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My Bubbe 

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Zine Draft 

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Notebook 4

(by-Melanie Nieman)

a.The ‘zine is about your grandmother journey during world war two, you took a particular interesting in the Mezuzah and the history. All three aspects put together are a powerful representation of judaism and its effects of world war two. You looked at how the war effect the relationships between other countries and who the jewish people became. First they were citizens in a hime place and eventually they became refugees in a unknown world. Yet this was necessary to survive. This was the journey the jewish people had to take, from this journey home became other idea. The jewish people found comfort in their property, in specific the objects that represented their religion. b.“The Mezuzah to me is a symbol of home, it represented the sanctuary within a jewish house hold. The clear meaning on the piece of paper is we shall post this on to our door or gate and love God and only God. When a jewish home puts up a Mezuzah it is a promise to love God and only God, to listen to his command that was inscribed within the Mezuzah” This is powerful, knowing the real reason behind the mezuzah is important for your readers. I would recommend putting this next to a picture of a mezuzah. c.The story about your grandmother is so powerful. It is so unique I liked the picture of the woman and child it spoke out about the story, I would leave it like that for your ‘zine. Maybe add more about her story. d.Imagining a Nazi symbol towering over the jewish symbol, speaks for its self. Because you drew the picture there is not going to be copyright. e.Poland during World War two was very  similar for every jewish family. People were constricted by genocide and citizenship. The genocide was treating lives and taking citizenship from jewish people all over Poland. If they did not flee they risked being put in a concentration camp and murdered. The national constricts of Germany during World War Two forced many jewish families out, one of them being E. Silverman and her mother. The combination of a lack of citizenship and genocide dictates where the jewish people were allowed to call home. This is impactful for many reason, first it brings to light how the nation state rejected the jewish people, second it also give you a opportunity to connect this genocide to many others. World war two applied the same principles as the Ottoman empire as Columbus when he first came to America. I would recommend stressing the similarities to show your reader how the evil nature lingers forever. Also add more, there can be a lot more to say but this is promising start to a international analysis.

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Note book 4

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note book 4

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hi

Notebook #3

Kìa con bướm váng serves as a transnational object between France and Vietnam in the sense that it derived from France’s Frère Jacques, but it can also be argued that it doesn’t serve as transactional object between the two because of the very different significance the song holds in Vietnam compared to that in France. How so? In order to understand how the song both connects and disconnects the two nations, a relational analysis is necessary.

                 Kìa con bướm váng ultimately originated as a result of French imperialism; the Vietnamese were conquered by the French, they heard the French’s Frère Jacques, then they adapted the French nursery rhyme into their own. The French version comes off as innocently singing about a Friar John who is sleeping, but is theorized that the playful nursery rhyme is mocking the French Dominican monks (generalized as Friar Johns) for living comfortable, leisurely, undevout lives—for sleeping through the “sonnez les matines” (the ringing of the morning bells). Another theory even goes as far as saying the French are taunting Jewish and/or Protestant peoples. On the other hand, the Vietnamese version about a yellow butterfly has not been analyzed enough to uncover any definite theory as to the underlying meaning to the song, but I like to believe my grandma’s explanation that it’s about a beautiful village girl who is completely unaware of her beauty and the effect she has on others. So all in all, in relation to the nation to the song: France’s relation to the song is ultimately (but indirectly) one that is used to assert a certain disdain towards a group whom the French think as less than themselves—so pretty much the French hid behind a cutesy nursery rhyme when they were throwing shade at the Jews—while Vietnam on the other hand adapted the French bullying song and made it one that is appreciative, and more compassionate.

                 My theory of the development of the Kìa con bướm váng is that it was the direct product of, not only French imperialism, but the French claiming a certain dominancy over the Vietnamese peoples—politically, socially, intellectually, even religiously. Yes, the ultimate appeal of colonizing the dense and tropical peninsula was to exploit its crude oil and cash crop potential, but—like the Europeans of 1492—the morale behind seafaring was to spread influence on lesser nations whom they deemed were in need of change, or in this case, were in need of being “remade into French persons” (MarcoHistory). Again, the same ole case of the invading nation determined to strike at rich by forcefully claiming already inhabited land, thus consequentially deeming themselves as superior to the indigenous population.

