For the Protection of Girls and Women – The Crisis of Jewish “White Slavery,” 1880-1920

A rarely-discussed crisis in the worldwide Jewish community occurred during the Jewish emigration boom of 1880-1920. Eastern European Jewish girls and young women, desperate to change their circumstances, were being deceived or coerced by Jewish human traffickers and sold into prostitution. Jewish women in London, living in the emigration crossroads, led an international fight to combat “white slavery,” as it was then known. They were soon joined by American women, and others, who enacted schemes to protect the vulnerable but also lobbied for legislation against the traffickers. This presentation will discuss the circumstances that allowed these crimes to occur, and the organizational and government responses. Finally, one woman’s tragic story.

This one-hour program, conducted over Zoom at 1:30 PM Eastern Time, is free for members. This is one of the many activities that is a benefit of JGSGW membership. Instructions for joining the online meeting will be placed under Meeting Info & Links in the Members Only Files. (These files become visible on this website after members sign in.) Nonmembers may register to attend for a fee of $10.

Speaker: Risa Daitzman Heywood is a professional genealogist, writer and speaker specializing in Ashkenazi Jewish genealogy and research methodology. She loves helping her clients solve their genealogy puzzles, especially finding that elusive shtetl name. She holds a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Risa has been involved with Jewish genealogy for over 25 years. She is on the board of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and a past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado. She served as co-chair of JewishGen’s original Belarus SIG. Risa lives in Lisbon, Portugal.