Buckhead - The Jewish Georgian

September-October 2007 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 7
Your everyday life will fascinate
future generations
For the last several years, I have been
writing my memoirs. Since I was the only
Jewish kid in a small Southern mill town, I
thought it could make some interesting reading,
similar to The Jew Store by Stella
Suberman.
I have published some of my experiences
in The Jewish Georgian and may still put the
stories in book form. However, if that does not
happen, there still will be a record for my kids
and their kids. I believe that all of us have a
story to tell, and, if we do not act, that story
will be forgotten after we leave this earth. Of
course, there will be photographs and letters
(although, these days, many people e-mail or
call). However, thoughts and feelings cannot
be captured by a photograph alone.
Recently, I saw the “Anne Frank in the
World” exhibition and learned a great deal
when I saw a video that gave a brief history of
the Franks. Anne’s father said he did not realize
the depth of his daughter’s personality
until he read her diary. He said he thought he
knew his daughter, but he did not. His comments
reinforced my determination to keep
writing my memoirs.
Another occurrence also helped me continue
to write. Several years ago, my wife’s
cousin Michael Carasik, who lives in
Philadelphia and is a Judaics scholar at the
University of Pennsylvania, received an email
from the YIVO Institute for Jewish
Research in New York, asking if he was related
to a Sam Carasik. It seems that over 50
years ago, there was a contest in which participants
were asked to submit accounts of their
immigrant experiences. Sam Carasik, who
was born in Russia and immigrated to
Baltimore in the early 1900s, submitted his
story.
The stories entered in the contest were
forgotten, only to be rediscovered in the mid-
1990s. Of the more than 200 stories, YIVO
wanted to publish 15 in book form. Sam
Carasik’s entry was one of the 15. Needing a
release from a family member, YIVO located
Michael via the internet and contacted him.
The bottom line is that Sam Carasik was
indeed my wife’s grandfather. YIVO sent the
120-page story to Michael, who sent a copy to
my wife. The story was written in Yiddish, but
the institute provided an English translation.
My wife and I read with great interest her
grandfather’s account of growing up in
Poland. At one point in the story, Sam mentioned
his beautiful two-year-old granddaughter.
(My wife was his first grandchild.) He also
had some vivid comments about his wife. I
met Sam once, after Marilyn and I were married.
(He was living in Jacksonville, Florida,
at the time.) He had an infectious smile and a
wonderful, hearty laugh. I remember Marilyn
telling me how intelligent he was. In his autobiography,
he recounted many times the books
he read as a boy. Sam had truly left a legacy to
his family.
By now, I know what you are saying. “I
can’t write. My memories are not that good. I
can’t remember things.” Just know that you
probably are not going to publish your story.
You are writing for future generations. Don’t
worry about grammar. Just write as if you
were talking. Start off slowly—maybe a halfpage,
maybe once a week, maybe once a
month. You don’t have to show your work to
anybody.
A technique to help you remember experiences
is to look at old photographs. Think
about what was happening at the time. What
were your thoughts? Were you happy, sad, or
angry? There are also good books on writing
memoirs. If you really do not want to write,
use a good tape recorder. If you feel comfortable
doing so, you might ask someone to type
what you have recorded.
Remember Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign?
You will be amazed how you can remember
things once you get started—and, I promise
you, it will be fun. Just think—one day, maybe
your grandkids or great-grandkids will read
your story instead of just looking at pictures. I
like to imagine my own saying, “Wow, I didn’t
know that about granddad. He was really
something.”
Just do it!
These are not
your grandparents’
High Holy Day services.
They’re that—and a whole lot more.
Please join us for our inclusive, egalitarian and participatory
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Services
BY
Bill
Sonenshine
Fellowship of the Full Heart
A Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Community
All services $118/individual, $200/couple • Single services $36
No charge for children or students attending with their families.
Childcare available by reservation only.
Services will be held at Central Congregational Church
2676 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, GA 30329
Details: 404-291-8575 or www.levshalem.org
Redefining Senior
“HOME”
Celebrating Jewish
Traditions & Lifestyles
Stop by today and meet
Tilde Hirsch and
Fred Glusman, our
Kashruth Supervisor
and Religious Advisor.
Fred has been with
Edenbrook of
Dunwoody since 1997.
At EdenBrook of Dunwoody, a
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We understand that the transition
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living, from beautifully appointed
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Visit or call EdenBrook of
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“Celebrating the Values of Judaism”
EdenBrook of Dunwoody
404-843-8857
690 Mt. Vernon Highway, Atlanta, GA 30328
Assisted Living • Alzheimer’s Care
For more information and a FREE online newsletter,
visit www.sunriseseniorliving.com