Russian, Soviet, and US Eugenics: Family Internalization of Policy and Rhetoric

The chapter begins with Michael’s birth, born with Down syndrome and a heart defect. The chapter explores the reaction of his paternal grandparents Leib and Chana to his birth and the possible relationship between their response and the eugenic policies that existed in Russia, their country of origin; in the USA, the country to which they immigrated; and in Nazi ideology, which provided the basis for the extermination of Leib’s and Chana’s family members who had remained in Europe. The chapter discusses the relationship between the US eugenic policy and the promulgation and implementation of restrictive immigration policies.