The StoryListener

After a night of editing....

2008-05-08T10:55:00.001-07:00

Wilma and Ernesto Reich (1980s)

2008-05-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Above are two recently dug-up photographs of my maternal grandparents (Oma and Opa), Wilma and Ernesto Reich. Unfortunately, my Opa died when I was still a young girl. I was extremely close to my Oma and hers was the first oral history I collected. She died only 3 years ago in 2005 at the age of 91.

After a whirlwind two-week courtship with Ernesto Reich, my Oma (originally from Berlin) moved to El Salvador from Amsterdam in 1938. With the majority of her family killed in death camps only a few years later, she never saw her mother, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece again.

Hers was a hard life...but she always lived it gracefully, inspiring me to no end.

You can find her complete story in an anthology edited by Marjorie Agosin, entitled "Taking Root: Latin American Jewish Women Writers."

Many thanks to Ruth and Paul Feldman for the photograph.

May 16, 2008: REVERB. Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Spring 2008 Show

2008-05-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

One of the nuns from my radio piece. Sister Mary Emmanuel Masson, 91 years old, rides her exercise bike for "five minutes every day."

Tempus is fugiting! -Walter the Seltzer man's favorite customer.

2008-04-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Before launching into my update, I want to share a great piece with you. Joe Richman, producer of “Radio Diaries” did a piece for the “NY Works” series, profiling those jobs that are being phased out by computers, changing tastes, automatic delivery, industrialization, and globalization (among other things). This one is about Walter the Seltzer man. It is a great ditty; short and sweet…something that definitely merits your five minutes.

Check it out at: http://www.radiodiaries.org/newyorkworks-home.html

In other news, my recording with the nuns of Waterville has come to a close. I am now writing and re-writing scripts (up to version eight at this point) and working hard to keep things suspenseful, interesting, yet tightly edited. Wooo! On my last day with the Sisters, I had two very intense interviews--Sister Mary Emmanuel Masson was one of them. The eldest of the nuns at age 91, she joined religious life in her early twenties. Sister Mary Emmanuel wakes up every morning and spends five minutes on the exercise bike in the convent’s basement. Then she sweeps the basement and walks off to early morning prayer. When I asked her about the 1996 double murder, she didn’t want to speak about the actual event.

“I was in the Chapel when it happened,” she remembered. “I hid in a pew.”

When prompted about forgiveness, the Sister looked at me. Her answer was simple yet incredibly poignant.

“How can we hate him if we love him?”

I responded in disbelief. “Sister: You feel like you must love him?”

She smiled, “I never met anyone I didn’t love.”

When I left the convent that day, she made the sign of the cross on my forehead (as she always does) and prayed that I should have a safe journey. The journey didn’t really end with my arrival back in Portland. I listen to the Sisters every day….editing and trimming, making painful decisions such as which quotes to exclude and which details to integrate. I’ve been given six minutes; I must try to do this group of women some serious justice in that space of time.

In the middle of this task, I must also begin work on my second story. I decided to focus on female truck drivers and found my subject in Debbie Seelow. Born in Farmington, Maine and living in Jay, Debbie has been driving for 19 years. A single mother of one daughter, her first haul was to New Hampshire. Now she travels as far as California. We leave this Monday morning and I’m already starting to mentally pack my bags. Besides many tapes and back-up batteries, I’ll need flip-flops for showering in truck stops, a pillow for my bunk in her cab, and serious fortitude for those long days on the interstate. I want to take the listener through her daily experiences but also want to focus on the women of this industry. What are their interactions like? Do men welcome them? Shun them? Harrass them on the CB-radio? Who knows, but after five days in an 18-wheeler, I should definitely have some answers.

That’s the latest from Maine….where it’s supposed to snow tonight. I’m looking forward to some sun and hope this long haul takes us south. Debbie asked me if I had a dream destination for the trip.

“Some place where it’s not winter,” I said.

Laughing over the phone, she said “Oh girl, I’ll try. I’ll definitely try.”

No Praise. No Blame. Just So.

2008-03-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's rainy. It's snowy. Yet, the work continues here
in Maine.

I've been spending quite a lot of time up in
Waterville at the Convent of the Blessed Sacrament,
interviewing sisters one at a time. Last week, I
spent a good afternoon with Sister Elizabeth Madden.
We sat for a few hours recounting her past with me
inquiring about her decision to join a religious
order. She invited me to lunch and I enjoyed my time
at the long wooden table, getting to know the other
sisters. One older woman, Sister Mary Emmanuel (who
must be around 90), sat hunched at the end of the
table. I had to scream in order for her to understand
our conversation (reminded me of my dear Oma). She
remembered to me that she once had a "lovely Jewish
friend" and asked whether I was religious. I
mentioned to the sisters that my mother used to
encourage me to sample different religious services if
I was curious. I used to go to Spanish mass with my
good friend Andrea and her mother (one of my other
mothers, I like to say) Ligia. My only instructions
were: "Don't kneel. Don't take communion." Sweet
Andrea used to sit in the pew with me when the rest of
the Church was kneeling. I'll never forget those
moments and I thank my mother for encouraging such
exploration. If anything, it helped me to better
understand my own traditions and my own religious
identity. The sisters were amazed by my mother's
openness and noted that "she is quite a woman." Of
course, I agreed. :)

We enjoyed chatting and at the end of our lunch, I was
not sure how to say goodbye, A handshake? A hug? A
kiss on the cheek? I decided an affectionate grab of
the shoulder would be most appropriate. As I lay my
hand on the bony Sister Mary Emmanuel, she grabbed it
and lay it across her cheek, kissing it before finally
releasing.

Very moved, I knelt down to speak face to face:
"Sister Mary Emmanuel, I'll see you next week."

"You never know dear. You never know."

Her smile was radiant and I couldn't help but nod.

Sister Elizabeth and I spent our last hour together
discussing "the tragedy" of 1996. She was in the
other North American convent in Pueblo, Colorado at
the time of the murders. She remembers being
interviewed by an ABC affiliate reporter who asked:

"Don't you hate this man? This man who killed your
sisters...Don't you hate him?"

She responded: "How can I hate him? I don't even know
him."

She looked at me after recounting this story,
obviously concerned about the young reporter: "He must
have been very young, dear."

My last question for Sister Elizabeth rounded out our
late afternoon conversation about forgiveness. I
wondered if she had a verse or a saying or a mantra
that she visited when experiencing trouble forgiving.

Within three minutes of my asking, she responded: "I
actually love this Buddhist quote...and I cannot
remember the writer. It is very simple. She sat up
straight and cleared her throat before saying....

No praise. No blame. Just so.

No praise. No blame. Just so."

She repeated it three times and I think I must have
been holding my breath. After she finished, I let out
a huge sigh and pushed stop. An incredible interview
to say the very least.

Instead of attaching a radio piece this week, I want
you to explore one of my favorite new websites.
Mediastorm.org is a phenomenal site that blends
photography and audio to tell stories. With pieces
ranging from issues in Africa to drugs in NYC, this is
a website you should visit often.

I have signed up for a "soundslides" workshop here at
Salt which will teach me the software to create such
pieces as these; a new and very exciting webtool that
I hope to be able to use in my work.

Check it out at:
www.mediastorm.org

Let me know what you think when you have the chance.

Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in while, nine out of ten people couldn’t start a conversation. -Kim Hubbard

2008-02-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a week and much has transpired in Portland, Maine.

On the way to collect my car from the King Middle School parking lot
(where it was parked during the citywide snowban), I watched a young
woman a few feet in front of me slip and fall on a piece of ice.
Careful not to give the neighborhood a repeat, I inched slowly across
the sidewalk. Boom. Fell exactly in the same place.

Embarrassed but not to be stopped, I stood up and immediately felt a
sharp pain in my left arm. No good. Did I mention that I fractured my

right foot TWICE this past year? This was not going to another
fracture. No.way.sirreee.bob.

I walked to my car, massaging my elbow; hit the closest CVS and packed
on the ice and advil. By noon, my elbow had ballooned into some sort
of foreign looking limb. I decided to hit the emergency room. After a

few hours of bandaging, x-rays, ooohs and ahhhs, it was declared..."a
fracture."