                 Vietnam is and was a predominantly peasant society in which a majority of the population lived in rural villages that were highly underdeveloped. Therefore, when the French gained control of the peninsula they initiated development projects immediately (step 1 to “remaking” the Vietnamese into “French persons”). Typically, those that took on such high-labor, low paying jobs were those of the rural communities; ultimately because they were poor and in need and French enterprises knew it. Consequently, a new class immediately following France’s presence emerged, the Vietnamese. Can you believe it? People of their own country, of their own home were made into a separate class that was even lower than simply “the working class”, they were labeled as blatantly the Vietnamese class, as people who labored for the French as servants. It was almost something to boast about for the French; having the indigenous race “[labor] in French-owned mines, on French-owned plantations, at French-owned construction sites, and in French-owned factories” (MarcoHistory). It was something to boast about.

                 In relation to Frère Jacques, the French saw the song as a tactic to, yet again, boast of their “superiority” over “lesser peoples”; as a method of embedding their children with this notion that the French are of a higher breed. As victims of such ideals, I like to think that Kìa con bướm váng developed as a way to keep the Vietnamese’s spirits from lowering, to make them see themselves as not the lesser breed. I like to think that it was sung to little boys and girls to remind them that they’re all little yellow butterflies, that have a larger significance than they can see, despite how others (the French) may see them.

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Relational analysis.

Relations with other groups during the 1940’s was a hit or miss. Looking at the relationship between Nazi Germany and the jewish people is quite obvious. During this time there was an ethic cleaning in Germany, the Nazi party was responsible for “cleaning” Germany and the jews were the victims of this ideology. The Germans look at the jewish people almost as native, in the sense that they had to be gotten rid of. Although the jewish people were not alone, groups such as the Armenian’s, and the gay’s fell right in their boat. They were also considered among the many who where not pure enough to be alive, according to the Nazi regime. The Jewish people faced a struggle of power, all the power lied with the Nazi regime and no one was there to speak up for them. Why I always wonder why people would follow such a ludicrous man. Why people didn't try to stop Hitler. Why my ancestors had to flee their own country to find safety, but then again when has anyone ever stopped this. Why was the ottoman empire allowed to murder thousand of the Armenian people? But this is just their relationship to the government. It is a hostel one, where only one is allowed to have power, and the government has all the power. In these case Uncle ben will always win, whether or not they actually win the war, they still win. They convinced thousands of people that one group should be murdered for their race gender religion or what not, they won. Germany’s neighbors where not on board with this way of thinking. France for instance was almost neutral in world war two, but they leaned to help the jewish people. My grandmother was allowed to flee there and when she was their she was a friend of the French, Italy was not so nice. Mussolini was in alliance with Hitler, therefore another foe of my ancestors. The world during this time was not so nice to my ancestors, all though not every nation was out to murder and certainly not ever member of hostel nation where Hitler, they still didn't speak up. Silence lets murder happen, let the Nazi Regime rise to power and murder millions of jewish people.

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The Mezuzah.

