Familia Gabay

The hurricane was definitely on her way to south Florida but the forecast gave the city of Miami until 5pm to do her business. I left bright and early for the Gabay home and felt some wild winds on the way. Driven, I pressed the gas pedal and made it through heavy traffic…arriving only 20 minutes late.

A hurricane child myself, I tried not to get very excited about Katrina. Even so, I decided to give myself until 3pm and then start heading back to my friend’s apartment.

Boris and Raquel Gabay have covered the walls of their home with art. Their art to be specific. Boris is an incredible photographer and I could have sat in front of his photos for hours. Raquel, a painter, is humble about her still-life canvasses but has an obvious talent and an eye for texture and color. The Gabays have an interesting story and a beautiful family (I had the opportunity to see both old and new photographs after the interview) and while I wanted to interview both Boris and Raquel, this time (due to the storm, etc) I only managed to interview Boris.

Various friends of Boris warned me that his story would “take up a lot of tape....” It certainly did and wow was it interesting. Boris was born to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. Jacques Gabay, later Jaime Gabay came to El Salvador from Turkey at the urging of an adventurous uncle. Leaving behind his family, namely his parents would be difficult….but in the meantime, he started building a life and career for himself in tiny Salvador.

Boris’s mother was born and raised in El Salvador and was happy with her husband and small family settled in la Colonia Flor Blanca. Boris knew his parents were of different religious backgrounds and it was decided the Boris would be Jewish and his sister would be Catholic (to keep things balanced). That seemed to work out fine until he figured out that he didn’t fit into one simple category. Boris became good friends with kids in the neighborhood (all who were Catholic) and eventually made the decision to convert to Catholicism at age eleven. He admits feeling pressure from his friends but also acknowledges that he was genuinely curious about the Catholic religion. He remained active in the Church until he left for college in the States.

Nevertheless, Boris attended the American School and became friends with four very important individuals (who remain very important to him to this day): Roby Salomon, Jack Davidson, Frank Rosenberg, Ricardo Rosenberg, and Dicky Schoening (and more which I will eventually add after I receive the interview transcript!). All members of the Jewish community, these kids helped to create one half of Boris’s identity.

Boris admits that his journey is a complicated one….a journey that he thinks about and analyzes quite often. Even though it is not the case today, he felt somewhat marginalized by both Catholics and the Jews in El Salvador. He was never Catholic enough nor was he ever “completely Jewish.” Several troubling anecdotes remember these painful experiences of being pushed to the outside and Boris has trouble forgetting these words. He tells me these stories as if they happened the day before.

The story is complex and I encourage you to listen to Boris’s interview as soon as it is archived. Raquel Funes de Gabay eventually converted to Judaism in the 1980s and the couple joined a synagogue in Miami. I can only imagine what Raquel’s interview will add to the story.

Despite the storm, the Gabays took me to lunch nearby and then guided me towards Miami Beach. Needless to say, I made it home in time.

Art imitates life, I’m telling you…….this is a family with a wide range of color and a deep, thoughtful texture.

Familia Scherer

I was staying with a friend in South Beach so going a bit north on Collins Avenue wasn't a big deal. On the way to the Scherers apartment, I passed those gorgeous Art Deco hotels: the Eden Roc, etc. Not far away was an attractive apartment building near the water....and I rang up.

After exiting the elevator, I saw Stan waiting for me in the doorway. I spoke with Marjorie and Stan only a few times before meeting and I was excited to finally connect the voice to a face. They kept me company as I set-up my elaborate audio/video mobile studio and started talking about Salvador before I even hit record. Luckily, I was able to backtrack a bit to those first days of marriage and Marjorie's childhood in Guatemala and beyond.

For a few years Stan and Marjorie lived only a few blocks from each other in Great Neck on Long Island. Like a good romance novel, they never met during that time. Stan had various siblings and spent most of his early years in Manhattan. Marjorie was born in Manhattan as well but did not stay there for long.