Bummer.

Well, so much for wishful thinking. I am wondering whether I'm
supposed to receive a higher message from this incessant fractur-ing.
Too bad I'm not getting it... but at this point, the whole mess is
starting to get funny.

Despite the bruised bones, I am hard at work...developing my stories
for Salt.

One story takes place in Waterville, Maine at the convent of the
sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. I met with Superior Sister Mary
Catherine this past week and explained my interest in their
"contemplative community."

She looked at me smiling: "Well, dear....you are welcome to spend time
with us....although I don't think we are very interesting."

I beg to differ. The sisters are mostly above 55 and some came to the
order after becoming widows. A total of nine live in the convent but
the story doesn't end there.

"Dear, you know we are a traumatized community," she continued.

In January of 1996, Mark Bechard, a young Waterville man who was in and
out of the Augusta Psychiatric Institution for much of his adult life,
broke into the convent and attacked four sisters during prayer. Using
a knife, religious statues, and one of the sisters' canes, he murdered
two and severely injured the remaining two. A tragedy on both sides,
Bechard was acquitted of all criminal charges in relation to the event
and institutionalized indefinitely in a Maine psychiatric facility.
His story is the story of many mentally ill....lost in the gaps of the
system, many are left to suffer in silence or to act upon
hallucinations precipitated by their devastating diseases.

Despite the horrific crime, the sisters issued official forgiveness just days after
the crime was committed.

The then Superior Sister spoke to a journalist of Mr. Bechard at a mass being held a year after the murders: "He's certainly deserving of our prayers. Our stance is still forgiveness. We stand by that."

Whatever nature do, this house do. -LeAlan Jones, 13. "Ghetto Life 101"

2008-02-13T16:41:00.000-08:00

It was a rough morning. I woke up to a beautiful snowy day and slowly got dressed. I am now the resident blogger for Salt and needed to report to work pretty early. As I was signing out for the day, I received an email:

“SNOW DAY- NO WORK.”

Well I’ll be damned………a snow day………………and in MAINE?

Wasn’t as pretty as I thought it would be. There was also a snow BAN which means all cars need to be off of the streets (including mine). I trudged out to the Toyota only to find it completely plowed in by walls of white stuff. I had my boots on but suddenly, I could feel snow on my thighs as I stepped through the barricade to open my car door.

Frozen lock…………

Figures.
I borrowed a shovel from a neighbor and started digging. It was enormous; I felt like an ant on Mt. Everest. Where would I put it all? What is snow etiquette? I sure didn’t want it near my car but then again, should I shovel it onto the barricade of another? Forget Miss Manners. I tried to shovel it neatly between the front of my vehicle and the back of the next….but I’m not sure I did such an honorable job.

A big truck drives by and honks. A nice looking guy tips his hat. Next thing I know, he parks off to the side and runs out with a shovel. This dude shoveled more in 3 minutes than I had just done in 45. Definitely seems like the moment to spend time on developing my biceps. He instructed me on pulling out and I did the job (with a bit of smoke and noise from my car….but she made it out OK). What a trip.
But then I had to find parking.

That story is much less exciting but let me just say that it took me another 45 minutes to walk back to my house from the free lot at the local high school. Despite my three layers of socks, these toes were definitely frozen by the time I arrived home. Decided I’m not leaving the house again today. Enough is enough…..and my hot tea is waiting.

But to more substantive matters. Our weekend in Gardiner proved fascinating. As I wrote in my last installment, we were dropped off in this random town near Augusta at around 7:30am last Saturday. We hit the A1 diner and proceeded to peruse the local paper. There was a “Baby Parade” where people’s baby pictures compete against one another. An odd concept in my mind and one I thought we might look into. Vetoed by the rest of the crew. We piled into my car and found Staples Funeral Parlor. Knocked….knocked again….hmmmm…..and again. No answer. From the tire tracks it looked as if someone had left earlier that morning. We hit the road again. Found some funky buildings outside of town but no one was interested in speaking with us. Eventually, we were back on Main Street and I decided to drop in on the local tailor. Originally from NY, Amber told us to head down to Moda Bella, the local dress shop. I thought “a dress shop?” and in Gardiner, Maine? We walked down the street…..feeling somewhat demoralized but at the same time determined to find something.

We walked in and within five minutes we met Miss Maine 2004, 1st runner-up Miss Maine International (whatever that pageant is) 2007 and Mrs. Maine 2005. Mrs. Maine is accompanied by her husband Marty and together they make up “Crown Consulting,” a stylist/etiquette team that prepares young women (as in over 18) for pageants. They ARE the pageant people of Maine.

And what the hell are they doing in GARDINER???

RaeAnne Seubert was determined to find the gown of her life. She tried on six and I felt exhausted by the end.

Too prommy. Too cheap. Too red. Too white. Too virginal. Too…too.

She settled on my personal fave…a cocoa-colored long gown embellished with more silver sequins than I know how to count. Very pageant, in my opinion.
Moda Bella is the dress shop to pageant competitors in Maine. People come from all over the state, even from across the border to sample Diane Tucker’s style. Cannot say I’ve ever seen this type of inventory before…..but then again cannot say I’ve ever competed in a pageant.

Our group got some great pictures, great info, great audio. I recorded Heather (the coach and also Mrs. Maine 2005) explaining how running in pageants was like running on a soccer team.

“Both are sports, both require training. I mean, they definitely need good shoes……so do we!”

Beautiful.

Definitely a fun afternoon and one that left me thinking about the coaches. What do they feel after one of the mentees has won? Or lost? Is this simply about making a living or do they really feel some social/emotional investment in this type of work? You may be scoffing as you read this, but some of the moments in that dress shop really blew me away. I never expected such depth from Mrs. Maine 2005. Guess my own prejudices shine through when it comes to too many sequins and stilettos. Of course, those ladies would tell me there is no such thing.

As for the future, I’m meeting with Superior Sister Mary Catherine at the Blessed Sacrament Convent come a week from tomorrow. I may contact Heather and Marty to discuss their coaching roles and my search for a jump-rope team continues. The maternity home people and child pageant leads remain at-large but I’m on it. A prelim competition for little Miss and little Mr. Sunburst is slated for Feb 24th….and I’ll definitely be there.

For today’s audio doc, I want you to listen to Dave Isay’s “Ghetto Life 101.” It’s a powerful project spearheaded by a man who once envisioned himself an M.D. On the way he fell in love with radio and has been doing it ever since. He is the pioneer behind StoryCorps, something you may listen to on the way to work in the mornings. This particular piece is incredibly moving…..two young boys (one living in a project and the other living down the street) reveal their lives and experiences on the South Side of Chicago.
Take a listen.

http://www.soundportraits.org/on-air/ghetto_life_101/

I've used media to shame people into proper behavior. -Tony Schwartz

2008-02-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

It is the end of a typical day here in Portland, Maine. Many of you call and leave messages, wondering how things are going and often I find it very difficult to produce succinct and revealing answers by phone. For some reason, my descriptions cannot describe the week I have just finished, my first week here at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies (www.salt.edu).

Located at the end of Congress Street, Salt is about a 30 minute walk from my little rented apartment on the third floor of a Victorian home. So far, I walk with my flatmate Tommy, another Salt student, and we recap our days in the darkroom (tommy) or in radio class (jessica). We flesh out story ideas and reveal insecurities….it is a cathartic way to start the day.

This week has been cold.

