Vera Schectman

by Nicolleta Perna

Vera Schectman (1890-1971) was from Ananiev, Odessa, Russia and emigrated to the United States, where she became a decorated doctor in Newark, New Jersey, as well as a cherished member of her local community with the services she provided.

Before becoming a doctor or even coming to America, Schectman’s desire to help others was ever present within her; even at the age of 16 Vera would offer private teachings from her grandparents’ home, whom she was living with at the time. Within the same year Schectman would leave her grandparents’ home in Russia, whether it was due to just simply wanting to study medicine, or if the then recent pogroms in Kishinev targeting Jewish citizens had anything to do with her departure is unknown. Some sources have speculated this to be part of the reason for Vera’s emigration though as Schectman and her family were Jewish. Nevertheless, in 1906 Vera Schectman would travel overseas to live with her parents and siblings in Newark, NJ,; an area where the Jewish community at the time was quite prosperous.

Medical school was not Vera’s first educational stop in America; she first went to secretarial school, learning useful skills such as shorthand, that she believed would come in handy with her college courses. Eventually, at the age of 18, in 1908, Vera would attend medical school via Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Within just four years Vera Schectman along with a class of 30 women had graduated medical school.

In 1912, after graduating medical school in Pennsylvania, Schectman returned to Newark, taking a job there at Beth Israel Hospital and becoming their first female intern, eventually becoming their first female doctor. Her work at the hospital was not limited to just being a doctor however, as she was also a member of the Women’s Guild along with 150 other women volunteers at the hospital; the guild had continually helped raise money for the hospital, using the funds for various things such as fresh linens and laundering equipment for the facility.

Vera Schectman eventually, at the age of 29, married a Russian milling engineer named Maurice Abrams, on June 15th, 1919; they had a daughter together named Sandra Pearl. Despite having a full fledged family, Vera continued her work as a doctor; in fact, she even said she found joy in being able to combine both aspects of her life and expressed wanting to make her daughter proud.

While still performing her duties at Beth Israel Hospital and also being a part of their teaching staff, Vera had also started her own private practice out of her home. Her primary work was dedicated to the aid of inner-city residents for whom she would often charge modest fees if not waive them entirely for some patients. She would even pay for her own patients’ prescriptions when necessary and would offer for women to use her home practice to give birth in order to save them from hospital costs.

Even outside of her own practice and hospital job Vera Schectman’s call to help her community knew no bounds: using her knowledge of languages like Yiddish, Polish, German, French and Italian, Russian and English to aid immigrant women and to give lectures on sexual health and birth control for women. Using her linguistic skills, she served as a substitute school physician, and was even a member of Newark’s Public Health Education. Additionally, for a number of years Schectman also served as a medical examiner for the Civil Service of New Jersey.

Vera did not retire from her medical duties until the age of 80, being credited with being the last doctor within her community to make house calls. Unfortunately, she was unable to find anyone to take over her practice before she retired. In the same year of her retirement, Vera Schectman died of heart disease on March 1st, 1971.

References:

Burstyn Joan N. 1990. “Vera Schectman.” Past and Promise Lives of New Jersey Women.

“Dr. Vera Schectman, Dies at 80” Jewish News. March 5, 1971.

Newark Women. “Dr. Vera Schectman.” Newark Women, March 8, 2022. https://newarkwomen.com/dr-vera-schectman/.

Suggested Citation:

Perna, Nicolleta. (2024, Nov). Vera Schectman. New Jersey Women’s History, Rowan University Libraries Digital Scholarship Center. https://njwomenshistory.org/biographies/vera-schectman/