As I mentioned in the December 21st post, my amazing daughter-in-law sent me an essay titled :
“Translating Black Lives Matter into Yiddish”. You can find the article here: https://jewishcurrents.org/translating-black-lives-matter-into-yiddish/
Yiddish~ יידיש
Yiddish was spoken by my parents- both survivors of the holocaust. My childhood home was filled with the sounds of mamaloshen…which translates to mother tongue, but as a young child I thought it meant My mothers lotion…like a soothing balm, it covers you
After I read this article, I knew that Yiddish was my connection. I thought I knew what I had to do. I journaled, sketched, researched, had lots of false starts… My first notion was to create a Black Lives Matter Seder...develop a seder plate that would be the centerpiece for a seder (ceremonial service during Passover that teaches the story of the holiday.)
The seder plate would carry symbols that would serve as a visual guide through the history of Blacks in America, After lots of drawing, thinking, research...I came away realizing that while I am may be able to recount the story (ies) ; it isn't my story to tell as part of a service, ritual or ceremony. It also wasn't taking me on the journey I needed to take in understanding my privilege, my sorrow, my responsibility. It isn't my turn to tell this story. It is my turn to listen, to learn, and to journey. Below is the seder plate I thought about making.
Avadim Ha-yinu means ..."we were slaves. "It's a part of our Passover seder, recalling the biblical tale of how Jews were enslaved by a Pharaoh. We struggle to know what that means...because as contemporary Jews, we don't know about enslaveme
We may understand persecution because that is more recent. But every day we PASS. We are mostly white women and men who have assimilated sufficiently to receive the privileges accorded to white people. Only the very few holocaust survivors still alive can truly know what it means to walk in fear every second, minute, and hour of their lives in fear of the sort of bigotry and hatred that could cost them their lives.
I found this yiddish song shown above in the Workman's Circle Haggadah...a third night "Seder For A Better World." Their website explains that "In 1933, 30 Workmen’s Circle students and their families gathered in Crown Heights celebrating Peysakh in Yiddish poetry, song, and social justice debate. And it’s been going on ever since." Zoom in on the Black Lives Matter Fist on the plate and you will see Yiddish words written in Hebrew letters. It says Black Lives Matter. I wanted the Yiddish there because this is our language our "Mama Loshun"; our mother tongue.
But the seder plate isn't what I ended up doing. Perhaps I will make it some day...perhaps for the third night of Passover this year. I'll need to study the Workman's Haggadah and perhaps add to it, as well.
There were numerous groups of people targeted by the Nazi regime. Although there weren't many Blacks in Germany at the time, there was a star intended for them as well.
Sitting on my deck one sunny summer afternoon, sitting 6 feet away from a fellow artist, I described my journey, shared the article I had read and...that's when it finally all came together for me.
My "Aha Moment!" I was searching for what we had in common. How do I overcome the need to say "I identify with your pain" rather than... If I say or do nothing, I am contributing to your pain. I don't need to feel your pain and you don't need my empathy or sympathy. I need to be an ally and I need to find a way to communicate and teach others about our responsibility to create a better world.
Tomorrow I will complete this three part story....thanks for bearing with me!
