The daughter of wealthy Jewish parents, Emilia left school at thirteen. When her first fiancé died, she suffered a breakdown and was sent to Australia with her brother to recover her health. Living with her sister in Melbourne, Emilia met Anglican bank manager Charles Baeyertz and married him in October 1865 without informing her family. With Charles, she settled in Colac and had two children. In 1871, Charles was killed in a gun accident and Emilia converted to Christianity shortly thereafter. She began jail and hospital visits, Sunday School teaching, and door to door evangelism in the Jewish community of Melbourne. She was an active member of the YWCA and undertook evangelical missions to Sandhurst (Bendigo) and Ballarat. From 1880 she was conducting missions throughout South Australia, and the Baptists reported over 100 conversions as a result. Emilia moved her campaign to Victoria, Queensland, New Zealand, and finally Britain and North America.

Sources used to compile this entry: Dickey, Brian (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Evangelical Biography, Evangelical History Association, Sydney, 1994.