Tag Archives: second generation
The Mystery My Mother Left Behind
by Lev Raphael (Okemos, MI) My late mother loved the New York Times crossword and she loved reading mysteries. Born in Poland, she said the puzzle helped her perfect her English; she never explained the specific appeal of crime novels, … Continue reading
Filed under American Jewry, Family history
Meta’s Untold Story
by Donna Swarthout (Berlin, Germany) The few stories that were passed down to my sister and I were about survival, escape, new beginnings in America. These stories always drew a clear line between the tragic background of the Holocaust and … Continue reading
Filed under German Jewry, Jewish identity
My Father Is Dying
by David Merkler (Barcelona, Spain) My father is dying and I don’t know how to handle it. My father is dying and I don’t believe in G-d. My father is dying and I’m having difficulty seeing justice in the world. … Continue reading
Filed under European Jewry, Jewish identity
Reclaiming My German Citizenship
by Donna Swarthout (Berlin, Germany) It was last June that my husband Brian and I completed our applications for German citizenship before moving from Bozeman, Montana to Berlin, Germany. By reclaiming our German citizenship we hoped to come “full circle” … Continue reading
Filed under Family history, German Jewry, Jewish identity
How I Knew and When
by Janet R. Kirchheimer (New York, NY) Age 8 – My father hangs upside down on a pipe that was part of a fence that separated our street from the next. All of his change falls from his pockets. He … Continue reading
Filed under American Jewry, Family history, history, Jewish identity, poetry
On Transmitting Family Trauma to the Next Generation
by Suzanna Eibuszyc (Calabasas, CA) It is said that in every survivor’s family, one child is unconsciously chosen to be a ‘memorial candle,’ to carry on the mourning and to dedicate his or her life to the memory of the … Continue reading
Filed under American Jewry, Jewish identity
