Image by Josh Nathan-Kazis

By Josh Nathan-Kazis November 8, 2016

Pam Lipshitz is having an anxious birthday.

Stopped outside her Park Slope polling site on Tuesday morning, the Jewish publicist told the Forward that she was worried sick over the election.

“Literally scared,” she said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Despite it being her birthday, Lipshitz’s plans were subdued: Work, then home to watch the election results with her husband, with a bit of champagne to lighten the mood.

Lipshitz’s anxieties were shared widely on the leafy Brooklyn street, where voter after voter told the Forward that they were leaving the polling place frightened.

“Terrified,” said Diane Himmelbaum, as she left the library with her husband Frank. Their plans for the rest of the day? “Bite our nails,” Diane said.

Gail and Ed Temple were no more sanguine.

“It really does keep me up,” Gail Temple said. “Gives him a heart attack.”

Ed Temple said he would have preferred to vote for Bernie Sanders. “Hillary is just fine,” Gail said.

Perhaps the most relaxed voter who spoke with the Forward was Sean Fagan, a young Brooklynite who works on staff at Bend the Arc, a Jewish social justice not-for-profit. Fagan said he felt relief leaving the voting booth.

“Mostly because my organization has spent an entire year fighting against the racist and xenophobic policies of (Donald) Trump,” Fagan said. “It’s nice to take direct action through voting.”

Fagan said he was headed to work to spend the rest of the day encouraging Jews to vote.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount