Why Mrs. Shaindel Fogelman Has Been Voting Since 1964

By Mrs. Shaindel Fogelman

I was born in Kharkov, Ukraine. I moved to Crown Heights in 1957 when I got married and became a U.S. citizen five years later. I voted for the first time in 1964.

The road to emigration was long and difficult. We left Kharkov when I was less than three years old and went to Samarkand, Uzbekistan. We stayed there for five years. In 1946, we left Uzbekistan and went to Lódź, where we stayed for six weeks. I was a young girl at the time and couldn’t understand why we had to stay for six weeks. Later I found out that they had changed everyone’s documents.

The Cold War had begun, and having Russian documents was a big detriment to being able to enter the United States. And, of course, everybody wanted to go to the United States. To avoid this issue, our papers were forged, and switched from Russian to Polish.

From Lódź, we went through Austria and ended up in a displaced persons (DP) camp in Germany, near Munich, in a place called Pocking. We lived there from 1946 – 1948, in barracks that were formerly used by American soldiers. We didn’t have a proper house or apartment until I was 14; we lived in one room as a family.

After two and a half years, the DP camps were disbanded, and everyone had to find a new place to go. We went from Germany to Paris, where we stayed for four years until we were finally able to emigrate to Canada. When I came to Montreal, there was no Bais Rivkah yet. So, in 1953, I came to New York for the year and attended Bais Yaakov in Williamsburg for secular studies, and the newly established Bais Rivkah for Jewish studies.

I got married in 1957 and immediately applied for US citizenship. I was very proud and happy when I became a citizen. It was a big deal! All my life, we were stateless in every place we lived. We never stayed in one place for long; we kept moving all the time. This was the first time I felt I could belong, and I was very excited when I became a citizen and eligible to vote.

The neighborhood we lived in was changing, but we didn’t know what to do. We went to the Rebbe, who told us to buy a house. We said we didn’t have any money—nothing, not even a hundred dollars. The Rebbe encouraged us to buy a house regardless, so we looked for one and eventually found the house on Empire Blvd which I’ve been living in since – over 60 years! All our neighbors were Jewish, but we were the first Lubavitchers on the block.

Once we were settled in our new home and I became a US citizen, it was time to take the next step: registering to vote.

Voting is a privilege. When we were in Russia, or in places like that, life was very hard, especially for Jewish people. We had no rights. We were voiceless and stateless. I think that people who came from Europe were more likely to vote than Americans. They were patriotic. I was very patriotic, and I still am! I even went to Mayor Abe Beame’s inauguration because my husband was involved in electing him, and the Mayor appointed him as a youth commissioner.

I think it’s a duty to vote. You can’t complain if you don’t vote. I think everybody should vote. Personally, I vote in every election. The younger generation doesn’t appreciate this privilege. They’ve never lived in a place where people have no rights. Freedom is a very precious thing.

I specifically remember one significant election year. It must have been in the seventies. My husband, Rabbi Shmuel Fogelman, and Rabbi Mendel Shemtov helped arrange rallies and register people. They were very active with Mayor Beame. There was a big rally at Oholei Torah, and all the elder Chassidim attended.

In this year’s upcoming election, more than ever, we need to look at the top issues facing us, such as antisemitism, morality and family values.

I think the world has lost its common sense. First, they throw out the Eibershter, they throw out G-d. People have to know that there’s something higher than them. There needs to be accountability. Why did the Eibershter create the world?

When I hear about today’s youth, I can’t believe my eyes; can’t believe my ears. There was always antisemitism – but it was hidden. Now, they’re proud. They’re arrogant. I never thought that in the United States Senate there would be senators and congress people that have such animosity towards Jews. How did they get elected to the Senate? How did this happen?

This is precisely why everyone should vote. It’s very important. We live in a very difficult world and we have to do everything to help to make the world better. By voting for the right people, our voice will be heard and hopefully with Hashem’s help, the world will be a better place.

VIDEO:

COLlive and the Jewish Future Alliance (JFA) teamed up to raise awareness about voter registration for local and federal elections. To highlight what is at stake for the Jewish community, JFA’s Rabbi Yaacov Behrman and COLlive photographer Itzik Roytman interviewed long-time voters from Crown Heights.

For more on voting in the upcoming election: anashvote.com