Esteban Gershanik
Esteban Gershanik was born in 1975 in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of Argentian immigrants who came to the United States in 1966. He attended Isidore Newman School and Touro Synagogue in New Orleans growing up. Estaban earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his s medical degree and master of public health in health systems management from Tulane University. In 2005, Esteban was a resident at Tulane University Medical Center.
Esteban describes his family background, his parents' immigration to America from Argentina, and his childhood in New Orleans. He remembers meeting many people in the Jewish, Hispanic, and New Orleanian communities. Esteban was out of town for a wedding when Katrina hit and worried about his evacuated family. He returned to the city to provide medical assistance. Esteban organized a group of residents that worked on the ground and set up health clinics and outpatient stations. He remembers returning to New Orleans through Baton Rouge, seeing the city's destruction, and describing it as a "ghost town." He tells stories of ill and injured people seeking help and his experience triaging the patients. Esteban discusses his experience assisting victims in Baton Rouge and finally reuniting with his family. He talks about his love for New Orleans and racial tensions after Katrina. Finally, he reflects on his Jewish identity and how his perspective and priorities have shifted since Hurricane Katrina.
