Journey to the US
"People had to go through hoops to get out of those places. It was a matter of survival."
-Bette Vogel, daughter of Millie Vogel
Escaping Poland
"We entered the United States on a quota," Millie recalls. This quota was smaller than in past years as a result of the Immigration Act of 1924, which was passed just before Millie and her mother, Brucha Aufgang, made their way to the United States. Her father, Bejviste Aufgang, had arrived in the U.S. about 5 years prior and did not face the same issue of the severely limited quotas impacting Eastern European countries at the time. However, because Bejviste was already in the country, he was able to sponsor both his daughter and wife to come to America: a luxury that was necessary to enter the country, yet few had.
My grandmother's experience traveling from Poland to the States was fairly simple, all things considered. First, she traveled to Antwerp, Belgium to board the S.S. Pittsburgh, a five-year-old boat belonging to the Red Star Line's fleet. How exactly she got to Antwerp is unknown, but her journey aboard the Pittsburgh is actually fairly significant and documented. This particular group of immigrants were the last Russians and Eastern Europeans allowed to enter the United States via Ellis Island before they were entirely cut off due to the Red Scare and American anti-communist sentiments. Both a model and a more detailed description of the ship exist today at the Street Seaport Museum in New York City.
The SS Pittsburgh or, as it was later renamed, the SS Pennland
Antwerp, Belgium to Ellis Island, New York
Documentation certifying Millie's immigration to the United States
Early Life in the States
My great grandmother and her mother arrived at Ellis Island aboard the S.S. Pittsburgh in 1925. Upon arrival, they were forced to wait three days for test results to come back so that they could enter the country. Once cleared, they were greeted by Millie's father, who promptly brought them to Philadelphia where he had been living since he first arrived in the United States. They remained in the city only briefly, before moving to nearby Chester, PA, where Millie's father attempted to open his own store. This business venture was unsuccessful, prompting their return back into the city. This time, Millie began schooling at an American, English-speaking school for the first time in her life. However, she knew little to no English whatsoever; only Polish and Yiddish. This didn't stop her, though, as she quickly ended up in the correct grade for her age and level of intelligence.
Millie and her family moved three more times; first was back to Chester, second to Manhattan, and, finally, to the Bronx. All of this moving wasn't simply out of choice, though. It was out of necessity:
"The reason we moved so many times was because when you moved into a new apartment, you received one month's free rent. Money was scarce, apartments were plentiful and the practice was common." -Millie Vogel
Ellis Island in 1905
Larry and Millie Vogel, February 1991
Post-Immigration Life
Millie remained in the Bronx for much of her life. In 1939, she moved into a small, one-bedroom apartment on Creston Avenue, just a few blocks from Fordham University, where she would stay for the next four years. During this time, her husband, Lawrence "Larry" Vogel, left the country for Europe to fight against the Nazi Regime in World War II. In 1943, after Larry's return from the war, the two moved to a slightly larger apartment on Eastburn Avenue, where Millie would end up spending the majority of her life. She also gave birth to my grandmother, Bette, a year after moving into the apartment. Millie and Larry later moved to Revere, Massachusetts in 1996, where she lived in a small, cozy apartment overlooking Revere Beach until her passing in 2013.