Bejviste & Brucha Aufgang
Bejviste "Benjamin" Aufgang
Bejviste "Benjamin" Aufgang, or, more casually, Beny Aufgang, was Millie's father, or my great-great-grandfather. He first arrived in the United States aboard the S.S. Zeeland on February 21, 1919, having been sponsored by his brother Morris. His journey was a bit more complicated than his daughter's and wife's journey, though. Beny boarded the Zeeland expecting to arrive in Philadelphia. However, the ship was rerouted to Boston, entering the country through the East Boston Immigration Station (EBIS). The EBIS was designed for those deemed "different" from the rest, yet Beny had no mental illnesses, diseases, false papers, or anything else that would have restricted him from entering the country. Instead, it is more than likely that he was rerouted to the EBIS due to his country of origin. Due to worries about the rise of communism in Eastern Europe, those coming from countries like Poland or Russia were generalized and assumed to have communist affiliations and intentions. Fortunately, Beny was able to traverse through the process with relative ease and moved to Philadelphia as soon as he could, where he remained until the arrival of Millie and his wife, Brucha.
Bejviste Aufgang, year unknown
Aunt Janet and Grandma Bette
Brucha "Betty" Aufgang
Brucha "Betty" Aufgang was Millie's mother and Beny's wife. She arrived in the U.S. alongside Millie, but did not have as smooth of a process as her daughter. Unlike Millie, Betty was denied citizenship to the United States. She remained in the country nonetheless, but for the rest of her life she did not have a Social Security Number and, therefore, could do very little. She could not vote, get a real job, and spoke very poor English compared to her husband and daughter. Betty was never able to become a citizen, despite many petitions and attempts to be granted citizenship. Regardless, she lived out the rest of her life in America, passing down her name to my wonderful grandmother Bette, and living vicariously through her and her second daughter, my Aunt Janet.