He Was Born in America, But Was Told to ‘Go Back to Russia’

By Mr. Shabsi Turner

I grew up poor in Jewish Chicago, on the ‘wrong side’ of the park. Douglas Park was a large park, with the largest Jewish neighborhood on its west side. We lived on the east side of the park. You’ve heard of the wrong side of the tracks; we lived on the wrong side of the park. Sure, there were Jews in our building, in the neighborhood, and on the street, but across the park, it was like being in one of the main Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

There were many people and institutions there. We had one Shul about two or three blocks away, while on the other side of the park, it seemed like every block had a Shul or a Shtible or some other gathering place. We had more non-Jews on our block than Jews.

In the 30s, when I was just seven or eight years old, I remember being told, don’t go here, don’t walk here, don’t go there because it’s not safe. My knowledge wasn’t that profound. I was a kid. Why wasn’t it safe? Was the ground going to collapse? No! There were these antisemites who would say, “Jew boy! Go back to Europe!” or, “Go back to Russia!” Well, I never lived in Russia, so I couldn’t go back.

As far as antisemitism today, it’s an abhorrent thing. Today, in this day and age, post-Holocaust, 70 years or so after millions of Jews were murdered just because they were Jews, it’s really disturbing that antisemitism could still exist in America. America is the land of the free and the home of the brave! But when a person has to be incredibly brave just to walk on the street or take public transportation without fear of being physically attacked or verbally abused—that’s unacceptable.

America cannot continue to exist under such conditions. In my lifetime, we’ve faced racism, and people said America couldn’t prosper with racism. Similarly, America won’t thrive with antisemitism.

However, you can’t afford to be afraid because if you show fear, these vicious people, these terrorists, will take advantage of you. You have to be strong and stand up to them! At the same time, one should not be reckless—it’s like walking on a tightrope without good balance.

How do we change things? Simple. Just vote.

Growing up, everybody I knew voted. In fact, several people, including my mother, worked as election judges, so voting was important. Most of them were Europeans of the previous generation, and they felt more intensely about voting than we Americans. Unfortunately, some of us take it for granted.

In truth, we’re privileged here in America to be able to vote. Many of my friends growing up came from Europe, especially Eastern Europe, where they didn’t have the right to vote, or if they did, it was forced and their votes were meaningless. Imagine if we couldn’t vote and had to endure bad politicians without any say? That would be very bad indeed. We have some control over things, and we don’t want to lose that.

My first time voting was in 1952, during the presidential election. I’ve voted in every election since, except one. The one time when I was in the Army, I missed it. Today it’s comparatively easy to get an absentee ballot. It was harder back then.

Vote! Don’t let somebody else control your life. You might say, “What difference does my vote make? They’re going to do what they want to do anyway!”

Consider this: when an elected official, whether they belong to your party or the other, sees a significant turnout from a particular group, they will take notice. Don’t underestimate that. Your vote matters because elections have been won by a single vote. That vote could be yours. It could be mine. And that matters.

In this election, there are quite a few things to keep in mind, all interwoven and interconnected: the economy, of course, and peace, of course. Also, being Jewish, our relationship with Israel is crucial. And safety – both on the street and in general.

I read about one of the recent elections in a small community where somebody won by 40 votes. I also recall a primary election in Chicago’s 29th Ward that was won by just one vote in 1983. Whether it’s your vote or my vote, we do have that power!

Every vote counts!

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