Mary Shoiket

BIOGRAPHY

Mary Shoiket was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, on 12 December 1914. She grew up in Jersey City. By the age of 12, she had developed a strong opposition to war, which later inspired her active participation in numerous anti-war protests throughout her life.

Around 1952, she married Henry Shoiket (12 April 1918 – 23 November 2019). Henry was born in Crimea but fled with his family to Istanbul after the Russian Revolution, eventually settling in Brooklyn. His activism began during his college years at the City College of New York in the 1930s. The couple first met at a lakeside resort in New York State in the early 1950s. Henry was sitting by the lake when Mary approached him and asked if he wanted to take a boat out onto the water. He agreed and, during their ride, picked a lily to give to her. Mary, however, responded, “Flowers are to be admired, not plucked!” The couple had two children, including Ethel Bartky, who followed in her parents’ footsteps as an activist. Growing up in a household where demonstrations were a way of life, Ethel frequently accompanied her parents to protests as a child.

In the 1980s, after the socialist Sandinista uprising that ended a 43-year dictatorship in Nicaragua, the couple visited the country several times. Henry, a mechanical engineer, used his skills to refurbish old bicycles in his garage in Rutherford, sending them to people in need in Nicaragua.

Around 2013, the couple moved to Teaneck, New Jersey. By April 2016, The Bergen Record reported that every Wednesday afternoon, regardless of the weather, they joined a small group of protesters standing at the corner of Teaneck and Liberty Roads. Their message was clear: calling for the United States to bring its troops home from Afghanistan. At the time, she was 101 years old, and her husband was 98. In addition to their involvement with various peace and civil rights organizations, the couple actively participated in local demonstrations, including efforts led by Rogovin to prevent trains carrying volatile Bakken crude oil from passing through Teaneck and other suburban towns in North Jersey.

RECOGNITION

Her age was validated by LongeviQuest on 19 December 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “A passion for protest: Longtime Teaneck activists still taking it to the street” – The Bergen Record, 3 April 2016

* Henry Shoiket Obituary – Legacy, November 2019

* “Teaneck Peace and Justice Vigil will hold 1000th rally on Wednesday” – The Bergen Record, 15 October 2024

GALLERY

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