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.
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