My wife and I, going on 27+ years of marriage have found it most enjoyable to sit next to each other on our love seat almost every night in the family room. We are not necessarily doing the same thing or even doing a whole lot of communicating as we involve ourselves in whatever work/hobby/game/task that might be presently occupying our time. For example, it is late Sunday afternoon as I commence to write today's installment of the "Hoffman Files". While I pursue my hobby, my wife is studying for a test for some sort of certification she is hoping to earn. I call it, "Together, but separate". (Not to be confused with "Separate, but equal", perhaps the worst Supreme Court decision ever rendered.) Sometimes though, we do hit upon something that we both do "together". For instance, we both like to play "Scrabble" on-line. Many times we are not playing against each other, but at least we are doing the same thing. A few years ago, we both embarked on a journey right on our love-seat at the same time, but separately. This "journey" was a virtual trip through time. We both started researching our ancestry, seeing if we could learn more about our ancestors. Not surprisingly, we only had to go back two generations to find that our ancestors actually came from somewhere else. They were...gasp!!! Immigrants!
- The awesome site that greeted countless immigrants arriving through New York Harbor everyday...and even she was an immigrant! A French chick no-less. Ooh la laa! (Times Union)
My wife and I both joined "Ancestry.com", and found out many interesting facts as well as the limitations that unfortunately deny curious individuals all of the "tid-bits" that contribute to one's family history. For example, my wife's family on her father's side is Swedish. She was able to trace his ancestry on both sides of his family all the way back to the 15th century. On the other hand, I was only able to trace my Ukrainian family's story back to about 1860. Why is this you might ask? Well, the Ukraine has been invaded countless times in its lengthy history. Destruction, be it accidental or purposeful destroys valuable records, thereby leaving gaping holes in the family trees' of so many who call the Ukraine and let's face it, almost all of Europe, the "Motherland". Sweden, on the other hand, has navigated a long steady course of neutrality. This achievement has left them whole for the better part of the past 1000 years. No bombs, no ransacking, no pillaging, no Nazis, no Mongol hoards, no Saxon marauders, no cheesy Danish, no Huns, just calm, tall blondes who enjoy their "glug" and their plush sweaters. (Editor's Note: "Glug" is a Swedish drink, often served at Christmas time. It is served hot, and made with "PGA", or pure grain alcohol. And yes, you can burn your house down when making it)
- "Yumpin' Yiminity, come and see our pristine hall of records". (You Tube)
"Ancestry.com" as I stated earlier provides some information, but roadblocks are lurking around every corner. Still, there are some interesting items that a determined and curious investigator can stumble upon. I found both of my grandfather's Draft Cards from World War One. I found Census records for both families and I used this to discover my mother's grandfather's name. (It was Max) I also found out that my mother's family in 1930 had a boarder in their apartment who apparently was a lounge singer. My youngest son is an excellent singer, and neither my wife, nor I have any singing talent, nor does anyone else in my family, so who knows? Maybe my grandmother, good old Rose Winegrad was up to some "extracurriculars"? (Excuse me whilst I go evacuate my upper intestines)
(My mother, the daughter of a Ukrainain immigrant, hawking cigarettes in the family's old-fashioned "Candy Store" in the Bronx. There was nothing wrong with a 16-year-old promoting cigarettes in 1945, after-all many Doctors' advised their pregnant patients to smoke in order to calm their nerves.) (The Hoffman Collection)
There wasn't too much beyond 1900 for me to ascertain about my family. I learned that my father's grandfather on his mother's side was named Jonah. I don't think he ever made it to America, but my father's "Bubby" Sarah did, living until 1952, finally passing away at the age of 93. I did find out, due to shifting borders in eastern Europe, that my great-grandmother Sarah was not from the Ukraine, but from Poland. So now I'm 25% Polish. (This would explain my cravings for solidarity and kielbasa)