My water bottle's contents froze on the way to school this morning and I lost feeling in my right hand (despite two layers of gloves). My face is covered in a ski-ish mask and together the two roommates push through the wind, heads down and backs arched. The coffee run is always required and the heat of Portland's tiny cafes (of which there are many) breaks up our 30 minute trek. We continue the walk, enter our four story building, and eventually part ways. I head to the radio room.
We start each class with a good listen. "Some of the best audio you'll ever hear," according to Rob Rosenthal, one of our radio teachers. Rob's humor is sometimes acerbic, always pointed, forever honest. He wants us to learn to listen actively but mostly, he wants our ears to distinguish new sonic elements. We discuss sound (today we talked about "nat" or natural sound) and Rob explains the best way to record waves from a local ferry. We discuss the tones of different situations: popcorn popping, someone swallowing. We debate the challenges (and brilliance) of recording conversations with very young children. Eventually we break up into even smaller groups and reveal our story ideas (all of which must be about the state or the people of Maine). My classmates are playing around with myriad concepts: nighttime coyote hunting, drag king shows, the cloning of beef, record (as in the kind you listen to) collectors, female herbologists, and Chinese acunpuncturists working in rural areas. My story ideas are many and currently I'm playing with the following: child pageants (specifically for boys), Evangelical Christian maternity homes for pregnant teens, elementary-school-girl-jump-rope-songs, cloistered nuns, and insomniacs. By May 19th, we must create two 6-minute pieces (one narrated and one un-narrated). It is amazing what people can do in 15 weeks; I just hope I can do it too.

I think I may have found my niche in this big, wide world. We talk about documentary all day. About stories and the people who tell them, about arcs and climaxes, clichés and leading questions. We discuss our goals and the possible pitfalls, realistic expectations and likely disappointments. What does it mean to tell a story through sound? It includes an entirely new interaction with street noise, ambience, nature, ambulances, trees falling, buses whizzing, snow crushing under feet encased in enormous rubber boots…...I've never heard the outside world so sharply as I do after class.

I hope to send you occasional emails with updates on my stories (whatever they may be) while also including links to some of the best radio docs we listen to in class. Know that there are many each day but I will include only a few for your listening pleasure. I hope you might take some time to stop your day whether you are studying or tax-paying or researching stocks or cooking or cleaning or even reading (!) to listen to the ones I recommend….not only will it give you a better idea of the craft I am learning, it will also increase your documentary listening-literacy (something that never hurts, right?).

Tomorrow we head to Gardiner, Maine. Leaving at 6am, we head into what Rob Rosenthal calls "East Jesus." Basically we're driving into the middle of nowhere to find a story and document it within an eight-hour period. Each group has one writer, one radio person, one photographer. We'll have to negotiate storylines and space….we'll have to walk down Main Street and look for that story waiting to be told. I think we'll hit the funeral parlor first…I really want to chat with the resident make-up artist.....

For today's clip, I want you to listen to the work of the incredible "Kitchen Sisters." Working as a duo, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson are based in California. They started a series called "Lost and Found Sound;" some of you may know it very well but some may not. No matter where you fall, check out this fantastic story they did on sound pioneer Tony Schwartz. It will blow your mind and make you think differently about all things audio..

You'll need to download real player (www.real.com) in order to listen to this. It is free so there is no excuse. Let me know what you think when you have a chance to listen (even if it is in 12 months).

Link:

http://www.npr.org/programs/lnfsound/stories/990226.stories.html

Once you download "real player" you may need to click on "G2 Sure Stream" in order to get the clip to start.

The air is salty.

2008-02-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

It has been since July! Insanity! Just so you know, I am now blogging from my new home away from home, The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. I am studying radio documentary until mid-May and you can check out what I'm up to (when I manage to post) at:

www.saltinstitute.blogspot.com

Saludos from Maine!

It's been awhile

2007-07-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

....since I've written. And I mean really written. Needless to say, graduate school has zapped a significant amount of my creative energy. I feel as if I am recuperating, though. Somehow, the flow is returning.

I definitely have some loyal readers on this blog and I thank you for your continuous feedback and advice. Many have asked what I am doing, why I'm not publishing my oral histories, what exactly I am spending all my time thinking about. The truth is, I wasn't so sure until just a few weeks ago.

This year, I spent quite some time thinking about Germans and German Jews in El Salvador, specifically pre- and post- WWII. Max Paul Friedman, noted historian, scholar, and professor at Florida State University, published an incredible monograph on this very topic, highlighting the treatment of Germans (both Jewish and non-Jewish) during the war. I highly recommend it "Nazis and Good Neighbors: The United States Campaign against the Germans of Latin America in World War II." Most importantly, Friedman wrote, explained, and explicated the black-listing of Germans (again Jewish and non-Jewish) by the United States government. Convinced that Hitler was assembling a "Fifth Column" in Latin America, the United States led a massive effort to purge and cleanse Latin America of all suspiscious German agents (including quite a few German Jews), placing many in detainment camps throughout the United States and offering the option of repatriation to others. A fascinating topic to say the very least. I spent months digging through memoirs, speaking to people in El Salvador whose family was black-listed, speaking to my own mother about the black-listing of my Jewish, German-born grandfather Ernst Reich.

Fascinating, yes. But did it grab me? Cannot say it did. Must also admit that a phenomenal job has already been completed by Professor Friedman and in academia...there is no room for repeats (that is, if I could even aspire to produce such an exquisite monograph as his). So the search continued, what to study......what can be original....gripping.....yet scholarly? This may not seem to important to you, but to me and my advisors, it is the world.

Everyone said it was a bit premature to "stress" about dissertation topics but for a kid who started planning her high school course schedule in the eighth grade, stressing about the future, needless to say, was second nature.....

My submission for Public Radio Quest

2007-05-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Along with 70,000 other hopefuls, I just uploaded my entry to be Public Radio's next star. It was a fun process to say the very least. Here is what I've suggested and why I think my program would get people listening:
************************
My name is Jessica Alpert.

Born in Texas, I was raised by a mother from El Salvador and a father from New Jersey. Interesting to say the very least. As soon as I turned eighteen, I was ready to explore the country and hit New York City first. After college I moved to Washington, DC for my first job and now I am in Indiana, the crossroads of America, recording from a place I never expected to end up. One year into getting my PhD in History, public radio remains my constant, whether I am in Brooklyn or Bloomington.

I’ve lived abroad and spent last year as a Fulbright collecting oral histories from the Jewish community of El Salvador. I am an independent storylistener, it’s what I do best: writing down what people tell me and spreading the word.

While Americans may think we understand each other, my concept for public radio seeks to bridge the gaps that keep us disconnected. I’ve always believed in an inter-state exchange student program. A kid from Westchester County should be sent to Biloxi, Mississippi to see and taste what life is like in the south….while a teenager from Abilene, Texas should spend a week in Eugene, Oregon. What will it take for Americans to start learning about each other? I believe we have a long way to go and my own life lived across the country has given me enough convincing evidence.

While this exchange student program may not be a plausible reality, I want my radio show to make it as virtual as possible. I want to talk to young people across the country and learn about their stories, the lives they’ve lived. What is their vision of America? Rather than tell listeners what young people are thinking, I want this program to give individuals their own voice and most importantly, I want it to be real, challenging, honest.

I hope you might take this ride with me. Let’s do it right, let’s do it raw, and let’s let America’s youth tell us how it is: starting with Alabama and going all the way to Wyoming.

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

2007-04-04T20:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Passover to all.

Heeb Hookups

2007-03-26T12:04:00.001-07:00

Definitely worth a watch. From the "edgier" Jewish periodical, "Heeb," this video is an entertaining commentary on j-dating.

Confessions of a President

2007-02-12T04:40:00.000-08:00

President of La Comunidad Israelita de El Salvador Ricardo Freund, recently shared some of his past year's writings with me. This fantastic editorial is from his recent trip to Costa Rica where he attended a meeting sponsored by the Union of Jewish Congregations of Latin America and the Caribbean. These are his experiences:
************************************

Artículo Kehilatón

Confesiones de su Presidente

Quiero confesarles que por obligación por ser Presidente de la CIES, y por Jack, atendí la Décima Convención de la Unión de Comunidades Judías de Latino América y el Caribe, UJCL, en Costa Rica, desde el 25 al 28 de enero, 2007. Como todos, mi agenda apretada parecía reventar de cosas que hacer antes de viajar y ahora que estamos por motarnos al avión de regreso, la situación no ha cambiado.

Quiero confesarles que de las 10 convenciones de la UJCL, esta es mi primera “y media”. Digo “y media” por que cuando fue la de El Salvador, también por obligación, medio fui a algunas de las actividades. Estaba todo ocurriendo demasiado cerca para poder ignorarlo por completo.

Quiero confesarles que originalmente me justifiqué a mi mismo venir a Costa Rica para la UJCL por el “combo” de ver negocios además de la convención.