After some years in Guatemala, Marjorie moved with her parents to El Salvador where she lived a generally happy childhood. Eventually she moved to the States for university and somewhere along the way met Stan. (the story is much more complex but you'll have to listen to their oral history to get the real deal).

Stan soon left to join the military where he flew a fighter plane in WWII. Based for some weeks in Tunis, he remembers being invited by the local Jewish community for the high holidays. His memories are incredibly detailed. "They had nothing but they would have first hidden in a closet than not invited the American Jews to their table. We fit about two truckloads of guys. They were smart men, enlisted as doctors, intelligence commanders, officers. I was the only stupid one who signed up to be a fighter pilot." Stan remembers that night as if it were yesterday. With a bit of French and inserts of broken English, the two groups of Jews communicated.

After the war, Stan met Marjorie at a party/card game. "He had the worst hand of cards at the table!" Marjorie remembers. "He was such an interesting guy...I couldn't help but want to learn more." Marjorie's father convinced Stan to join his sales oriented business in Salvador and soon Marjorie and Stan were living in San Salvador (Los Planos to be exact). Their two daughters were born in San Salvador and remained in the country until they reached college-age. Marjorie and Stan loved their life in the capital....

"It was paradise!" Stan says. "But boy did it change."

Marjorie smiles as she talks about the revolutionary changes she helped to bring about at the synagogue (along with a few other ladies).

Marjorie: We refused to sit separately from our husbands during services.
Jessica: So what did you do?
Majorie: Not much, we just sat down next to our husbands and no one said another word (insert huge smile).

One cannot help but admire her chutzpah. A small Jewish community that was very set in its ways....this was no deterrent for such an enlightened, strong young woman.

I asked Stan about living in El Salvador, whether the abject poverty bothered him on a daily basis? whether he felt guilty about living a life of splendor in the midst of shantytowns.

"Of course it was difficult. We tried our best to treat everyone who worked for
us very well. I'll never forget one of our maids....a very sweet, young, and
smart woman. She once became sick and needed to take the afternoon off to visit
the doctor. He gave her some medication and I immediately offered to pay for
it...

She responded; "Don't worry, Sir. My father will pay for it."

I later found out from the other maid that her father was one of the wealthiest
Salvadorans in the country. She was just one of his many illegitimate
children. He probably thought he was doing a great deal to help her by paying for
the medicine. Can you imagine? The daughter of such a wealthy man working hard,
long hours as a maid? Sometimes this type of treatment would make me furious.

To be honest with you, it still and will always make me furious."

The Scherers history continued for two more hours and was rich with a fascinating American perspective and a sharp sense of humor.

"Sometimes I think we should still be back there." Stan says shaking his head. "It was so painful to leave."

Grabbing his hand, Marjorie looked straight at me and smiles: "But we are OK darling, as long as we have each other."

Familia Sanders

Tuesday took me to Brickell. A long avenue bordered by tall high-rise condos, Brickell definitely exudes a breezy, elegant, Miami vibe. The ocean is a glance away and the trees provide a very necessary tropical shade. The Sanders (Evelyn, daughter Patricia, and grandson Armando) live at the very top of a lovely building facing Key Biscayne and the water. Stunning views.

After making it past two serious security guards, I finally boarded the elevator to the top. Greeting me was a tall Patricia and her sweet mother Evelyn. We had never met before.

The living room became our chatting space/recording studio for the next few hours. Patricia and Evelyn are undeniably close and finish each other's sentences. Patricia started us off and told me of her early childhood in El Salvador. Experiences at the American School (all the way until 12th grade) led up to her introduction to the United States at Tampa University in Florida. The only child of Evelyn and Bob Sanders, she reveals an interesting mix of Salvadoran and American perspective. While she remembers her happy childhood, she is clear that Salvador is no longer home. She recalls her relief at the end of a recent visit; "Let's just say that after five days, I was very happy when the plane took off."

