Bullets, Bandages, and Making WAVES: Jewish Women in WWII: Judith Ann Schiff Women’s History Program

Name: Bullets, Bandages, and Making WAVES: Jewish Women in WWII: Judith Ann Schiff Women’s History Program
Start: 2025-03-02T14:00:00-05:00
Location: 114 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT, United States, Connecticut 06510

Schedule

Sun, 02 Mar, 2025 at 02:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

114 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT, United States, Connecticut 06510 | New Haven, CT

The New Haven Museum (NHM) will highlight the resilience, courage, and ingenuity of local Jewish women during World War II in the Third Annual Judith Ann Schiff Women’s History Program, “Bullets, Bandages, and Making WAVES: Jewish Women in WWII New Haven,” on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 2 p.m. The program will also stream on Facebook Live. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be recorded and aired on YouTube and social media.
Register here: www.simpletix.com/e/bullets-bandages-and-making-waves-jewish-w-tickets-199625
Presented by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven (JHSGNH), the program will share clips of recorded oral histories and historical documents capturing the challenges and triumphs of life in WWII, which ended 80 years ago, in 1945. From running a family business to managing home-front challenges, to serving in the Navy's WAVES or making bullet shells reminiscent of "Rosie the Riveter," their stories illustrate the ways American women in the Elm City contributed to the war effort.
JHSGNH volunteers, writer Carole Bass and oral-history interviewer Rhoda Zahler Samuel, will present segments of the video memories of Rita Small Melman (1928-2013), Mitzi Fenster Bargar (born 1927), Lucille Wolfe Alderman (1924-2024), Rose Rosenberg Dubin (born 1924), Ruth Grannick (1921-2022), Edith Londer Gillman (1924-2018), and Laura Small Levine (1919-2016). Jennifer Klein, Bradford Durfee Professor of History at Yale University, will give a brief presentation about the ways WWII influenced women’s roles.
The program will honor the legacy of these remarkable women and invite attendees to reflect and consider how history shapes our current values and societal norms. Visitors will discover the new roles women accepted during the war: enlisting in the armed forces, working in munitions factories, running family businesses at home. “These roles challenged traditional gender norms and forever changed public perception of women in the workforce,” says Samuel. “With this event, we hope to inspire ongoing conversations about gender equality.” She adds, “World War II was a turning point for women, yet there is still much work to be done to promote equal participation in the work force and armed services.”
Michael Dimenstein, President of the JHSGNH, notes how fitting the topic is for the Schiff Women’s History Program. “In the third year of this program, the ingenuity and drive of these women during WWII aptly reflects Judy Schiff’s resourcefulness, determination, and belief in the importance of preserving and sharing our collective history.”
Selected photographs, publications, and objects related to the presentation were curated by Nicole Zador, managing archivist at the JHSGNH, and will be on view in the Community Case in the Museum’s rotunda throughout March 2025.