AIT@40「移民與交流月」快樂！為了彰顯這個月的主題，我們將分享一些AIT官員非常鼓舞人心的家庭歷史。今天我們一起來看看AIT發言人孟雨荷的家族故事：
照片中的人是我的外曾祖父母，他們兩人都來自俄羅斯帝國，經歷了艱辛的長途跋涉，最後落腳美國。他們倆都在年紀很小時就逃離了家園，以躲避「反猶騷亂」（Pogrom）（這是在19世紀和20世紀初在俄羅斯，徹底摧毀猶太村莊並奪走上千猶太人生命的一連串精心策劃的屠殺暴行）。我的外曾祖母芬妮是在1907年，和她媽媽及她的三個兄弟姊妹來到美國的，當年她11歲。她爸爸早他們幾年前就搬到了美國，一直努力工作，好存錢把家人也帶過來。最後，他們從俄羅斯啟程，翻山越嶺，橫跨歐洲，來到了比利時的安特衛普，然後再坐船，在三等艙裡展開漫長的海上旅途，直到抵達紐約的埃利斯島。我外曾祖父山姆抵達美國時身無分文。他和芬妮是在紐約市成衣區的血汗工廠工作時認識的。山姆晚上上夜校，白天則一面超時工作，最後終於存夠了錢，讓他得以成立了自己的事業。接下來，他也開始出資協助他和芬妮的其他家人前來美國；等這些家族成員到了美國，他便幫助他們成立自己的事業，大部分是賣些雜貨的小生意。我的外曾祖母總是說，她宣誓成為美國公民的那天，是她的生命中最驕傲的一天。山姆和芬妮有一女二子，兩個兒子都曾在二戰中戰鬥；他們家族中任何一代人都從來不會錯過投票的機會，因為對他們來說，投票是項神聖的特權，不該被視為理所當然。我外曾祖父的商店後來大為成功，叫作「費德曼居家用品店」；今天這家店在曼哈頓的麥迪遜大道上，由我家族的另外一支經營。-- AIT發言人孟雨荷 #ImmigrationandExchangeMonth #AITat40 #AITat40Celebration
These are my great-grandparents on my mom’s side, each of whom made the long journey from the Russian Empire to the United States. Both of them fled their homes at a young age to escape the Pogroms, a series of orchestrated massacres that destroyed entire Jewish villages and took the lives of thousands of Jews in 19th and early 20th century Russia. My great-grandmother Fannie came to the United States at the age of 11 in 1907 with her mother and three siblings. Her father had moved to the United States several years earlier and worked hard to save enough money to bring his family over. They made the trek from Russia across Europe to Antwerp, Belgium, where they began the long sea journey to New York’s Ellis Island in the steerage class of a ship. My great-grandfather Sam arrived in the United States penniless. He and Fannie met while working in a sweat shop in New York City’s garment district. Sam went to night school while working long hours during the day and eventually saved enough money to open his own business. Then he began to pay for other members of his and Fannie’s families to come to America. When they arrived, he helped them start their own businesses too, mostly small stores selling sundries. My great-grandmother always said that the proudest day of her life was the day she was sworn in as an American citizen. Sam and Fannie had a daughter and two sons, both of whom fought in World War II. No one in their family (of any generation) ever missed an opportunity to vote, since they considered voting a sacred privilege, not to be taken for granted. My great-grandfather’s store grew into a thriving business called Feldman’s Housewares, which is being run today by another branch of my family on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.---AIT Spokesperson Amanda Mansour