For better or worse, my nephew who has a burning interest in our rather modest family history did some digging into my father's family on my grandfather's side. What we found out was not too cheery. Apparently my grandfather or "Poppy Louie" was from a town called Felshtin in central Ukraine. In those days, Ukrainian Jews identified themselves as Russians. I know this because on the Census reports, when asked what their place of birth was, all of my foreign born grandparents said Russia, not Ukraine, but Felshtin is or at least was in the Ukraine. During the Russian Civil War which took place towards the end of World War One, the "White Russians", who favored the Czar and the old order had suffered a defeat at the hands of the "Reds". (Communists) Taking out their frustrations, they arrived in Felshtin and proceeded to kill 600 Jews, nearly one-third of the population. Fortunately, "Poppy Louie" had escaped Felshtin several years before World War One. The story we've been told is that he was a trouble-maker who would strike back at his "Cossack" tormenters. Apparently, the Czar's horsemen did not take kindly to this and showed up looking to arrest and probably kill him. Family friends snuck him out, and eventually he escaped to Holland where he hopped on a boat to America. Great for myself and my family, but not so good for Felshtin, which eventually was conquered by the Nazis. The Nazis, known for their creativity, put all the surviving Jews of Felshtin into a giant pit, and then bulldozed the victims alive. Felshtin, no longer exits.
- The best thing that ever happened to the reputation of Nicholas II was being killed and replaced by the Communists, otherwise, we would all remember him as the anti-Semitic incompetent twit that history knows him to have been. (You Tube)
As the grandchild of immigrants, I have mixed feelings regarding the raging illegal immigrant debate that is tearing at our national psyche'. On the one hand, it seems simple enough. My grandparents made the arduous trip to America and entered legally, (We even have their Immigration and Naturalization papers) why is it so much to ask today's immigrants to do the same? On the other hand, many immigrants maintain that it is very hard to enter the United States legally, particularly if you are coming from Mexico. I don't support illegal "anything", but I'm under the impression that most illegal immigrants are here to work. The jobs they do, most Americans wouldn't touch with a gun to their heads. Yes, some illegals are probably up to no good, but I would wager that all of these "sleeper-cells" that ISIS and Al Qaeda have positioned around our country are probably almost all either citizens or legal immigrants, just like the 19 hijackers on "9/11".
(Herman Cain was kidding, but I'm not sure everyone got the joke) (You Tube)
Actually, the United States in 2009 and 2010 saw a steep drop in the number of illegal immigrants coming into the country. Democrats would like to give President Obama the credit for this. But the fact is, illegal immigration went down because our economy was in the toilet. People won't come here if the jobs aren't here, but I don't think that's a practical solution for us all to rally behind.
If we were really serious about stopping illegal immigration, all we'd have to do is audit all the American businesses who recruit illegal immigrants. Some companies, particularly in the field of meat-packing actually go down to Mexico and recruit illegal immigrants, promising them jobs and safe passage into our country. You need ID to get a job, are you telling me that if a company really did a thorough background check on an employee they couldn't figure out they were here illegally? In this world, we know as much as we want to know.
Still, one of the things I love about this country, and one of the themes I try to hammer home to my U.S. History students is that despite the fact that the rest of the world may not love us, or look up to us the way they once did, the belief in the world still exists that if you wish to be granted a second chance in life, for whatever reason, the place to make that happen is still the United States of America. Nobody whose life is a struggle in Myanmar (Burma) wakes up one day and states: "We need to get out of here and start over, ok everybody, pack your bags we are off to Bolivia." (No offense to the Bolivian people, I'm sure your country is fine, after all, you have two capitals, La Paz and Recife') We are still the place that people look to with the understanding that in the United States, social mobility while not easy, is more achievable than anywhere else. My grandmother on my father's side grew up in a house with a dirt floor, (And not the good kind of dirt. By the way, do you sweep a dirt floor?) and now all of her youngest son's children are college graduates. There simply aren't a lot of places around the world where that is the norm.
- Not to worry. Your Grandchildren are going to be very successful. (You Tube)
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