Kosher El Salvador

In this entry Miguel explains in his own way and in his own words how the Cukier family adapted to their new lives in El Salvador.

All questions in parentheses are mine.
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I don’t like to talk about religion. I don’t know enough about Judaism, a little Gustavo [Gustavo Kraselnik, former Rabbi in El Salvador] taught me. But that’s all right, I was born a Jew, you know, but that’s it. Some get confused. They get more confused when I say that I eat—that I’m kosher. And they say, “Oh, yeah?” I say yes, I eat only circumcised pork. Then they really get confused at that one. (laughs) I was never—it was probably coming from a very unreligious bunch of people. Kosher was not part of the household at all. Basically mainly in El Salvador. I mean, they were a little bit religious. It would have been very difficult to be kosher in the 1940s and ‘50s. The rabbi told us that that was not because—I always thought it was because of disease. No. God made it, he said, because he wanted to see the people obey. He said, “Don’t eat this.” You obey his law and you don’t eat that. Well, to each his own. Good.

But I do eat circumcised pork. I do. Blessed by the rabbi.

(When you saw kids at the American school, Jewish kids, did you think, “Oh, I’m like them”? Or that didn’t cross your mind?)

That didn’t even cross my mind. I was just a young kid having fun in life, like I’m an old kid trying to make the best of the days that I’m gonna be here and I’m gonna enjoy every second my way. Each one enjoys their life the way they want to. But it was confusing why everybody surrounding me was Christian—Catholic, not Christian, Christian is evangelical—Catholics, and we were Jewish.

(So you didn’t celebrate Christmas?)

Oh, yes!

(You had a Christmas tree?)

Oh, yes. Lily had a Christmas tree when she was little, too, in college. My grandmother—the factory was huge. They had a huge garden. She let one of the peasants from the mountain bring all his Christmas trees to sell in Kalisz. She gave him a little piece of land so he could sell his goods, among them our Christmas tree. She wouldn’t charge him anything. And in gratefulness, he would give her a tree that was put for Lily. And I always had—I loved Christmas. I loved Christmas—not that I—I don’t believe in—

(It wasn’t Jesus’s birthday to you?)

No.

(It was just Christmas?)

It was just a tree full of decorations and the house was joyful—it was a joyful time. It was not even—he was not even born, if he was born. Who tells me he was born? I don’t believe it. Maybe he was born, but nothing like the story. I don’t believe in that story at all. But if he was born, he was not born in December anyhow. So I don’t put a Christmas tree now, because there’s only Delia and myself. This year, my son came and his wife and the kids. We had a Christmas tree upstairs, not down here, upstairs because the kids like Christmas. They’re not Catholic or Episcopalian. I guess Delia told you, Juan Miguel is a free thinker, in a way. So a very good man, my son. Both. They’re both free thinkers. They’re not—you know, there is a God, but that’s about it. They respect very much the Jewish religion.

(Your son is quite an artist who makes beautiful Judaica.)

Yeah.

(It’s very interesting.)

I’m the one that started the whole thing. They said, oh, no, no. I said, “Look, try a few pieces of Judaica. Jewish people like to put decorations in their house.” I explained it. “Maybe you’re gonna be successful, highly successful.” They’re calling him from Judaica shows from all over the US to show their art.

Which is good. I’m glad.

Transcript by Sandy Adler, Adler Enterprises LLC