You can edit almost every page by Creating an account. Otherwise, see the FAQ.

Elias Sanders

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Elias Sanders
BornEliasz Gitman
September 14, 1904
Słopnice, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (present-day Poland)
💀DiedAugust 4, 1962(1962-08-04) (aged 57)
New York City, U.S.August 4, 1962(1962-08-04) (aged 57)
🏳️ NationalityPolish
🏳️ CitizenshipAmerican (naturalized)
💼 Occupation
👩 Spouse(s)
Dorothy Glassberg
(m. 1934; died 1960)
👶 Children

Elias Ben Yehuda "Eli" Sanders (born Eliasz Gitman; September 14, 1904 – August 4, 1962) was the father of Senator Bernie Sanders and Larry Sanders.

Biography[edit]

Elias was born as Eliasz Gitman or Gütman/Güttman on September 14, 1904 in Słopnice, Galicia, then Austria-Hungary (present-day Poland) to Leon (in Yiddish Leib) and Ethel (also spelled Jetti).[1][2][3] The village became part of Austria after the Partitions of Poland in the late 18th century, but was reincorporated into sovereign Poland again in 1918. Sanders' family were Polish Jews.[4][5][6] The family name could have been Polonized to Gitman from the Germanic Gütman or Güttman, with both pronunciations remaining the same. His mother Ethel was previously married to Maurycy Schnützer and had one son named Abraham "Romek" Schnützer, the half-brother of Elias. Elias was the younger brother of Henry Sanders, born in 1900.[7]

Naturalization documents of Elias Sanders in 1922.

The impoverished rural farm regions of Galicia, World War I and the difficulties of being Jewish in the area made life difficult for Elias. In 1921, Eli and Henry immigrated to the United States while their siblings and parents remained in Poland.

On June 5, 1921, Sanders arrived in New York City from Antwerp as Eliasz Gitman, and was allowed entry. He was later naturalized as Eli Sanders.

In New York, Sanders stayed with his uncle Abraham Louis Horn, in Brooklyn, working as a paint salesman.

In 1934 Sanders married Dorothy Glassberg, the daughter of Jewish parents from the eastern Polish town of Radzyń Podlaski and Russia. Eli and Dorothy's two sons, Larry and Bernie Sanders, were born respectively on April 29, 1935, and September 8, 1941. Sanders raised his family in Flatbush, Brooklyn in a rent-controlled apartment where he also ran a general store.[8][9][10][11]

References[edit]

  1. Pink, Aiden. "Sanders Opens Up About His Judaism — Hebrew School, The Holocaust, And His Dad". The Forward.
  2. "Elias Sanders (1904-1962) - Find A Grave-gedenkplek".
  3. "The Genealogy of Bernie Sanders, Part 1 | The Ginger Jewish Genealogist".
  4. "From Poland to America: the travels of Bernie Sanders's father Elias". February 26, 2020.
  5. Berger, Joseph (February 24, 2016). "Bernie Sanders Is Jewish, but He Doesn't Like to Talk About It". The New York Times.
  6. Dworkin, Scott (June 11, 2019). Meet the Candidates 2020: Bernie Sanders: A Voter's Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781510750333 – via Google Books. Search this book on
  7. "Bernie Sander's ancestral town in Poland kvells over his Iowa performance". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  8. Latour, Amee (February 22, 2016). "Who Is Eli Sanders, Bernie Sanders' Dad? He Had A Hard Life, But Raised His Children Well". Bustle. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  9. "Bernie Sanders' Father, Elias 'Eli' Sanders: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". heavy.com. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  10. "From Poland to America: the travels of Bernie Sanders's father Elias". notesfrompoland.com. Rzeczpospolita. 26 February 2020.
  11. Dworkin, Scott (2019). Meet the Candidates 2020: Bernie Sanders: A Voter's Guide. Skyhorse Publishing. Search this book on


This article "Elias Sanders" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Elias Sanders. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.