Evelyn's history is fascinating. Born in San Salvador to two French (Alsatian)-born parents, Evelyn was raised as an only child in the very small Jewish community of the late 20s and early 30s. She was sent to Strausbourg in 1938 after finishing her schooling in Salvador. There was no American school at that time so she joined the other neighborhood children at the local Catholic school. Protected and surrounded by her many aunts, Evelyn enjoyed her French sojourn...until she was abruptly sent back to Salvador after the family heard rumors of the impending invasion. Settling back into her Latin way of life, Evelyn worked for her father and lived in the capital throughout the war years. It was during this boat trip back to the States that she met bride-to-be Yvonne Salomon (mother of Andree, Helene, and Roby) for the very first time.

Years later, she met her husband Bob Sanders (originally from NY) who arrived in Salvador at the behest of his cousin Federico Falkenstein. A salesman in his own right, he met Evelyn at a dinner party....the rest is history. He later began working for her father and became part of the successful French-Jewish business world.

Evelyn and Bob were a good match and lived a full life in El Salvador and later in Miami despite their "exiled status" as Bob would frequently explain to their new friends. Evelyn remembered that Bob adored his life in El Salvador and said if it weren't for his mother, he would have never been from NY.

Evelyn has strong feelings about the war, her French past, the Civil War in Salvador, and her life in the States. She loved El Salvador and is saddened to have left it prematurely. The day the Sanders sold their house was "the saddest day of[her] life."

Even so, the Sanders were not alone in the States with fellow cousins (the Josephs) living in NYC. With a tender and painful testimony, Evelyn and Patricia Sanders show us how war changes our most intimate memories forever.

Familia Schoening

I arrived in a hot Miami at 2pm in the afternoon. After lugging my equipment to the rental car office, I got the keys to my classy Dodge Neon and hit the road. South. My mother told me to pay attention because "Miami is a confusing place and people drive like they are in Latin America." This is true and perhaps Miami should just secede from the union and get it over with. This is Latin America.... drivers and all. I actually really like Miami. Everytime I come here I feel more comfortable....and kind of into the whole scene. It definitely is a scene, though (at least in some neighborhoods).

On to what you really want to read about: The Schoenings. Ricardo (AKA Dicky) and his wife Betty welcomed me into their beautiful home in the Kendall area of Miami. I fell in love with one of their dogs (later I would find out that they had four total and one extra dog in El Salvador). The house reminded me of homes I had visited before....beautiful plants, many pictures, interesting art, and many hints of a prior life in El Salvador. I was early and took some the downtime to think about the interview. The lovely thing about this Florida visit is that I really don't know most of these people well. I've heard about them by name but could not pick them out of any Bar Mitzvah crowd. Same with Dicky and Betty--this would be our first meeting. A few moments later, Dicky comes in with a booming voice and big hug. We sit down and soon Betty joins.....we are all finally together after so many emails. I am thrilled. We chat for about half an hour and then I start setting up. The oral history begins a few minutes later.

The Schoenings are an interesting family. They are of German descent and Dicky along with his two siblings were born in El Salvador. He loved his childhood in El Salvador and was proud to be a part of one of the first classes at the newly created American School/Escuela Americana. Even so, he remembered that his first lessons about diversity happed in high school-in the United States. Along with many other young people in El Salvador, Dicky was sent to the States for high school since the American School only went up to the tenth grade. He was in Massachusetts, my mother in Vermont, etc.

After two years at the University of Rochester, Dicky decided to go back to Salvador. The business was waiting for him and he had enough of school and the US. Luckily, it didn't take him too long to meet his Betty. I only heard hints of Betty's history but will have sufficient time to sit down with her on Thursday. Her story appears fascinating yet complex.

What I found most fascinating about Dicky is his connection to Germany. Unlike other individuals with whom I have spoken, Dicky feels nothing but warmth for Germany. He has many German friends, visits often, etc. This seems to be a generational issue because others (namely older community members) still hold a good amount of resentment towards Deutschland. The Holocaust isn't that far away for them....nor will it ever be. Sometimes that transferred on to their children. Sometimes it didn't (hence the example of Dicky).

