2/6/2017 0 Comments Blog #4Reading the first two chapters of The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South by Eli N. Evans provided a stark contrast to Stella Suberman’s memoir, The Jew Store. While both writers approach their families’ histories in the south, Suberman’s took on a much lighter tone, whereas Eli N. Evans approached his story with a much more straight forward way of writing. Racism was secondary to the struggles of the Bronson family in The Jew Store, with the threat of the Ku Klux Klan being nothing more than hubris in Concordia, but in Durham, the threat was anything but fable. I also found it interesting that though the Bronson parents and the Evans parents were separated by a generation or two, the ownership of Jew stores connected them. Reading about the Evanses was like looking into the future of the Bronsons, a continuation of their story following a new set of Jewish southerners. It was interesting to me that there was freedom for Eli and his brother to choose their futures, and that Evans United Dollar Store wasn’t at the center of their family’s identity. Additionally, I was intrigued by the juxtaposition of the Bronsons beginning to cater to African American customers, paired with the Evanses source of income coming specifically from the black community in Durham. While it was still clear to me that there was a hierarchy of citizens in North Carolina, and Jews ranked below the average white man, the difference in religion orientation didn’t serve as such a large hindrance in the Evans’ advancement in the community as it did for the Bronsons. As a reader, I enjoyed the story-like quality of The Jew Store by Stella Suberman more, but as a Jew seeking a greater understanding of her religious history, I wholly appreciate The Provincials by Eli N. Evans.
0 Comments
2/1/2017 0 Comments Blog #3I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stella Suberman’s The Jew Store. Though it was a work of nonfiction, the story flowed in a way similar to that of a novel, and provided the most authentic look possible into the world of a Jewish immigrant family in the 1920s American south. Whereas Jewish Roots in Southern Soil gave a starker view of race relations and treatment of the Jewish people in the south, I felt that The Jew Store made these issues more accessible and personable. In sharing her family’s experiences with her readership, Stella Suberman allowed a new generation to share in the Bronsons’ struggles and watch them work to overcome them.
What I found particularly striking about Suberman’s memoir was her account of the conflict between Jews, specifically between Aunt Sadie, Aunt Hannah, and Reba Bronson, and between the Rastows and the Bronsons. I understand the desire to preserve religion and faith to the highest order, but it seems that Aunt Sadie’s presence was a nuisance and hindrance to the other members of the family more than anything else, especially in terms of individual and personal growth. For Aunt Hannah, she puts a stop to her engagement to Manny, and with Reba, Sadie bullies her into the realization that Joey must attend cheder in New York. In these situations, the Jewish religion overpowered the value of family, which was a harsh reality to grapple with as a reader. The conflict between the Rastows and the Bronsons was also unexpected, as I would have assumed that two Jewish families relatively alone in the south would bond rather than clash. Instead, it seemed that Mrs. Rastow looked down on the Bronsons, and was far less concerned with preserving her family’s Jewish identity to the extent that Reba was hers. These harsh realities both worked to shatter the stereotypical image of camaraderie amongst Jews far and wide, especially that which Reba had hoped for and expected. |
Image Credit: Jenni Field https://www.flickr.com/photos/onlinepastrychef/5259343998/in/photolist-91KvJN-b1Q8LM-dtmK7-8zHZyp-skkYfv-e3enxM-e6kZFH-6fr9Hb-91GshF-W74v-71aBMg-jj4Kdv-nyiMeQ-7NuNX6-6eniWU-niRSYx-niRWtt-jgntbJ-91GrEr-D8s8x-91Gtai-nAmsxn-niRTYu-4BDY9J-biCVpc-z2Uez-nAmrUP-nA7GcG-6iYy6y-nC8vpX-oHxiGt-niRU48-8GXdwu-4GGbC7-dpj4gB-4GRCSy-bKskKP-6ezJrM-6eCsmM-bE9ngM-crKHkJ-e7Jxka-6eGzGQ-z2UbU-4x3JVL-83GtzM-bKxSQx-bL832-5qtB58-7Tcm8K
Archives
April 2017
Categories |