I’ve lived through one pandemic, H1N1, and must admit I basically have no recollection of it. Was I not tuned in? Did it not pose that big of a threat? Is human memory incredibly short? What it comes down to, I guess, is that unlike the coronavirus, it had no noticeable impact on my life. I don’t recall ever feeling physically threatened by it. My job wasn’t threatened by it. Nor my social life. Life was business as usual.
I doubt anyone alive now will be able to say that about the coronavirus. It’s not that we will all be impacted by the virus itself, although tragically some have already had to face difficult illness and tragic loss. But each and every one of us is impacted in some way by the worldwide response to the virus. The one pandemic that has always remained in my consciousness is the Spanish flu of 1918-1920, as my great-grandfather was one of its approximately 50 million victims.
Like many, I find myself wondering how the world responded then. So I decided to consult the pages of the IJN’s earliest editions for Denver Jewry’s response. Conveniently, a few years ago the IJN was part of a History Colorado grant to have our editions from 1915-1925 digitized through the Library of Congress’ “Chronicling America” database.
Perusing the pages what stands out is the absence of news on the influenza. Were people more restrained then? More accustomed to disease and a shorter lifespan? Or was there just too much else going on? Because what is clear from the pages is that the world, including the Jewish community, was in a period of immense turmoil and change. What does appear — often — on the pages: War devastation. The Paris Peace Conference. Aid for war refugees. The burgeoning possibility of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
Aside from a mention here and there, the flu is largely relegated to the obituaries, which do confirm something we all know about that pandemic: It overwhelmingly killed young men.
If you’re interested in doing your own research into the time period, the digitized IJNs are available via https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. Note: the newspaper was called the Denver Jewish News at this time, so make sure to use that search term.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
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