Facing the Spanish Flu & the Great Depression
Thursday, May 7, 2020
This program was held on May 7. Check out the recording here!
Program is free. Donations welcome.
The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 has been considered the most severe pandemic in recent history. Then, as today, American medical personnel were on the front lines. Among them was nurse Lillian Wald. Recruiting other brave women to help her, she circulated a flyer titled “A Stern Task for Stern Women.” The Great Depression, a defining moment for American Jews, challenged all that they had achieved since coming to America. It rocked their financial stability, made them question their futures, and threatened to destroy the institutions they had built.
With
- Pamela S. Nadell, Professor and Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s & Gender History, American University
- Beth S. Wenger, Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor of History and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
Each week during Jewish American Heritage month, we’ll sit down virtually with some of our favorite historians and Museum advisors (who happen to be leading scholars of American Jewish history) to find out how they’re doing and to learn how the Jewish community has faced and overcome crises throughout American history.