-
Bernie, born in 1941, his brother Larry, who is seven years older, and their parents lived in apartment 2C of 1525 E. 26th St., between Kings Highway and Avenue P. Today, the neighborhood is known as Midwood, but Larry said it wasn’t called that when the Sanders family lived there.
“We were sort of undefined,” he said. “Sometimes we were part of Flatbush.”
” data-id=”111630706″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15660_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.11630706″/>
Photo Credit: Nicole Brown -
Photo Credit: Nicole Brown -
The Sanders brothers attended Hebrew school on the weekends at the Kingsway Jewish Center on Kings Highway and Nostrand Avenue. Larry said both he and Bernie had their bar mitzvah celebrations at the center.
“We had a mainstream, traditional Jewish upbringing,” Larry said. While they grew up relatively secular, they had a “cultural attachment” to the religion, he said.
” data-id=”111630677″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15664_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.11630677″/>
Photo Credit: Nicole Brown -
Bernie attended James Madison High School on Bedford Avenue between Quentin Road and Avenue P. During his four years at the school, Bernie ran on the track and field and cross-country teams and became captain his junior year. He was known as being one of the star runners, coming in first place multiple times in the Flatbush championships and third in the city in the indoor 1-mile race.
“The incredible stamina he’s got now comes from that time,” Larry said of his brother. “He never gave up.”
” data-id=”111630671″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15666_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.11630671″/>
Photo Credit: James Madison High School, Nicole Brown -
here. ” data-id=”112281604″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15669_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.12281604″/>Photo Credit: Jamie Reysen
It’s no secret Bernie Sanders hails from Brooklyn: You can tell the minute he starts talking.
But his accent isn’t the only thing he got from Brooklyn. His brother, Larry Sanders, who now lives in Oxford, England, said their childhood in Brooklyn has had clear influences on Bernie’s character and political beliefs.
While Bernie didn’t win the New York primary in April, he attracted many New Yorkers to his rallies in the city, and his connection to Brooklyn didn’t go unnoticed. One Hillary Clinton aide even said he expected Bernie “to campaign like a Brooklynite.”
And it’s true, Bernie is a Brooklynite. He was born in the borough on Sept. 8, 1941, and spent the first 19 years of his life there. Here’s a look at some of the places the Vermont senator frequented.
