Hi everyone:
I owe my life to immigrants. In the early 1900s, three of my grandparents fled pogroms in Eastern Europe, finding refuge in America. For years, they corresponded with cousins who stayed back, but their letters stopped with the Holocaust.
My grandparents thrived in New York. My paternal grandfather, Philip Siegel, owned a pharmacy on Sutter Avenue in Brooklyn. My maternal grandfather, Meir Wool, was a tailor on Lexington Avenue, and my maternal grandmother, Yetta Wool, worked as a seamstress before raising my mother and uncles. Two of those uncles served in World War II, Jimmy in Europe and Leo in the South Pacific. My family includes teachers, lawyers, doctors, musicians, artists, and businesspeople, each contributing to America in some way.
My family’s story shapes my worldview. When I see people slaughtered because of their identity, I think of cousins murdered by the Nazis. When I reflect on my grandparents, who came here alone, poor, unable to speak English, I’m reminded of the millions who took that journey. When I consider Uncle Jimmy, who dodged bullets in the Battle of the Bulge, and Uncle Leo, who escaped drowning in the Pacific, I imagine the courage needed to fight for a just cause. And when I recognize what this country has given my family, and what my family has given back, I appreciate the value of immigration.
You don’t have to look far to see how immigrants contribute to medical science, education, and patient care. At Yale, many department leaders and faculty are immigrants. So are many students, residents, and fellows.
Unfortunately, too many people oppose immigration. But that’s a mistake: we need dedicated clinicians to care for the underserved, innovative scientists to find cures, and talented educators to teach. Immigrants bring fresh perspectives from all over the world. Immigrants make America shine.
Tomorrow evening is Erev Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year, a holiday dating back to antiquity, surviving across millennia, withstanding the darkest times, and celebrated worldwide. Rosh Hashanah emphasizes reflection, repentance, and renewal. Although particular to Judaism, many of the holiday’s tenets are shared by people of all faiths. In that spirit, I wish you all a sweet New Year, filled with peace, health, and renewed devotion to the values we share.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. I’m heading out to the bike path later this morning,
Mark
P.S. What I’m reading and listening to:
- Winning the Battle Against Yourself on Hidden Brain
- Kennedy Said He Wouldn’t Take Away Vaccines. This Week Will Be the Test. By Danielle Ofri
- For science to thrive we must protect scientists from harassment By Peter Singer
- Confused About Vaccine Guidance? Doctors Are, Too. By Daniela J. Lamas
- So You Want a Civil War? Let’s Pause to Remember What One Looks Like By David Blight
- Survival In Auschwitz By Primo Levi