Themes began to emerge.  We often heard of multi-generational legacies in memories of food, holiday celebrations and of grandparents. Those who grew up in Minnesota often had warm memories of the former Jewish communities in which they lived.  They spoke of family shops, Jewish institutions and of helping each other in times of need.  Several sang us songs, often ones associated with family memories.  Some described entrepreneurial behavior of the Jewish community that allowed them to survive against tough odds.  Some shared artifacts that had legacy embedded within them.

The Holocaust survivors had stories of loss, loss of family and the lives they had lived prior to the war.  They talked about memory.  Remembering what happened during the Holocaust, the need for the State of Israel and the need for peace. 

Many talked about anti-Semitism both here and in Europe.  Still others spoke of sharing ethnic foods with their non-Jewish neighbors whether it was in the Ukraine or the Iron Range. 

And they talked about being Jewish.  About the freedom to now be Jewish in the United States.  They talked about legacy in terms of practicing the Judaism they learned as a child at heder.  Of embracing Yiddishkeit and having it integrated into one’s life, not into little “cubby holes”.   They also talked about the legacies that they had been handed down and continued; blessing the candles, telling the stories, mothering the children and honoring the parents. 

The stories were often visually rich and our subjects often relished the retelling.  Some stories were painful.  Many were deeply moving.  Some could state their identity and legacy clearly.  More often they told us stories out of which it emerged, not neatly packaged, but evident nonetheless. Together they give glimpses of the life experiences that create identity and in turn the legacy of the broader Jewish community.  

With the initial set of interviews concluded, I've begun to create artwork around the stories that I will be posting on this site as it is completed.  I've also created a DVD with excerpts of the interviews into which I hope to incorporate the artwork.   A project that originally began to create a body of source material for my artwork soon took on a life of its own.  I am honored to be able to capture these wonderful stories and hope that I can do them justice in the retelling.   

Susan Weinberg

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