fox: raindrops on the window: zen (zen)
fox ([personal profile] fox) wrote2005-01-27 05:34 pm

threescore years ago

my grandparents were born in the united states.  their parents were not.

my grandmother's parents came in the early 20's, when it was beginning to be a good time if you were jewish to get out of eastern europe.  they were already married, so in fact my great-grandmother came with her husband's family, the lot of them; her family stayed behind.  her parents, and at least two sisters and i believe one brother.  i don't know if those siblings had families.  (and who knows how many aunts, uncles, cousins.)

the youngest sister's only child is a daughter is a little younger than my father, and they came to new york from israel when that cousin (technically my grandmother's first cousin, of course) was about ten.  her parents are gone now, but i remember the way the tattoos stood out on their arms, nearly illegible with age, not that you looked long enough to be able to read them.

the rest of the family, of course, never got out at all.  alehem ha-sholem.

[identity profile] fafou.livejournal.com 2005-01-28 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
Being as that I am very familiar with my families stories of coming over from the Old Country per se I love to hear about other families stories. I'm still amazed when I hear stories of the the Jews that came over/escaped when they did. I keep wondering to myself, "What was it that made thier decision for them, and what was it that others in the same position didn't see?" Or perhaps they saw it but didn't believe it. Either way I'm glad to know this part of your story.