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former employer, Ellstein was allowed
to come to work an hour early on
Sunday night so he could leave early
Monday to go to the court.
The daily routine for Ellstein
meant he had to get to the court at
7:30 a.m. to prepare for the arrival of
the immigrants, and line them up to
be checked in by Immigration and
Naturalization Service clerks.
When the clerks got to the court,
he pointed the citizens in the right
direction.
Once they filed into court for the
swearing-in ceremony, Ellstein intro-
duced himself, and reminded the
soon-to-be-Americans to hold onto
their documents. After the judge
administered the oath, Ellstein handed
out the certificates of naturalization.
"I've tried to make the process as
comfortable as possible," he said. "The
people have been through so much."
The only problem that Ellstein ever
had was when an observer once ques-
tioned why JWV was associated with
the ceremony.
"I explained to him what I did
there, and the people in the room
applauded me for it," he said. "A
woman apologized to me for what
happened; but I told her the support
from everyone was enough.
They always told me how much- they
appreciated me being there," he said.
When Ellstein first began volun-
teering at the court, he merely handed
out copies of the Bill of Rights to new
citizens. As he got more involved, he
began doing more of the talking and
eventually gave his introductory
speech. The speech, in addition to a
formal welcoming before the ceremo-
ny, included basic information regard-
ing what should be done by the new
citizens following the ceremony,
includirig keeping their papers in a
safe place and getting a passport.
"I never got paid for what I did,"
he said. "The times when I got hon-
ored meant a great deal to me."
Ellstein has been honored by the
court and the American Legion for his
work with new Americans.
"He is sorely missed here," said Judy
Christie, administration manager for the
court. "He was very dedicated to his
work and took the JWV very seriously."
The Jewish War Veterans, of which
Ellstein has been a member for 52
years, is the oldest chartered veterans
organization in the country. He joined
following his return from the South
Pacific during World War II, where he
served in the Navy. Ellstein has been
married to Elenore for 50 years. CI

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