Edith Stein was born into a believing Jewish family in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland) on 12 October 1891. She was the youngest and seventh child of Siegfried and Augusta Stein. Her father died suddenly when she was barely 21 months old. After Siegfried’s death, Edith’s mother took over the family business. As a result, Edith and her sister Erna were raised largely by their older sisters. Nevertheless, Augusta kept the family together by her love and warmth, and offered them an example of deep faith in God.