"We would not be here today....without the converts, without the mixed marriages..."

In this week's final excerpt, Ruth Baum de Feldman discusses her feelings towards the Jewish community including her decision to return to El Salvador.

All questions in parentheses are mine.
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(Do you think the Jewish community learned anything during the war?)

I think we did. We learned many things. We learned acceptance that we didn’t have maybe before for, look, we would not be here today as a community without all the converts, all the mixed marriages. We wouldn’t be what we are today if we would not have been open to that. We changed in that we came together, people that usually did not visit together, now they are. Because remember that there were so few left that you had to switch your way of thinking and get the people that you mixed with was a little bit different, a little bit different. And I think that it has been very positive. But definitely in a way it has hurt the community, because most of our young ones in the community did not come back. The ones that are coming back are the ones that was the first generation, like me, you know? They are coming back. Roby (Roberto Salomon), Jack (Jack Davidson), all of us came back. This is like Jack said one time when we were leaving when I was to traumatized. He said, “This is the song of Anatevka.” And it’s true. This is our Anatevka. Only that we were very fortunate to come back and find an Anatevka still, thanks to all those who stayed here. They really stuck it out, and they have continued to do so. I am proud of this community.

(What are the challenges that you see facing the Jewish community in the future?)

I think maybe the challenges are that they have to always remember that it is a family. Care for each other as a family. And if they respect each other and really have that caring, even if you don’t like each other, care for each other. Because it’s family. And that’s the strength of the community. Once we start losing that strength—we become weak and we can disappear. It’s very easy. We are just as strong as our weakest link.

(Is there anything else you want to add, a story you want to tell, something that I may not have touched on?)

A story. Oh, my goodness. I don’t know. I just feel that we’re very fortunate to have a community that had such a strong core. And that strong core is still there. And the new generations have to make sure that they keep making that core strong and never destroying anyone in it, but building into it. The founders of this community that were incredible people gave that core to us. They were really incredible people. Jews and converts.

(Including your dad.)

Oh, including my dad, yeah. My dad is one about whom I could make a book and a movie. As well as my mother, I mean, both of them. Like them, they were all these really amazing people, amazing. Colorful.

(To say the very least.)

To say the very least.

Transcript by Sandy Adler, Adler Enterprises LLC.