Eleni Mattas
Professor Hernandez-Ojeda
HONS 2011J
18 December 2020
The Story of Fredericka “Freddie” Imogene Martin
Personal Statement:
When I first began this semester I assumed this course would be just another history class. I did not expect to gain such a wide perspective of the various events that led up to World War 2. I especially was unaware of the events that transpired in Spain. When I heard about the American volunteers that willingly sacrificed their comfortable lives here in the States to fight overseas, I was inspired. Today, political involvement has been minimized to social media postings and small, diplomatic debates amongst friends and family. In the 1930s, young people picked themselves up and physically went to fight for things they believed. I was especially interested in women’s role in the Spanish Civil War; women like Freddie, who dropped everything to run hospitals abroad and save lives. These women were the backbone of the entire cooperation. Without women like Freddie, the hospitals on the frontline in Spain would not have been as nearly efficient as they were. I got a chance to personally speak with one of Freddie’s relatives. Barbara Martin is Freddie’s cousin (related through their fathers). The two communicated for many years through letters. It was with both Barbara’s article on ALBA’s website and our interview how I was able to learn all about Freddie’s life and her accomplishments. I am honored to have the opportunity to embody her legacy through my writing.
Laila Abouhasswa
HONS 2011J, Section 01
Professor Hernandez-Ojeda
18 December 2020
Personal Statement
Prior to taking this class, I had no background knowledge on the Spanish Civil War. I was aware of fascism in Italy and Germany but I never knew that it had occurred in Spain as well. Although I was not aware of this war, as I learned about it I found several similarities between the activism involved in the Black Lives Matter movement and the activism of the volunteers in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. I have been very involved in the Black Lives Matter movement and I was able to draw similarities between my own experiences supporting a cause against injustice, and the volunteers who traveled half way across the world to do the same. Because of my connection to the BLM movement I knew that I wanted to focus on the perspective of an African American who participated in the Spanish Civil War. Throughout history, African Americans have been fighting against discrimination for their own freedom. It is interesting to see that despite their own struggles of being discriminated against, African Americans such as Thomas Page used their own experiences of injustice to fuel their passion of helping others. Although I was unable to interview a relative of Thomas Page, his story is extraordinary and depicts the ideology that a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. While fighting in Spain, Thomas felt more free and liberated than he ever did in America which emphasizes the racial inequalities occurring in the United States at the time.
Maggie Kearney
HONS 2011J
Final Essay
Prof. Maria-Hernandez Ojeda
Ruth Davidow
Personal Statement
Ruth Davidow first caught my attention with her interview for the 1984 film The Good Fight my classmates and I streamed at the beginning of the semester. The documentary was one of my first real exposures to the Spanish fight against fascism, as I had never heard about the International Brigades in school beforehand. My only knowledge of this point in history before beginning this Spanish Civil War in Literature and Film course was Picasso’s Guernica, which conveyed the terror of the war only. I had no context for its role in world history or knowledge or appreciation for the courageous and determined spirits who fought with their lives against fascism. Ruth reflected upon her time in the war with such bluntness, and yet in a manner that made it clear that she was proud and without a single regret. I immediately admired her ability to make herself a responsible defender of global freedom. Ruth’s perspective as a Jewish woman at such a critical time in history also stood out to me, and the fact that she was able to put herself on the line against a global effort that aimed to quash and victimize people just like her. Ruth made it clear through her interviews that her career as a public health nurse absolutely made her a forever activist for life, health, and freedom. Ruth struck me as a strong woman and a beacon of hope for a future of resistance.
Elisheva Adler
Professor Maria Hernandez-Ojeda
HONS 2011J – Spanish Civil War in Literature and Film
17 December 2020
Leonard Bertram Levenson: “Lenny”
Personal Statement
This semester, I have had the privilege of taking a course about the Spanish Civil War, taught by Professor Hernández-Ojeda. Prior to taking this course, I had no knowledge about the Spanish Civil War. This semester I have learned about the historical background that led up to the Spanish Civil War and the valiant efforts of the international brigade volunteers to support the Republic and fight the battle against fascism. I have had the honor this semester, to conduct research and delve even further into the life of one of the heroic volunteers of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, Mr. Leonard Bertram Levenson. Through my research and interview of Mr. Levenson’s daughter, Joan Cohen, I have gained invaluable insight into the life of Mr. Levenson and feel that his legacy in-conjunction with his fellow ALB volunteers must be immortalized as a means of attesting to their selflessness and courageous actions. I hope that by writing about Mr. Levenson’s life, his legacy and devotion to helping others will be passed on, and hopefully influence others to feel, speak, and act like he did.
Adriana Chavez
María Hernández-Ojeda
Final Essay
HONS 211J –1
Volunteer Max Shufer by Student Adriana Chavez
Personal Statement
The American public school system does a pitiful job teaching us world history, nor does American culture encourage us to keep up with foreign affairs. I went into this class expecting to learn about Spain, not the US, and was excited to do so. However, I was flabbergasted by the connections I found between the Spanish Civil War and the current rise of fascism in the US. Additionally, though I wasn’t shocked to learn of my country’s non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War, I was surprised and proud to hear about the large number of Americans who bravely volunteered to fight for the Second Spanish Republic.
Max Shufer is a volunteer who came from a similar background to the student population at Hunter College. He was a bright, working-class New Yorker, a CUNY graduate, and an ethnic minority. His contribution to the War forces us to confront whether we would’ve joined the Spanish Civil War if we had lived in the 1930s. Or, if we would fight to make a difference in another conflict that might present itself in the modern-day. It was a privilege to learn about Max for this essay, especially through interviewing his youngest daughter, Jane Shufer. Classes in the humanities often keep subjects in the theoretical. Students like myself might understand what they are learning about, but not connect to it in a concrete, non-abstract way. However, writing about Max Shufer and speaking to Jane firmly brought the Spanish Civil War into reality for me. It brought the War and the members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade closer to me than I ever expected, but am extremely grateful for.
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