It was refreshing to hear his perspective but then again, the Schoenings were lucky enough not to lose anyone in the war.

A good 2 hours of oral history continued and then I was invited to stay for dinner....pupusas and all. Mil gracias to the familia for their time, generosity, and hospitality.

On to Brickell Avenue tomorrow.

Florida sun...

I am about 72 hours away from hitting the Florida coast where I hope to interview around ten different individuals. There is no doubt that I will have to return as the amount of Salvadoran affiliated Jews living in Miami-Dade is overwhelming. Maybe I could get everyone recorded....if I had a month.

Even if I cannot meet with you this time around, I will be back to pick up the rest. You should be hearing from me soon no matter what. :)

Happy Friday to each of you. Words from Miami next week.

Story Corps

You may have heard some great stories recently on NPR. Could be that they were a part of a fantastic project called Story Corps. A small booth was set-up in Grand Central Station (and now in numerous other locations) where individuals had the opportunity to record their own oral histories (either alone or with a friend/family member). The results were incredible and I strongly urge you to check out the project's website.

www.storycorps.net

I think these booths should be placed all over the country...they would definitely give Hollywood some real human drama to work with.

Six stories, Six faces.

In a recent conference, I was fortunate to view a short video made by the Shoah Foundation, "A Visual History" project to remember victims of the Holocaust (established by Stephen Spielberg). The presentation's goal was to help viewers understand the incredible intricacies involved in storytelling. The subject was the Sonderkommando, those Jews who were forced to run the gas chambers and crematoriums at Nazi extermination camps.

The film was comprised of perhaps six different testimonies from both men and women involved in the Sonderkommando uprising at Auschwitz. The revolt failed and as a result, many Jews were shot, hung, and/or tortured. (For more information on the sonderkommando check out the link attached at the end of this posting). The range of emotion on the film was extraordinary. Everything from pure anger to shock was reflected in the faces and testimonies of the group: memories of smells and voices, the sequence of events and moments of triumph fell within a surprisingly large range of intensity. At the end of the video, one truly grasped the power of oral testimony.

We now have the tools to make these recordings easily and efficiently. Each event, story, memory...will have numerous sides and perspectives. Sophisticated recordings allow us to hear the physical memories of particular events, through voices which can be just as powerful as the stories themselves.

http://www.hagalil.com/shoah/holocaust/greif-0.html

Oral history and catastrophe

Oral history can bring humanity and heart to some of the darkest tragedies experienced by contemporary civilization. Rwanda, Bosnia, The Holocaust, Armenia, Darfur, WWI and WWII, Vietnam, Nanjing, 9/11, London. Sadly, I could go on and on.

No matter how graphic or how intense, an individual's ability to remember both emotional and physical details from such events is astounding. What I have found most interesting is the development of women's wartime testimony throughout the twentieth century. I have spent some time analyzing testimonies of sexual violence during the Holocaust and have located very few transcribed oral histories. As sexual violence continues today both during war and peace-time, it is apparent that women in western society have started to record oral histories regarding rape and other forms of gendered violence. Despite these developments, society's insensitive handling of violence against women and girls continues in many parts of the developed and developing world. Personal tragedies are harder to record in highly traditional and/or religious societies such as Iraq, Bosnia, Rwanda due to societal retribution, honor killings, filial expectations, etc. An oral history colleague mentioned that she has been building rapport with victims of sexual violence or "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia--for over a year. She hopes to be able to gather some oral testimony in the near future.

Contemporary examples from Venezuela and Pakistan reminds us of the prevalence of gendered violence even during peacetime. Linda Loaiza's (Venezuela) story can be read at: http://www.freechoicesaveslives.org/campaign/Linda while Mukhtar Mai's horrific tale of gendered violence in Pakistan is recalled at: http://www.mukhtarmai.com/Mai'sTragedy.htm

Obviously, oral historians must take great care when engaging in this type of project. The interviewee must be handled with sensitivity and the oral historian should be trained in gathering catastrophe-based testimony. The last thing an historian wants is to re-victimize an already vulnerable victim.

