Florence Prag Kahn

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Florence Prag Kahn
August 6, 2020

Jewish Women and the Afterlife of the Suffrage Movement

Melissa R. Klapper

What did Jewish suffragists do after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment?

https://jwa.org/blog/suffrage/jewish-women-and-afterlife-suffrage-movement
Valentine's Day Someecard
February 14, 2011

Better than Valentine's Day: Three things to celebrate instead!

Leah Berkenwald

In case you haven't heard, today is Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day isn't really a Jewish holiday, but since it's a "Hallmark holiday," it's for everyone. Lucky you! 

While some folks enjoy Valentine's Day (all the power to them!), many do not. As Jill of Feministe reminds us, many people like to project all their insecurities and issues onto Valentine's Day. Of course, it's easy to understand why this happens -- thanks to the barrage of messages about love and cuteness on display. 

https://jwa.org/blog/better-than-valentines-day
September 28, 2010

50 Most Influential Progressives of the 20th Century - Who else?

Leah Berkenwald

The Nation recently published a list of the 50 Most Influential Progressives of the Twentieth Century. As JSpot noted, 5 are Jewish. Two of those are women: Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem.

Topics: Activism, Politics and Government
https://jwa.org/blog/50-most-influential-progressives
February 17, 2010

Our first Jewish Congresswoman

Emily Kadar

Eighty-five years ago today, Florence Prag Kahn became the first Jewish woman elected to the United States Congress, and only the fifth woman to ever serve in that body.

Topics: Politics and Government
https://jwa.org/blog/florence-prag-kahn
Florence Prag Kahn

Florence Prag Kahn elected as first Jewish woman in US Congress

February 17, 1925

As the wife of Julius Kahn, a US Representative from San Francisco, Florence Prag Kahn had developed her own public identity by writing a column on Washington doings for her hometown newspaper. When her husband died, she ran in a special Congressional election held on February 17, 1925.

https://jwa.org/thisweek/feb/17/1925/florence-prag-kahn
Mary Goldsmith Prag, 1965

Mary Goldsmith Prag

One of California’s first Jewish educators, Mary Goldsmith Prag came to San Francisco as a young child during the Gold Rush. She became a religious and secular teacher, an administrator, a fighter for equal rights for women, and the mother of the first Jewish congresswoman, Florence Prag Kahn.

Florence Prag Kahn

Florence Prag Kahn

Florence Prag Kahn was not only the first Jewish woman to serve in Congress, but also one of only a handful of women serving during the 1920s and 1930s. A Republican party loyalist, Kahn was an effective maneuverer who introduced legislation that shaped the economy and geography of the Bay Area of San Francisco.

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