Quiero confesarles que yo no sabía que había un representante de la CIES en la junta directiva de la UJCL, a pesar que mi tocayo Ricardo Stanley en varias ocasiones había insistido en hablar de temas relacionados a la UJCL. Tanta era mi negatividad a la UJCL y a toda actividad relacionada a ella, que no tuve ni la gentileza ni el sentido común para darle seguimiento a esas conversaciones.

En la convención del Joint en Mar del Plata en abril del año pasado hubieron servicios religiosos y por no llevar mi bolsa del talit, me tocó la vergüenza de ser el único que tuvo que usar una servilleta de kipa. Como símbolo de rebeldía no traje talit a Costa Rica y nuevamente fui el único usando una servilleta de kipa en el servicio.

Veamos, sigo y confieso que vine predispuesto negativamente para pasarla mal, criticando desde los detalles más pequeños en la organización, hasta la razón de ser de la convención. Por ejemplo, se me había metido entre cejas, que esto era un gasto de tiempo y que las convenciones de la UJCL deberían de ser cada 2 o 3 años, no anualmente. Se me había metido entre cejas que la convención no añade valor y que yo no la necesitaba para “hacerme sentir bien” como judío.

Pero algo pasó.

Pasó que el sábado en la mañana fuimos a la sinagoga a rezar y a leer Torá. A medida que iban subiendo las diferentes Comunidades a las aliyot y un jóven de cada Kehilá leía de la Torá, se me erizaban los pelos y me brotaba una incontrolable sonrisa por que no podía contener la felicidad de ver y sentir lo que pasaba a mi alrededor.

Pasó que participé en charlas, seminarios y talleres de diferentes expertos extraños a nuestra Comunidad en El Salvador que hablaron de temas como que si vivieran con nosotros y conocieran no solo los problemas mejor que yo, pero también las posibles soluciones que a mi ni se me habían ocurrido buscar.

Participé en un taller sobre el tema de conversiones y los problemas y oportunidades que generan. Aprendí que antes en el movimiento conservador un casamiento mixto era el haber perdido un judío, y el día de hoy un casamiento mixto es una oportunidad de ganar una pareja/familia judía. Para trabajar esto se ha diseñado un programa llamado KERUV o ACERCAMIENTO. Tendremos que averiguar más sobre este tema.

Pasó que participé en un taller con el Rabino Yoel Oseran, líder del movimiento reformista, en el cual el habló de la salida del pueblo judío de Egipto y como, a pesar de la falta de comida, vivienda, y comodidades de vivir en el desierto, nunca volvimos a la seguridad de la esclavitud en Egipto. El Rabino Oseran comparó a ese Egipto con el Egipto que tenemos los humanos cuando nos hacemos adictos al alcohol, drogas, o el trabajo. Después del taller platiqué en privado con el Rabino Oseran y le comenté que mi Egipto es no poder decir que no. Después de pensarlo un poco más, he descubierto que tengo otro Egipto: el criticar y alejarme de mi propio judaísmo. Cada vez que me acerco participando en actividades me hace sentir bien, y por alguna razón incomprensible, rechazo las oportunidades que se presentan como esta convención.

Pasó que tuve la oportunidad de platicar con los presidentes de las otras Comunidades y encontré personas que sienten y viven experiencias como la mía. Los problemas no son similares, son IGUALES. Es fabuloso sentir que no estamos solos, y que se pueden aprovechar las experiencias y soluciones que otros han ya probado e implementado. Espero que en el futuro y dentro del marco de la convención, se lleven a cabo foros de presidentes para conocernos mejor y para aprender formal e informalmente el uno del otro.

Pasó que aprendí que en la convención hay recursos especiales que podemos usar en El Salvador. Estos recursos se pescan en conversaciones de pasillos, no necesariamente en los talleres organizados. Hay gente que pertenece a instituciones que tienen recursos de profesionales, dinero, y programas diseñados para comunidades como la nuestra. Es nuestro deber buscar y encontrar estos recursos, así como traerlos a nuestra comunidad para mejorar la vida judía en nuestro rincón del mundo.

Pasó que muchas de las personas que conocí y con quién platiqué me dieron ideas…
1. Necesita un rezo y no está el Rabino, no hay
problema, vea www.ritualwell.com.
2. En Jamaica los niños hacen servicios de shabat como lo queremos hacer nosotros, pero también hacen el servicio de Januka…Buena idea.
3. En Jamaica están montando un programa para acercar a los israelíes que viven en la isla y los mochileros a la Comunidad. Buena idea.
4. También en Jamaica, tienen un programa para traer a niños de escuelas públicas a la sinagoga para dar a conocer el judaísmo y que no nos odien por ignorancia. Buena idea.
5. En Costa Rica hay un MOEL a nuestro servicio !!! Esta es especialmente relevante para mi familia…
6. En Gudalajara duermen una noche en la Sucah !!! FUN JUDAISM, buena idea.
7. En Panamá han comenzado un Noar como el nuestro, en el verano hacen 2 semanas de actividades diarias como una Keitaná, o summer camp. Buena idea.
8. En Costa Rica enseñan una canción nueva cada shabat antes de terminar el rezo. Es lindísimo. Buena idea.
9. En Costa Rica han formado la Confraternidad Judeo Cristiana, muy similar a Religiones por La Paz, para organizar apoyo para Israel. Buena idea.
10. Y como no todo es negocio, con un nuevo amigo panameño aprendí sobre un deporte que me atrae mucho: kiteboarding. Ya navegué en www.machetekites.com , www.wunderground.com y www.intellicast.com . Que buena idea.

Pasó que la experiencia de la convención me transformó el negativismo con que llegué, a un goce de judaísmo acompañada de una tremenda tranquilidad y renovada energía muy similar a lo que siento cuando voy a los rezos de kabalat shabat y shabat.

En la cena de gala para la despedida se llevó a cabo una ceremonia de agradecimientos. De parte de nuestra Comunidad llevamos un libro de El Salvador que le entregamos a David Feingold, el Presidente de la Comunidad anfitriona Bnei Israel. Mis palabras para David fueron: “Hemos crecido, hemos gozado, hemos mantenido la llama milenaria del pueblo judío, gracias por las atenciones y los mimos.”

Cuando esperábamos en cola para la comida un buen amigo con quién me había quejado mucho al principio de la convención me dijo: “Por el cariño que te tengo te quiero decir que fue muy bonito lo que dijiste, pero te quiero preguntar si realmente te crees lo que dijiste”. Siento mucho haber proyectado tanto negativismo para que me pregunten algo así, y es por eso que es tan importante para mi contarles a todos el impacto y cambio de sentir tan significativo que la convención de la UJCL tuvo en mi persona.

El Rabino Szteinhendler, líder del movimiento conservador dio una charla y dijo: “Gmilut Hasadim es mucho más que Tsedaká, por que Tsedaka es dar lo que uno tiene, Gmilut Hasadim es dar de lo que uno es”. Servir en la directiva y en los comités es precisamente eso, dar lo que uno es para que funcione la Comunidad. Estar presente en la UJCL es precisamente eso, hacer que funcione la gran Comunidad judía latinoamericana.

Estoy convencido que es necesario seguir este esfuerzo y mejorarlo, es por eso que les quiero decir con ganas, gusto y placer, UJCL VALE LA PENA.

The Latest

2007-02-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

I hope this finds you all warm and well. Today is one of the coldest days I have ever experienced: O degrees with a windchil of -14. I actually think it is uncivilized. :)

As I do not post as regularly as before, I wanted to take some time to update you on project and life developments. As for the project, I hope to find funding to spend 2-3 weeks in El Salvador this summer in order to finish a few interviews and poke into some government archives. I am now interested in the treatment of German Jews in El Salvador during World War II. With its Good Neighbor Policy in tow, the United States facilitated (and demanded) the blacklisting of German Jews and non-Jews throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Some of these individuals were indeed Nazi party members but most were simply German nationals (a complex nationality at a difficult time). Most absurdly, German Jews were also included in these blacklisting efforts resulting in their deportation and subsequent imprisonment in the United States. An excellent book on the topic is written by Prof. Max Friedman and entitled "Nazis and Good Neighbors." It can be ordered on amazon.com and is THE example of a well-written and superbly interesting history book. I was motivated by Prof. Friedman's work and decided to take a closer look at El Salvador's policies during this time period. Let's just say the ride has been very interesting.

