Sarah, thanks so much for this. I'm in the midst of writing a genealogical memoir about the grandmother who died six years before I was born. I can't travel to her shtetl (it's in Ukraine now but was Austria-Hungary when she was born). Over the last thirty years, I've hired private researchers in Warsaw and Lviv. I can only imagine much of her life. This really resonated with me: "They are the context of our lives, and if we don’t know them, that means that we can’t situate ourselves." I suppose that's exactly what I've been looking for.
We live in rootless times and looking back is wise.
The recently deceased grandmother would likely have understood. Jews are often our toughest enemies. In Medieval times, the Catholics who persecuted us were often Jews who converted to Catholicism and sought to prove how loyal they were to the Church. In the 20th C. Jewish activists like Esther Frumkin joined the Soviets to work on behalf of the Jews, then cynically sent us into exile and destroyed our institutions.
In our day, Jew haters write "Free Gaza hagaddahs" and lure well meaning youngsters (formerly thought of as adults getting an higher education) into cynical advocacy for Jihadis.
Thankfully, we have our entire lives to get things straight.
Sarah, thanks so much for this. I'm in the midst of writing a genealogical memoir about the grandmother who died six years before I was born. I can't travel to her shtetl (it's in Ukraine now but was Austria-Hungary when she was born). Over the last thirty years, I've hired private researchers in Warsaw and Lviv. I can only imagine much of her life. This really resonated with me: "They are the context of our lives, and if we don’t know them, that means that we can’t situate ourselves." I suppose that's exactly what I've been looking for.
Your work is so important. You do so much to fill in the missing stories. Thank you.
We live in rootless times and looking back is wise.
The recently deceased grandmother would likely have understood. Jews are often our toughest enemies. In Medieval times, the Catholics who persecuted us were often Jews who converted to Catholicism and sought to prove how loyal they were to the Church. In the 20th C. Jewish activists like Esther Frumkin joined the Soviets to work on behalf of the Jews, then cynically sent us into exile and destroyed our institutions.
In our day, Jew haters write "Free Gaza hagaddahs" and lure well meaning youngsters (formerly thought of as adults getting an higher education) into cynical advocacy for Jihadis.
Thankfully, we have our entire lives to get things straight.
Keep writing and living your Jewish Story.
Chag Sameach!
Chag Sameach to you and yours, cousin!