Silbert, Layle

Layle Silbert, photographer and writer, was born January 23, 1913 in Chicago. Her father, Morris Silbert, was a journalist, copywriter and editor in Chicago's Yiddish press. Her mother, a teacher and homemaker, encouraged Layle Silbert to pursue writing. Layle Silbert began composing poetry and literary essays in childhood, and remained devoted to the literary arts throughout her life.

After graduating from John Marshall High School, Silbert attended University of Chicago, earning a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1933, and a master's degree in 1938 from the School of Social Service Administration. Silbert's first career was in the field of social service, where she began as a case worker and moved on to positions as a researcher and statistician. From the mid-1930s to the early 1940s, Silbert was employed by Chicago-area social agencies including the Chicago Welfare Administration, the Travelers Aid Society of Chicago, the United States Employment Service, and Council of Social Agencies of Chicago. In the course of her career in social work and civil service, she met and married Abraham Aidenoff, a statistician for the United Nations.

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