While I do aim to spend some time in El Salvador, I am happy to stay in the US for the rest of the summer! I hope to study German and in all my free time (!!) transcribe the remaining Spanish interviews from my year of research. This final task is of the utmost importance.

Finally, in the coming weeks I will announce the launch of my brand new website which will work to keep you updated of all my various travels, projects, writings, etc.

Please keep in touch and for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, stay bundled....

B'nai Mitzvot in El Salvador

2006-12-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

Below, you will find the words of two young people who recently become Bar/Bat Mitzvah in El Salvador, Eric Freund and Paola Salazar, respectively. Big words coming from the communities' newest adults.

A MANERA DE EDITORIAL
Este shabat la palabra editorial la tienen nuestros jóvenes y flamantes benei mitzva, son ellos los que hoy nos haran pensar con sus palabras acerca de los temas de la Tora. Estas drashot son las que los jóvenes benei mitzva pronunciaran el dia de su Bat y Bar Mitzva antes de la lectura de la Tora. Gracias Paola, gracias Eric por compartir con todos nuestros lectores vuestras palabras.

Drasha para mi Bat Mitzva (por Paola Salazar)
“Y terminó Di’s el día séptimo la obra que había hecho y descanso”
Sefer Bereshit cap1

Desde entonces se descansa en el séptimo día que se llama Shabat.
Todas las semanas los humanos necesitan tener un día de descanso para vivir y aprender nuevas cosas. Asi se van desarrollando en las diferentes etapas de la vida. A diferencia de los demás días, el séptimo (shabat) es el día consagrado al descanso y a la reflexión de nuestro comportamiento y de lo maravilloso que es la creación de Di’s. Es estar más con Dios.
Para mí todo empezó hace 12 años cuando mi mamá y mi papá me dieron la vida. He tomado conciencia que en la vida uno tiene que descansar para poder crecer. Se supone que uno a trabajado bastante y necesita del shabat para reponerse y reflexionar. También Shabat es necesario para detenerse a admirar todo lo que Di’s ha creado y para pensar en él. Hay gente que no toma en cuenta la importancia del descanso para funcionar bien, o descansa demasiado y no trabaja nada. En todo caso hay que tener un equilibrio pero en Shabat descansa tanto el trabajador como el haragán. Esto es ley de Di’s.

Di’s nos dio el ejemplo de la creación del mundo con sus respectivas reglas de los siete días. Esto significa que hay que seguir la ley de Di’s, así aprendemos a vivirlas. Cuando Adán y Eva eran obedientes de la ley de Di’s, sus vidas eran sin los sufrimientos que tuvieron cuando las irrespetaron, esto quiere decir que si rompemos las reglas de las disciplinas sufriremos las consecuencias. Luego a Adán y Eva, Di’s les prohibió comer del árbol del bien y el mal ellos desobedecieron no pudiendo ver todo lo maravilloso que dios había creado y por sus desobediencias desde ese día supieron lo que eran los dolores, necesitaron trabajar y por supuesto descansar de sus labores, necesitaron Shabat

Yo cuando era chiquita y empecé a ir a la escuela nos daban días libres sábado y domingo, ahí empecé a darme cuenta que uno descansa una vez a la semana y fui viendo que uno trabaja para vivir una buena vida. Después empecé a ir a la sinagoga y supe que era el shabat y que en ese día descansamos. Luego seguí asistiendo hasta que llegue a 6 grado cuando empecé a estudiar para mi bat miztbat y entendí por que Dios nos dio shabat. Conocí en el transcurso de mis años como Di’s había creado el mundo, y sus respectivas leyes y me di cuenta de que todo el valor del trabajo se pierde si no descansamos también y le dedicamos tiempo a Di’s y a nuestra familia.

Les quiero agradecer a algunas personas que me han ayudado y me han brindado mucho amor en este camino tan hermoso de vivir.
Les agradezco a mis papas por darme la vida, protegerme, y hacerme un bien. Por su apoyo yo me encuentro aquí. ¡Gracias por hacerme esta celebración tan bonita en la que puedo gozar y aprender mucho! Ustedes me han enseñado a crecer, y a aprender nuevas cosas. También enseñado disciplina, lo cual no me ha gustado mucho pero se que me hacen un bien. Cuando me enojo por veces les contesto mal pero no es mi intención solo es que estoy aprendiendo. Recuerdo que cuando operaron a mi mama en Houston ellos no me dejaron en El Salvador si no que me llevaron con ellos, y lo mismo cuando se fueron a Europa. Siempre hemos sido bien unidos. Les agradezco mucho por todas las cosas que he mencionado y las que no. ¡Gracias mamá y papá los amo! A mis abuelos Kiki, Toto, Julie y Salvador, gracias por su ayuda y comprensión y por cuidarme. Ustedes son los que me consienten, juegan conmigo y me hacen muchísimo cariño. A mis tíos Mónica y Sepi, gracias por siempre aceptarme en su casa y quererme como su tercera hija. Y gracias por las lindos kipot!!!! A mi tío Mauri, gracias por regalarme este hermoso talit que voy a estar usando por el resto de mi vida y por consentirme y hacerme sentir importante. Gaby y Vale, mis hermanas, no tengo palabras para expresarles lo mucho que las quiero.

Rabino Berman, si no fuera por usted, yo no estuviera aquí. Gracias por su dedicación y paciencia. Sus enseñanzas fueron muy interesantes y además usted las hizo divertidas.

Morá Perla, le agradezco su dedicación al Noar y a los niños y el asegurarse de que todos aprendamos de las fiestas judías.

Quisiera agradecerle a toda la Kehilá por hacerme sentir parte de una gran familia. Y por darme la oportunidad de crecer junto a niños con mis mismos valores y creencias.

Y finalmente, pero muy importante, a todos los aquí presentes, mis amigas y amigos, grandes y pequeños, que de alguna manera contribuyen en mi vida y les guardo un espacio especial en mi corazón, les agradezco se encuentran aquí celebrando conmigo este día tan especial e importante.

Paola Salazar
***************************
Drasha para mi Bar Mitzva (por Eric Freund)
“Yaakov era un hombre integro, que habitaba en tiendas”
Sefer Bereshit cap. 25

La Parasha que me corresponde leer es Toldot. Esta Parasha cuenta incidentes y disgustos entre 2 hermanos bíblicos: Esav y Yaakov. La Tora nos relata que, inclusive dentro de la panza de Rebeca, los gemelos Esav y Iaacov ya se peleaban.

Lo que mas me ha llamado la atención de la Parasha es que la propia madre le dice a Yaakov que tiene que lograr que su padre Isaac le de la bendición del primogénito. Me pregunto: por que quería Rebeca que esto sucediera. Ambos eran sus hijos y era a Esav a quien le correspondía la bendición. Además, Rebeca cocino el corderito con la receta que mas le gustaba a Isaac para que Yaakov se lo diera a su padre. En cambio, Esav preparo el mismo, solo, el cordero para llevarle a Isaac. Cuando Yaakov se presenta ante Isaac, este noto algo raro porque dijo: “Estas son las manos de Esav pero es la voz de Yaakov”. Pero de todas maneras bendijo a Yaakov. Cuando llega Esav y se da cuenta de lo sucedido, exclamo: “Pero que ha pasado aquí? Es a mi a quien tenias que bendecir!”. Mas ya nada podía hacer…. No parece esto una injusticia?

