When the World Was Whole

The occupations of family members were varied. There was an owner of a pine forest and a sawmill, serfs and farmers, soldiers, various kinds of businessmen, landlords, teachers, and, most importantly, many rabbis. The author writes that "my ancestors looked for a quiet haven where they could raise wheat and cattle and fruit, and later, sheep and potatoes" (22). The family made its living from the land, in the beginning, showing an ability to adapt to geographical and socioeconomic circumstances through the years. The book focuses on the survivability of the family through such occupational flexibility, their suffering because of anti-Semitism, and, especially, the horrors of the Nazi era. The author shows that it is a false stereotype that Jews prospered only through occupations of the mind or through taking economic advantage of others. The truth is that the family was connected deeply to the land, and, in fact, were often not good businessmen at all (23). He also shows that his family was not wealthy in many cases, but struggled to make a living at whatever occupation was available.

What held the family together through the years were a tenacious sense of unity which intensified in the face of anti-Semitism, and th

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e skills of maintaining good order in ledgers and in balancing books" (254; 256). In the area of education as in other areas of life, education was a part of the way of life of members of the family which emphasized family unity and maintaining a sense of religious faith. Education of its members was a factor which solidified that unity and gave its members a continuous sense of togetherness against an often anti-Semitic world. Family life was an important part of the glue which held the family together through the centuries. In the family there was always support for one another, and this mutual support in family life was engendered and intensified by the anti-Semitism of the surrounding society. The family found its support and strength from within, by necessity and by the family-oriented traditions of Judaism. Even in the case of Uncle Shumi, who claimed to have lost his faith and in that aspect could be said to have distanced himself from the rest of the family, we find the family standing behind him before and after his death. One of the ways that the family maintained its togetherness was a desire to stick with traditional customs through the centuries, such as in the case of arranged marriages. This was more true i
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1653
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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