I have this post in my head due to this week's release of 9/11 oral histories by the City of New York. If you have not read about these oral histories, make sure you try to catch an explanatory article in the NYTimes. One of these articles can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/12/nyregion/12cnd-histories.html
If you continue to be interested in 9/11 oral histories, Columbia University's extensive project should not be missed.
Check it out at: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/oral/sept11.html

Blindspot

Some oral histories reveal an individual's ability to turn the other cheek. If you have some free time and want to hear an incredibly bewildering testimony, rent the documentary "Blindspot." Extensive interviews with Hitler's personal assistant reveal the life story of a young woman--one whose naivete and mysterious innocence allowed her to serve him for the entire length of WWII. Bolstered by some of the most personal testimony about the daily life of Hitler, "Blindspot" goes deeper as it searches for the humanity recalled by this woman's experience with a most "gentle" Fuhrer.

MIAMI: A home away from home

Before hitting El Salvador there are quite a few individuals I would like to interview. My first side trip will be to Miami to interview about thirteen former community members who now call the United States home.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you soon as I will be arriving Monday, August 22nd and departing Monday, August 29th. With my trusty rented car, I should be able to find your apartments/houses all over Miami-Dade.

I am slowly getting in touch with my Floridians via telephone and email. You'll be hearing from me soon!

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Friday to all.

About the interview

Many may wonder: what goes on in an oral history interview? Below, I attempt to answer the most frequently asked questions (FAQs).

1. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Ahh, my favorite question. It is always best to be as comfortable as possible. The video recording is simply taken as a back-up for the audio recording. In the terrible case that something should go wrong (audio-wise), atleast I will still have the interview recorded elsewhere.

2. WHERE WILL WE FILM?
Routinely, I film/record interviews in the interviewee's home. We try to pick a room or area of the home where there are few to no distractions and a calm background (such as solid colored walls, etc). A good degree of natural light is also essential as I do not travel with light equipment. Other than that, all we need are two-three chairs.

As far as equipment, a hand-held microphone on a stand will be set up behind the interviewee. It should be out of the interviewer's direct line of vision but may be seen peripherally. I will manage both the audio and video equipment by wearing headphones and constantly checking mic levels on both pieces of equipment. The interviewee will not be required to wear a microphone on his/her person.

3. SHOULD I PREPARE IN ANY WAY?
There is no preparation required for the interview; one should think of it as a long conversation. It is my hope that the interviewee will be able to silence telephones and other electronic equipment during the interview. If this is not possible, it is helpful to have another member of the household available to answer phones, the doorbell, etc.

4. WHAT IF I HAVE PICTURES I WANT TO SHARE?
Wonderful! I encourage all to bring out those dusty (or not so dusty) pictures and memorabilia from any/all periods of one's life. This is a complete oral history (as in a life history) and most interviewees will have lived in or visited different places in their lives. I would rather save the pictures for the very end instead of try to integrate them into the actual interview. I travel with a scanner for photographs in order to digitally record them onto my computer. These pictures will be added to the written transcription of the interview.

5. HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD I SET ASIDE?
A minimum of one hour up to as much as you'd like. It can be very exhausting to talk about oneself (hard to believe but very true!) and I never expect people to exceed three hours. Even so, it does happens and I will block off at least five hours for each interview. I stay in each city for at least a few days and will be able to return to an interviewee's home for added thoughts and second interview installments. The heart and soul of this project IS the interviewee and I will do everything possible to make this process comfortable and convenient for all involved.

All interviews will utilize the following equipment:
Marantz 660K PMD Digital Recorder
Panasonic 3CCD Mini-Camcorder + tripod
Beyer Microphones and stands
and the assistance of many manuals.

