’s four-year Higher Pedagogical Courses, and in 1914 from Stepanova’s Courses in German and French. After returning to Riga, she attended special Latvian language courses for secondary school teachers led by Professors Juris Plāķis and Jānis Endzelīns.

With the outbreak of the World War, she once again settled in Moscow, where until 1918 she taught at the Moscow Girls’ Gymnasium and at the Gymnasium of Saints Peter and Paul.

After returning to Latvia, Alma Ratermane studied at the Institute of the English Language (graduating in 1924) and attended special Latvian language courses under Professor Plāķis. In 1929, she completed a course in Latvian philology with Professor Endzelīns and a course in the history of Latvia with docent Bērziņš.

At the same time, from 1921 she taught Latvian, as well as the history and geography of Latvia, in Russian schools. From 1921 to 1925 she had been working at L. Tailova’s Gymnasium, and from 1923 to 1925 at the 4th Riga Russian Primary School. From 1925 to 1935 she had been teaching at the Riga City Russian Gymnasium, and after its closure at the Riga State Russian Gymnasium.

From 1923 to 1933 she also taught English at the Latvian People’s University.

For nine years she had been teaching at the Polish Summer Courses for teachers. Privately, she prepared teachers for examinations in Latvian language proficiency and students for the Latvian language entrance exam to the University of Latvia.

In 1924, Alma Ratermane, together with Latvian language teacher Kakis (Kake), began publishing Latvian language textbooks for minority schools. In 1925, the textbook Runāsim latviski (“Let Us Speak Latvian”) for the 2nd grade of minority schools was published; in 1926—for the 3rd grade; and in 1927 and 1928—for the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades of minority primary schools. In 1929, Latviešu gramatika (“Latvian Grammar”) was published.

Her former student M. Saltupe (née Morozova, class of 1937) recalled her as follows:

“At the gymnasium, the Latvian literature curriculum differed little from that of Latvian schools. We read and studied works by Latvian authors and wrote essays. We memorized many excerpts from the folk epic, which we gladly used in our compositions. I remember that we studied The Time of the Land Surveyors by the Kaudzīte brothers in detail. <>
Our teacher, Alma Ratermane, almost always offered us ‘breathers’ during lessons or, as one would now say, ‘pauses’. Most often, during grammar lessons, she suggested that we sing Latvian folk songs. She always sang with us. I remember that her favorite song was ‘Balts sniedziņš snieg’…

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Over five years at the gymnasium, we were prepared for the competitive ‘battle’ for places at the university, and the written Latvian exam was the first and main examination for all faculties—and for many, the decisive one in choosing their future path. I can proudly say that there were 11 candidates from our class, and all became students.”

According to scarce archival data, she was widowed in her first marriage to Raterman (the year of his death is unknown). In 1930, she remarried a man named Birnbaum (no further information about him has been found).

It is likely that during the Second World War A. Ratermane-Birnbauma left Latvia.

Tatiana Feigmane

Sources of information:

ЛГИА, ф. 1632, оп.1, дд. 2403, 2404. 

Из воспоминаний М.В. Салтупе (урожд. Морозовой), выпускницы РГРГ 1937 года – Рижская городская русская гимназия (бывшая Ломоносовская) 1919-1935. Сост. М.В. Салтупе, Т.Д. Фейгмане, при участии Д.А. Левицкого. – Рига, 1999.