Esther Serebryanski Was Born on the Day of the Hebron Massacre

By Mrs. Esther Serebryanski

Everything in my life, including the day I was born, was symbolic of the dual notions underlying the experience of every American Jew: we are hated and victims of horrid antisemitism, and we have the power to change it.

I was born on 23 August 1929. It was the same day as the Hebron massacre, which took place on Aug 23rd and 24th. Thousands of bloodthirsty Arabs rampaged through the streets of Hebron hunting Jews for slaughter. With cries of “Slaughter the Jews” and “Allahu Akbar,” the mob broke into homes, tortured, and murdered. Entire families were butchered. My family heard about the massacre the next day in the newspaper and I grew up knowing that I was born on the same day as the massacre.

As a kid, everyone I knew voted—at least everyone who could. Many immigrants and refugees found voting especially meaningful since they came from countries where they didn’t have rights, let alone the power to make their voices heard! I remember my mother voting and telling me about it with pride. So, the first opportunity I had, I registered.

The first time I voted was in 1952. The actual voting was uneventful. I remember going into a booth; everyone was nice and courteous. But I remember how proud and excited I was to vote.

It was a special point of pride with me, as I was born and raised right here in Brooklyn. I grew up in Brighton Beach, in a Jewish neighborhood. My father was an Alexander Chossid. I remember him sitting Shiva during the war when he received the news that his mother had died in the Lodz ghetto after she became ill. The rest of his immediate family members were killed by the Nazis, but we only found out after the war.

My father did have a brother who came to America before the war and lived in Chicago. This brother’s great-grandson was one of the Jews killed in the terrorist attack at Chabad of Mumbai in 2008.

Although he belonged to a different Chassidus, my father went to greet the Frierdiker Rebbe at the port in 1940 when he arrived from Europe. I remember when he came back home and told us about the experience. He was very excited about meeting the Rebbe. He later became close to Lubavitch. He was attracted to Lubavitch because the Rebbe was a Gaon Olam, a serious scholar.

Our family became closer to Lubavitch, and in the 1950s, I got married in Crown Heights on a Friday, as the Rebbe instructed.

I’ve moved around a bit, but for a long time, I’ve lived right here in the neighborhood. I have been around 94 years, and I know a little about life. I’ll tell you now: vote. It’s important.

Over the course of my life, I’ve seen many presidents come and go. Some, like Franklin D. Roosevelt, taught me not to place too much trust in politicians. Others, like Ronald Reagan, showed me how a good president with Conservative values can bring America back to good standing.

Voting is important because it gives us a voice. It is the only way to influence the elected officials who make crucial decisions that impact our community and country. I’ve always followed politics, knowing how important it is. To make sure my vote has the most impact, I registered as a Democrat. Since New York is largely Democratic, elections are decided in the Democratic primary.

I hope my message will influence people to do their civic duty, although, in my experience, the youth just don’t get it. They don’t understand the importance of voting. They don’t appreciate how lucky they are to be American, the significance of American values, and the privilege of voting. But I hope they will.

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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