La Tora describe a Esav como un hombre violento. A Yaakov en cambio, se le describe como un Ish Tam, un hombre sencillo, que no necesita de muchas cosas para vivir. Entonces, por que acepta Yaakov robarle la bendición a su hermano mayor, como si tuviera la ambición de tenerla? Para que Yaakov pudiera convertirse en el tercer patriarca del pueblo judío, tenían que suceder ciertas cosas. Creo que el haber conseguido la bendición de Isaac, fue el principio. Yaakov escucho y obedeció a su madre, aceptando hacer lo que ella le sugirió. Creo que Rebeca conocía muy bien a sus hijos y por eso supo quien debía recibir la bendición. Ella se dio cuenta que su primogénito era un hombre de acción, de violencia, de cazar animales y permanecer cerca de la naturaleza. En cambio Iaacov, el Ish Tam, era quien podía seguir con el proyecto de establecer al pueblo judío. Fue el quien continuo el camino trazado por Abraham, su abuelo, e Isaac, su padre.

Hoy me comprometo, como joven Bar Mitzva, a seguir con el proyecto trazado por los patriarcas, a ser un nuevo eslabon en la cadena formada por las generaciones de mi pueblo y de mi familia. Aspiro a ser un ish tam, un joven judio sencillo, y me comprometo a estudiar y participar en la vida de nuestra comunidad

Quiero agradecer a ciertas personas su guía y apoyo durante todos los meses en que he estado estudiando para mi Bar Mitzva. Primero que todo, muchas, muchísimas gracias, Rabino Pablo Berman, por enseñarme y dirigirme con dedicación y paciencia; sin usted, no hubiera podido prepararme tan a fondo como lo hice. A la mora Perla, por darme ánimos cuando nos cruzábamos. También le agradezco a mi familia, Papi, Mami, Michelle y Ariella, por siempre apoyarme y no parar de decirme: “Estudia! Estudia!”. Papi, especialmente quiero decirte que aprecio mucho que me hayas dado tu talit de tu Bar Mitzva y la kipa que era de mi bisabuelo Bernardo. A mi abuelita Oma Lea y mi abuelito Opa Ernesto por siempre decirme que “Todo va a salir bien”. A mi abuelita Babi Reina por todo su apoyo. Queridos familiares y amigos que hoy me acompañan, Toda Raba. Además, estoy muy emocionado porque nunca me imagine que tanta gente iba a llegar del exterior, y les agradezco mucho que estén aquí. Amigo Aaron Sztarkman, gracias por alegrarnos con tu música.

También quiero mencionar a las personas quienes van a participar en los servicios, haciéndolos así tanto mas significativos para mi: Gracias tia Becky, Maya, tío Ricardo y mami Sylvia por leer la Tora. Gracias tíos, primos y amigos por participar en los demás ritos de los servicios. Y gracias tambien a todos ustedes que han colaborado con mi Proyecto de Tikun Olam.

Este es un día que nunca olvidare y me siento orgulloso y feliz por haberlo alcanzado.

Eric Freund

Words to Eric Freund on the Occasion of his Bar Mitzvah

2006-11-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

Claudio Kahn, Jewish Community President during some of the toughest years in El Salvador, shared some words with Eric about the community, the Freund family, and being Jewish in El Salvador.
**************************

Por Claudio Kahn

Querido Eric:
Mi esposa me dijo que no comprendía como siendo yo tan refunfuñón, me hubieran pedido tus padres dirigirme a ti, en este día, hasta la fecha, el más importante de tu vida.

Gracias, Eric, estoy muy emocionado, es para mí un honor poder participar de esta celebración.

Me pregunto si serán estos tiempos modernos o será que estamos creciendo; pero el tiempo vuela a la velocidad de la luz...He aquí que llegando el día de tu Bar Mitzva, tú representas la cuarta generación de tu familia en El Salvador, lo cual significa una gran responsabilidad para ti, el continuar con las tradiciones y practicar los valores inculcados por tus mayores.

Eric: habrás oído contar muchas veces cómo tu bisabuelo, Max Freund, junto con otros judíos comenzaron a reunirse en su casa para rezar en Shabat y otras fiestas, habiendo sido tu abuelo Ernesto, el primer Bar Mitzva de esa época.

Tu bisabuela, doña Herta Freund fue una señora muy comprometida con todas las actividades de la Comunidad , facilitando su casa, hasta que finalmente se pudo construir la primera Sinagoga en la 23 Avenida cerca del centro de la ciudad.

Ernesto, tu abuelo, se enamoró de una Brasilera que le presentaron, Lea, y juntos formaron el pequeño Clan Freund con cuatro hijos varones, de donde sale tu papá Eduardo. Lea ha sido incansable para fomentar y conservar las tradiciones judaicas. Nosotros con María celebramos el Seder en dos ocasiones junto a tu familia, en su departamento de Miami, cuando por circunstancias de guerra y ante la inseguridad y el peligro, muchas familias de nuestra Comunidad tuvieron que emigrar a otros países.
Ernesto y Lea tenían que poner a estudiar y sacar adelante sus cuatro muchachos, pero ellos siempre estuvieron ligados muy de cerca con nuestra Comunidad.

Traigo a cuenta, aquí, una pequeña anécdota: La antigua Sinagoga se estaba alquilando a la Universidad Evangélica y quedaba en el Templo la Bimá que era una roca sólida de mármol... ¿Qué hacer?

Inmediatamente a consultar con los Freund en Miami y todos angustiados a consultar con el Rabino Granat que se había trasladado a la Comunidad Kol Shearit de Panamá.

Lo que el rabino nos dijo nos quitó un peso de encima:
“Mientras estemos todos juntos rezando, la Bimá tiene un significado pero al no haber nadie de la Comunidad es solamente una piedra”
Estudiando en los Estados Unidos, Eduardo, tu papá, conoció a Sylvia, tu mamá. Ellos se casaron en la Sinagoga Emanuel de Miami Beach. Nosotros estuvimos presentes y viene a mi memoria el recuerdo de ese lindo Templo y el desfile de familia que procedió al de los novios; y vemos a tu bisabuela, la querida Tía Fanny, nuestra querida Tía Fanny, desfilando divertida y sonriente del brazo de William, tu tío.

Siguiendo con la historia y calmándose la situación social en el país, muchas familias regresaron, en cuenta tus padres y abuelos. Y aquí tenemos a tu mamá Sylvia, criando una marimbita de niños, siendo tú el pequeñito.

Es así como hemos conocido a tu abuelo Josué y a tu abuela Reina, quien ha venido de visita muchas veces para estar con sus hijos y nietos en la compañía de tu abuela Riva, una adorable y sonriente señora hablando yidish. La recordamos en pago-pago, la primera casa del lago de tus abuelos, posesionada cuidando a la “tiernita chelita” que era tu hermana Ariella...

Como ves, Eric tienes mucha suerte de tener una familia muy hermosa y numerosa, muchos de ellos primos y tíos se encuentran hoy aquí para acompañarte en la celebración de tu Bar Mitzva; junto a tus padres, abuelos, y tus hermanas, Michelle y Ariella; sin olvidar a tus amigos, tus grandes amigos. Por cierto estamos muy complacidos de tener con nosotros después de muchos años, a tu tío Roberto y a su familia.
Nosotros, hemos estado algunas veces para el Shabat en casa de Ernesto y Lea y hemos podido constatar la unión familiar y la alegría de esas reuniones. A los jóvenes les parece todo natural, pero quiero hacer énfasis en el “Trabajo de Hormiga” de la madre y de la abuela judías ya que hay que comprar lo necesario, preparar los platillos, tender manteles y pulir candelabros para que la cena sea perfecta; y aunque sea un gusto para la abuela tener reunida a toda la familia, hay que saber apreciar ese trabajo que sirve para conservar nuestras tradiciones.

Tenemos nosotros, los hombres y mujeres de esta Comunidad, una gran responsabilidad en la conducción de nuestros hijos para la continuidad del judaísmo que profesamos; todo lo cual habrá de tocarte también a ti, querido Eric, a su debido tiempo.

Me siento muy feliz de tener un alumno para tocar el shofar, sigue adelante Eric y gracias de nuevo por el honor conferido ...
Quiera Adonai, nuestro Dios, bendecirte y conducirte por los caminos del bien y del éxito en todo lo que tú te propongas.

Mi cariño grande para ti.

En nombre de nuestra Comunidad te quiero entregar este recuerdo del día de tu Bar Mitzva.

Nota del Editor: El Sr. Claudio Kahn pronuncio estas palabras el sabado 25 de Noviembre con motivo del Bar Mitzva de Eric Freund. Agradecemos al Sr. Kahn el habernos provisto del texto completo de su discurso.

