Regaining Rights

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“I think she had a lot of gratitude for what she had. Her commitment to voting and her membership and activeness in the League of Women Voters, you know I can remember her taking me to the voting booth as a small child and she never missed an election. She felt like this was something that was taken from them in Germany and that was really important that she fulfilled her obligations or rights as a citizen. Same thing with jury duty. How else might it have affected us growing up? So, I think probably the strongest way would be emotionally.”

Editor’s Note: Jackie’s grandmother Johanna was very grateful for the rights she had in the United States after living in Nazi-controlled Germany for years and having such rights taken from her. One of these rights that was very important to her was the ability to vote in elections, leading her to be a member and activist for the League of Women’s Voters. Jackie has memories of her grandmother taking her with her to the voting booth when she was a very small child. Since becoming United States citizens, Johanna never missed an election. Participating in jury duty was another important obligation to Johanna. Alfred and Johanna had a lot of gratitude for the freedoms they had regained while living in the United States, but the right to vote was quite possibly the most important one to Johanna. Jackie recalls her Oma being a very depressed and gloomy woman when she knew her, and she believes the Holocaust is solely to blame for that.