Fanny Fligelman Brin (1884-1961) was a Jewish activist best known for her charity work and public peace speeches. She was born in Bârlad, Romania, and was only a small child when her family moved to the United States; her siblings were born there. Tony Friedman, Fanny’s mother, encouraged her children to pursue an education, so Fanny graduated from university. She was noted as a student for her talent in debate and public speaking, which served her well in her activist career.

In 1906, she began working as a teacher and attended feminist club meetings. She married Arthur Brin in 1913. They settled in Minneapolis and started a family. Her husband was a well-to-do factory owner, and the benefit of financial security allowed Fanny to devote her time to activism and charity work. She became a member of the National Council of Jewish Women and served as its president from 1932 to 1938.

During the Great Depression, Eleanor Roosevelt appointed her to a committee for assessing and resolving social problems. Aside from these charitable endeavors, Fanny Fligman Brin’s most important cause was peace. She was a delegate to the United Nations Peace Conference in San Francisco in 1945. She had spent her entire life stating that violence could never be a solution to a conflict, and she did everything she could to avoid senseless sacrifices on the battlefield.

Featured image: Fanny Brin, Jane Addams, Hannah Solomon, and Mrs. Gershon Levi, National Council of Jewish Women convention, Chicago, 1934.

Source of the biographical information: Jewish Women’s Archive (jwa.org), Minnesota Historical Society (mnhs.org)

Source of the images: Minnesota Historical Society