Salvadoran Embassy moves to Tel Aviv

2006-11-03T06:17:00.000-08:00

From the website for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
www.ifcj.org

Salvadoran Jews regret decision to move embassy, but understand
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
By: Larry Luxner

from JTA

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, Oct. 24 (JTA) — El Salvador's Jews are disappointed that their country has decided to move its embassy in Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, but say it won't affect their relations with the government or with the country's large Palestinian community.

El Salvador announced the move in late August, only 10 days after Costa Rica did the same thing. Since the early 1980s, the two small, Central American nations had been the only countries that recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In an interview in San Salvador last week, Foreign Minister Francisco Lainez told JTA that "we thought it was important to be in compliance with U.N. resolutions asking for all countries not to have their embassies in Jerusalem.

"We had actually made the decision before Costa Rica," Lainez said, though he refused to say exactly when that decision was made. "When we announced our decision, we let the Israelis know, and although they would have liked us to stay, we did it with respect to all parties involved."

He added, "We believe that Israel has the right to live within internationally recognized, secure borders... but we didn't want to make the announcement while the war" in Lebanon this summer "was still going on. Our decision had nothing to do with Costa Rica."

Hardly anyone buys that idea.

"It did not happen in a vacuum," said Ricardo Freund, president of the Comunidad Israelita de El Salvador, the country's main Jewish organization. "Everybody knows that the two were related."

Rene Leon, El Salvador's ambassador to the United States, readily concedes that his country closed its Jerusalem mission only after Costa Rica did so. He said it was a "very painful decision" for President Elias Antonio Saca, who despite his Palestinian origins had vowed not to move the embassy out of Jerusalem.

"I think the Israelis understood that it was very difficult for El Salvador to be the only country in the world not in compliance with the U.N., and that we would have been subjected to bashing at the international level," Leon told JTA.

He added that El Salvador's decision was "entirely political," and that "it was not a calculated decision to open up business relations with the Arab world," as some Jews in Central America and the United States have charged.

"Of course I'm not angry with Saca," said Claudio Kahn, a Salvadoran businessman and past president of the Jewish community. "We have about 60,000 Palestinians here, and every time we changed presidents, the government was pressured by local Palestinians to move the embassy."

Kahn reserves his anger for Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez, whom he calls a "son of a *****" for ending that country's long pro-Israel tradition — a sentiment shared by most of Costa Rica's 4,000 Jews.

"The Arabs financed his campaign in Costa Rica, and the first thing he said he would do was move the embassy to Tel Aviv," Kahn said.

He noted that unlike Arias Sanchez — who shocked Jews at home and abroad with his announcement — Saca met for an hour privately with Jonathan Peled, Israel's outgoing ambassador to El Salvador, before announcing his decision.

According to Freund, 120 Jews live in El Salvador, a crowded, impoverished nation of 6.7 million people.

Most of them are Ashkenazim whose grandparents came from Germany or France, and virtually all of them belong to the Comunidad Israelita de El Salvador. Few Jews here keep kosher; the ones who do import kosher meat and other food items from nearby Guatemala.

Pablo Berman was hired in September 2005 to be the community's spiritual leader. The Argentine-born rabbi said he has yet to encounter anti-Semitism in his adopted country

"I've been here for a year, and nobody ever gives me problems," Berman said. "On the contrary, people come up to me and ask me why I wear a kippah and what it means. There's a lot of interest in Judaism."

Berman said Salvadorans seem to have deeper sympathy for Jews and Israel than for the Palestinians — despite the large Palestinian Christian presence and the recent construction of a "Palestine Plaza" in downtown San Salvador, as well as a monument to the late PLO chief Yasser Arafat along the city's Jerusalem Avenue.

"The Salvadoran people are very pro-Israel, especially the evangelicals. You see Jewish symbols all over the street," he said. "The Salvadorans are very friendly and very interested in knowing Jewish traditions. People call every day, asking if we offer classes in Hebrew and Jewish cooking."

Freund, who was married at the Salvadoran Embassy in Jerusalem in 1988, said the Jewish community still maintains excellent relations with both the Saca government and with local Palestinians — despite the embassy flap.

"If anything it will be good for us, because this has been a constant source of irritation and aggravation," said the businessman, who owns a chain of do-it-yourself home improvement stores. "The Palestinian Arab community of El Salvador had been insisting for years that we move the embassy to Tel Aviv. Now that will no longer be the case."

Ironically, those most likely to be inconvenienced by the embassy switch may actually be Palestinians.

"I was always proud, as a Salvadoran and as a Jew, to have our embassy in Jerusalem," Freund said. "But the ones who used our embassy's consular services in Jerusalem were mainly Palestinian Arabs who lived in Bethlehem. They had it easy. Now they're going to have to travel to Tel Aviv. It will be much more difficult for them."

A short hiatus

2006-11-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,
As many of you can see, I have taken a short break from writing. Graduate school has been very demanding and I've found it difficult to produce quality posts with my current workload.

....but the Storylistener is not going anywhere.

Please check back as I plan to post intermittently until my winter break where I envision having more time to dedicate to the project.

In the meantime, take care and keep in touch.

Golem und Romashka

2006-10-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Klezmer fusion music is on a high and the people are ready to listen.... This weekend in Bloomington, Klezmer/Rock band Golem (www.golemrocks.com) will be performing at the Lotus Music Festival while on the East Coast, Romashka (www.romashka.net) will open for the Gipsy Kings at Manhattan hotspot Roxy.

What is all this?

Young people take on klezmer almost like a new language, reinventing basic tunes, enhancing and abandoning any improvisational boundaries---basically leaving genre in the dust. Romashka's latest CD brings together musicians with a variety of backgrounds such a jazz, gipsy, klezmer, classical, bluegrass, it goes on and on. Golem has no qualms about breaking out new forms, even transforming traditional lyrics for the 21st century club maven. It's like your grandmother's famous matzoh ball soup but with a kick of tequila.

Check out Romashka's new music video. You'll be hooked before you know it.

://www.thenewpop.com/talents.php?id=48" target="_blank">The New Pop

Isthmus Relations

2006-10-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I've written without the assistance of a fascinating oral history interview. Now that I have been away from El Salvador for a few months, it is much easier to view my research with a more critical eye.

As I delve into my graduate work, I realize that this interest in the Central American Jewry extends beyond El Salvador. Costa Rica and Panama would culminate in a trio of phenomenal comparative study. Panama with its strong Sephardic and Ashkenaz populations and Costa Rica with its Eastern European core and now growing religiously progressive population. Amongst these three countries, El Salvador remains the most integrated (amongst Jews). Although my research in Costa Rica and Panama is only in preliminary stages, I hope to be able to report back about Costa Rica's Eastern European shtetl origins in the coming weeks.

For now, news from El Salvador is grim with crime escalating and people taking justice and security "into their own hands." The Jewish community just finished celebrating Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Let's hope that the domestic situation improves....somehow.

Radio Announcement

2006-09-28T15:07:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all who have tuned in to listen to my short piece included in Public Radio International's Jewish New Year programming. Producer by Johanna Cooper of Listen Up Radio, it is a short but powerful narrative piece recounting my experiences in El Salvador.

If you have missed it and still want to catch the program, please log on to the following websites this weekend. Remember: the entire program is fantastic but I am second in line (so make sure you listen right at the beginning!)

Radio New Mexico
www.kunm.org
11AM (Mountain Standard Time)

Radio Indiana
www.wfiu.indiana.edu
9PM (Eastern Standard Time)

One can listen to live audio on each of these websites, simply look for the "listen now!" or "listen online" links. Once you click on those, you should be good to go. The one trick is this: you have to literally listen LIVE so please tune in at the appointed hours.

Storylistener will be back with oral history interviews on Tuesday, October 3rd.

Thanks again for your support.

The Jewish Community of El Salvador

2006-09-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

La Libertad, El Salvador
*****
You may wonder. A research blog on the Jewish Community of El Salvador? Indeed.