6. I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, CAN I CALL YOU OR EMAIL?
Absolutely! I am eager to speak with each and every one of you. Until September 15th, please contact me at: 713.667.1483 (Stateside) or in El Salvador at 503.7787.7189. Also, please feel free to contact me via email at any point in time: jessicaalpert@yahoo.com


Until tomorrow...

You Are Now Up to Date

This blog serves to inform you of the latest interviews, projects, travels, and epiphanies regarding my current oral history project: The Jewish Community of El Salvador. Today's entry is a small effort to provide some background on both oral history and myself.

Raised in Texas, I am greatly influenced by my childhood experiences as a Jew in a strongly Christian evangelical state. Forced to examine my own identity as "the other" at a young age, I quickly became interested in the story of my family, particularly the life story of my grandparents. I was lucky to record and later publish my maternal grandmother's oral history of her life in Germany, Holland, El Salvador, and finally the United States. The powerful experience inspired me to continue gathering oral histories from this most dynamic community. Now with the help of a Fulbright fellowship, strong mentorship, personal study, professional audio, and video equipment, I am ready to document past and present community members in Central America, North America, and Israel. After many detours, I am back on the path to my original love: StoryListening.

The title "oral history" gives the individual a basic understanding of the craft. One is listening to and speaking about (rather than writing) history. The term itself is simple and cannot begin to truly describe what goes on in an interview. First and foremost, every interview is different. Almost always, an interview involves two individuals: the interviewer and the interviewee. Occasionally a sound technician will be present but I will not have such a luxury when traveling. Audio equipment and increasingly more common, a video camera are used to record the session. Very few notes are taken and the interviewer prepares very few if any questions. The interview will begin with basic biographical questions such as "where were you born?" "tell me about your parents, your siblings, your extended family." From this point, the interviewer gently guides the interviewee through the story of his/her life. There are no facts or dates to remember and sometimes it is those unconscious omissions that provide an interviewee with the most food for thought. When all is said and done, an oral history is simply the story of one individuals' life experience.

Before your interview, you might be interested in learning more about the craft that is oral history. The Oral History Association defines the discipline this way;

"Oral history is a method of gathering and preserving historical information through recorded interviews with participants in past events and ways of life. It is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s."

Large oral history collections can be found at a range of institutions throughout the world including non-profits, philanthropic organizations, universities, and foundations. Documentation of the tragedies of the twentieth century have been some of the first widely distributed oral histories, either in audio and/or video formats. Oral historians sought out the personal histories of those individuals who survived World War II, the Holocaust, apartheid in South Africa, genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the events of 9/11 (amongst numerous others).

Enlisted with the task of collecting the official 9/11 oral history, the Columbia University Oral History Office describes it's mammoth project:
"Within the first year of the project over four hundred interviews were conducted with a wide variety of people who were affected directly and indirectly by the catastrophe. Two hundred follow-up interviews were conducted in the winter and spring of 2002, in order to allow those we interviewed in the first year to speak about the effects of their experiences over time. The objective of the project was to gather as many different individual perspectives on the impact of September 11th as possible, and to allow people to speak about their experiences outside the frameworks quickly developed by official media and government accounts."

The impact of the oral history interview is long-lasting. Not only can it be life-changing for the interviewer and the interviewee, its documentation serves to remind and refresh governmental bodies, scholars, historians, family, and community members of the triumphs and tragedies of those who "lived through it." Mary Marshall Clark, Director of the Columbia University Oral History Research Office (OHRO) describes her South African Apartheid project as "life-changing." After an emotional interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, she champions the craft as a tool for change. Despite her strong reaction, Clark admits that the Archbishop was not so sure about the act of remembering saying,

"It's good to have a little bit of amnesia, because when you think about the details of repression . . . you would really go crazy."

Clark disagrees,

"But from both a professional and a personal standpoint, I feel he's wrong: you risk going crazy if you have amnesia. It's thanks to speaking with him and working on this South Africa project that I'm more certain than ever—we've got to remember."