      My grandmother, E. Silverman was not the person to tell me this story of the mezuzah. She was in fact not even the person who passes this down to my family. Short after my bubbe, got Alzheimers she got moved into a retirement home this is where we found the mezuzah. It was in a very old box with other objects we assume are from the war. We don't quite know why should would want to leave such beautiful and historic pieces in a box, but I was never able to find out. When all this happen I was very little as soon as my mother found the mezuzah she switched it out with our prior one. Switching something shiny for something old was odd but my mom happily told me the story of how the mezuzah got to America. It was interesting to think how many nations it has been in yet how many different means one object could have.       David zaklikowsi described the mezuzah in a way I've always thought about it, he claims the mezuzah is “reminding us of our connection to G‑d and our heritage. Its presence reminds us to infuse our daily doings with holiness and good deeds.” - Dovid Zaklikowsi. Just as I thought when I was a little girl. On a similar note Dovid said “In addition to its role as a declaration and reminder of our faith, the Mezuzah is also a symbol of G‑d's watchful care over the house and its dwellers.” -Dovid Zaklikowsi, it’s a different feeling to see that it can have a universal meaning. This is not one that is explained by the text inside but yet it still influence people the same. I do think that this feeling of safety is derived from the diaspora and world war two. The jewish people were constantly being moved, leaving behind item after item, but not what stood for religion. I often thought how could the jewish people stay so true to their religion and God when life was so hard for them, but I guess that was the meaning behind the Mezuzah. The troubles and travels of the jewish people gave the mezuzah this deeper meaning derived from the origin. This is just like my bubbe, I never had the heart to ask how her travels where, or why she took items and left others yet again I never really had a opportunity to ask these questions. But I can only imagine that her experiences were not to different from others traveling from nation to nation. The other jews who lost the males in their family, the other jews who lost citizenship and has not choice but to leave their homes. The nation state of Poland was the same for every jewish family. Each kosher house hold was bound by citizenship and genocide. These national binds come to mind when analyzing my grandmother’s travels, first is the idea of citizenship and second is genocide. If my grandmother and her parents would have stayed in Poland they would have been categorized as jews, stripped of their citizenship, and put in concentrations camps most likely to die. During their time it was the national bind that forced them out of Poland. They were denied of citizenship which made Poland a dangerous place for them. This is the same principle for genocide, jewish people were one of the many targets during World War two.       Durning this time it was the intersection of gender and religion that dictated the movement of the mezuzah it was common to send the women and children to safety first but they wouldn't have need to movie if they were not jewish. The crossing of these two aspects sent my bubbe on her way.

-Melanie Nieman, Leon Friday 2Pm discussion

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ea/b1/f2/eab1f2fcbc537a222fb1a905212d9fef.jpg http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/256915/jewish/What-Is-a-Mezuzah.htm http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-mezuzah

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Notebook one

Melanie Nieman ETHN 2 Leon DI 2pm Friday My family line came directly from Poland. My grandmother and my great grandmother were the only two to make it out of Poland safely. They started first in France, than to Italy, a couple stops on the way and finally to the United States. Unfortunately my great grandfather was not so lucky. As the story goes my mothers side of my family originated from Poland, the details of what happen when world war two started are lost with my grandmother’s Alzheimer's. But their track and their journey to the United States is the only solid record we still have. My great Grandfather in winter of 1940 helped my grandmother at age of 6 and my great grandmother get on the first route out to France this is where their journey started. From France they went to italy and then straight to America. But their journey isn't what calls my attention the objects my grandmother took with her all represent something and tell their own story, in specific a Mezuzah. The Mezuzah to me is a symbol of home, it represented the sanctuary within a jewish house hold. The clear meaning on the piece of paper is we shall post this on to our door or gate and love God and only God. When a jewish home puts up a Mezuzah it is a promise to love God and only God, to listen to his command that was inscribed within the Mezuzah. This of course was the meaning behind the Mezuzah in biblical times, yes it will always translate roughly to that meaning but for each individual it will differ. For my grandmother each object she took with her was a representation of the jewish culture she has left. She wasn't able to bring much and a Mezuzah not nailed to a wall seems irrelevant. The meaning behind the Mezuzah for her was no longer keeping Gods command it was more about the love. She love God and only God, though she was no longer to obey his command the security still came with his words. The Mezuzah nailed to my grandmothers house in Poland represented the holly word of God. It used to show the commitment to God’s commands but as it moved to France and then Italy and then America it changed. It was more about holding on to the hope that came with his words, less about following his command and more about God promise to protect his people. This where my idea of the Mezuzah is stemmed from. Though I do know what the words mean in context I always thought it was a mutual promise. The Mezuzah I had nailed to my wall growing up kept my grandmother and great grandmother safe during world war two, every day I touched it I believe it was keeping my household safe. My family, my pets, any friend that would walk thought that door had protection. This is of course was that we indeed did keep the Mezuzah nailed to our door post and God close to our hearts.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/310886/jewish/The-Contents-of-the-Mezuzah.htm