The following pages and archives feature excerpts and photographs from the 60-family community based in San Salvador. I also include a significant amount of interviews from those who used to call El Salvador home but now, due to the Salvadoran Civil War or other family concerns, live in locales such as Israel, the United States, Europe, and other Latin American countries.

Each week a different individual is featured and one must scroll down in order to read the story from the beginning (the latest entries are found at the top of each page). To search for a family name, simply enter your query at the top left of the blog and the archives will perhaps surprise you.

I began working on this blog in August 2005 and I welcome you to start at the beginning, in the middle, or maybe just today's entry. As always, I encourage dialogue and welcome your comments, suggestions, constructive criticism, feedback, wisdom, and concern. This is an interactive format where community members or those simply interested can discuss the realities facing every day life as a Jew in El Salvador.

No matter where you begin reading, you will be amazed by the stories of these phenomenal individuals who together make this tiny Central American nation their home.

Jorge Weill: A Conclusion

2006-09-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of the interview, I began asking Jorge about the Jewish community’s future. This excerpt concludes Jorge Weill’s entries in the blog. For more information on his oral history, simply scroll down to begin reading.
****************

(Do you see any challenges now for the Jewish community here in the coming years?)

I think that the Jewish community is doing a very good job at going through different stages. There was a stage in the ‘80s of survival. And now the Jewish community has grown, it’s become more complex, it’s got to become more organized, and it needs to have much stronger involvement. I have a feeling that probably the biggest challenge that there’s going to be is to maintain that togetherness, that unity in the community. It’s going to require a lot of work, a lot of leadership, and a lot of structure to do it.

(Do you ever worry about the future of the community, the young people?)

I don’t think so. If you look at where we’re coming from, they’re much further ahead. There’s a lot of young people who will certainly know a lot more about Judaism than before, who are deeply involved in the Jewish community activities. I’m not talking so much about the parents of the people who are now the 6- to 18-year-olds, but I’m thinking about the 6- to 18-year-olds. They’re the future of the community, and they’re probably going to be in 10, 15 years involved in the leadership of the community. And they’re going to be very well prepared and committed. So I’m very positive about that. I think that probably one of the biggest challenges this community is going to have is a financial one. Even though it’s grown, probably there’s going to be more demands and it’s going to be more difficult. But you know, when the problem comes up, I’m sure everybody’s going to get together and face it. I think that the community as such is more than just a religious association. It’s really a community, and people have socialized within and it’s given support and identity to its members. That’s very important. I think that people have to have an identity to be successful and satisfied in life.

(That makes me think of one more thing. Did you ever feel like the—you were part of the French contingent. Your parents were French. My family comes from the German side. Did you ever feel like there were differences in the two groups?)

Yes, I felt that there was some difference, because generally speaking, the French socialized mostly with the French Jews and the German Jews associated primarily with the German Jews. You could sense, although it was never vocalized, that there was some difference, but not any discrimination. Each one had their own character. Some were more yekke than others. And obviously the people that we socialized with were primarily the French Jews. But there were enough of them to make a mass, and there were enough German Jews to make a mass. And as a matter of fact, a funny story: when I came back to live in Salvador in 1974, they held this FEDECO, the Central American Jewish Federation, convention here in Salvador. El Salvador truly has an Ashkenaz majority and we had never been exposed to Sephardic culture--keep that in mind.
All of a sudden we’re sitting down and one of the couples from Guatemala mentioned that they were a mixed marriage. And I said, “Mixed marriage? You’re not both Jewish?” “Yes, we’re Jewish.” But one was Ashkenazi and the other one was Sephardi, and I didn’t even know the difference.

Transcript by Sandy Adler, Adler Enterprises LLC.

Jorge Weill V: The War Years Continue

2006-09-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

In this next excerpt, Jorge remembers the most frightening event of the war involving his entire family.
*********************

I was still in Miami when my second child was born, in 1984. Alexis was born in January ’84, and we came back to Salvador end of ’84, approx. But I was traveling every other week to Salvador, and Anny had already come a couple of times to Salvador.

(And she was willing to come back?)

She was willing to come back. She wanted to have a family life where we would be together and I wouldn’t be traveling back and forth. My kids started going to the American school. We made an effort for them to be bilingual and bicultural. At the time we didn’t know what was going to happen in Salvador, and we wanted them to feel at ease as much in the States as in Salvador.

(“Bicultural.” What was the other culture?)

The other culture was American, because they were born in the States, they were American citizens. We revolved around American culture and felt much closer to it. And very often we would send them to summer camp in the States. They speak English fluently, they are very familiar with American customs.

(Did Anny want them to become familiar with France?)

She wanted them to become familiar with France, but she didn’t expect them to be culturally attached or incorporated in France. It was more a matter of them knowing their family, which is terribly important.

(When did your mother come back to Salvador?)

My mother came back about two years afterward, around 1986. She was in the States and she felt a bit lonely. She was in Miami, and my sister was in Bethesda, and she had many friends in Salvador. She came back in ’86. My mother’s a very feisty lady, and she definitely was not daunted by the war.

(Is there one instance or one memory of the war that you have that was particularly frightening?)

Yes. In 1989 we had a very strong offensive where San Salvador was almost taken by the guerilla. We had a lot of fighting around the house, about a block and a half away in the Espino. I remember one night there was a lot of shooting and I remember all of us getting on the floor in our room because we didn’t know where the fighting was, to where the bullets were directed, and we decided not to take a risk, especially because we have so many windows in the house. The next day we started seeing armored cars going up the street and we had a helicopter flying over our house. It was firing a machine gun against the guerrilla about a block and a half away. It was just overhead from us. So I said, “Anny, you know, you’ve got to go.” And she said, “No, I’m not fleeing.” And I said, “You have to go with the kids.” So she went to the States in 1989. They had closed the American school. As a matter of fact, we didn’t know what was going to happen, whether they were going to be able to come back or not. We were able to place them in schools in Miami. Fortunately, in January-February 1990 they were able to come back.

(How did the kids react when they had to leave?)

They didn’t say very much. I think especially Sandra was very impacted because the offensive started on a Saturday, and the whole Noar Shelanu [Jewish youth group] was at Clemente Stanley’s house in Los Planes de Renderos. And all of a sudden the offensive started, and from Clemente’s house they could see the jets and the helicopters firing and dropping bombs. We were very concerned because we didn’t know how to pick them up. At the time, Saul Suster was in the government, and he got some bulletproof cars and went that Sunday to pick up all the kids. As a matter of fact they brought them all over to our house, and they were all excited, saying, “We saw the planes and the helicopters!” It made a big impression on them.

(Sara’s Suster said they were all very strong and brave, and some of them, as soon as they saw their parents, they started crying.)

Sandra didn’t cry but all of a sudden she started blurting it out. As a matter of fact, the time that we threw ourselves on the floor was a couple days later, and I could see that she was very nervous and all of a sudden she started talking very quickly, so I had to calm her down. It was the only time I’ve ever seen Sandra nervous.

(So they came back in 1990. Life marched on?)

Life marched on. They went back to school. Sandra remained active in the Noar Shelanu, what there was of the Noar Shelanu. Not as organized as now, but she enjoyed it enormously. And she made good friends with her companions in the Noar Shelanu. Later Alexis who was younger joined a much more organized Noar. We had a new rabbi, Gustavo Kraselnik, and his wife who started organizing more professionally the Noar Shelanu. Unfortunately Sandra at that time went to college in the States, so she really missed out on that.

(Tell me, how is your life today? Both of your kids are now graduated from college?)

Both of our kids have graduated. Sandra’s working in Washington. She’s a good friend of yours. Alexis is going to start working in New York. So we really feel like empty nesters, so any excuse we have, we either go to Washington or New York so we can see them.

(Do you have any desire to move to the States?)

I feel very comfortable in Salvador. I like my life in Salvador, I like my work in Salvador, and I like the idea that they’ll have to make a decision whether they want to come back to Salvador or not. I think they’re eventually going to come back to Salvador. For some odd reason, Salvador’s like a magnet. Everybody wants to come back. Even the daughters of Salvadorans who were born in the States like to come back to Salvador. [laughs]

(Guilty).

Transcript by Sandy Adler, Adler Enterprises LLC.