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THE JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
December 2002
Happy Trails Await You at the Gene Autry Museum Last
summer, on the day of the solstice, the Gene Autry opened their
exhibition “Jewish Life in the American West: from Generation to
Generation". Despite a recommendation from an acquaintance, whose
intellect and opinion I respect, I did not see it. I presumed it
would be a macho interpretation of wild-west shows, the pony express
and would falsely portray cowboys with the values of freedom,
self-reliance and bravery when in actuality they were a class of
laborers who were overworked and underpaid.
On
November 16, I attended the Jewish Federation Book Festival and
Campaign Reception at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, which
banished my stereotypes on pioneers forever.
The
walls are lined with photographs, art, documents, media and artifacts
showing a variety of culture and traditions that Jews brought to the
American West from all corners of the world. One object of interest is
a Kiddush Cup brought from Amsterdam in 1705. Another item that
captured my curiosity was the photo and story behind Nanette Rochman of
San Francisco in 1880. Both she and her husband were Orthodox
Jews who would close shop on the Sabbath and wanted to open on Sundays.
Together they contested a bill in the State Legislature that would
target Jewish merchants trading on Sunday. Although they didn’t win the
battle in their lifetime, they gave a good fight. However, this exhibition is
not only about a Jewish experience – it’s about an immigrant
experience. It captures the dreams of unlimited opportunities in
the West that beckoned travelers to push their way through California,
Oregon, Texas and Arizona.
As
I walked the corridors of the exhibit, I met invited guest author Harriet
Rochlin who later in the evening would discuss her book. In conversation, she loses her train of
thought, but when it comes to discussing her books, her memory never
waivers.
After
we viewed the exhibit, Rochlin discussed her soon to be published fifth
book, “A Mixed Chorus: Jewish Women in the American West". Her
book presents an array of inspiring Western female Jewish pioneers that
fuels our ability to adapt to different societies and environments.
Born in Boyle Heights she has been a full time writer of both fiction
and non- fiction since the 1960’s. In the last 30 years she has
been writing on Western Jewish History. Rochlin is to Jews what Alex
Haley is to African-Americans. She personifies Roots. “Jewish
history has as much to say about pioneering as it does about
persecution” she said. She stated how women socially fit into the
western era. "Women’s names were in the media three times, when
they were born, when they married and when they died” she claimed.
From
the photographs, my belief was that Jewish women perpetuated religion after they came out West and relied on
Judaism to sustain their identity. More than likely,
they formed Sisterhoods and observed the rituals of Kashrut (Kosher Laws), the
Sabbath and Holidays. They also had to banish grievances and had to
interact with other Jews regardless of where they came from. It
appeared to me from viewing the exhibit that a generation later, by
assimilation and intermarriage, the Jewish communities must have
dismantled. When I asked Rochlin to comment on the accuracy of my
opinions, she disagreed, “The communities still have their
traditions. A large Sephardic community exists in Seattle, and
San Francisco has two strong Synagogues that uphold Judaism". She
discussed four short vignettes of different women’s lives: the
compassionate, the greedy, the meritorious and the adventurous. I
found the Adventurous the most progressive and fascinating.
Esther Lyons Goldstein, born in New York City was a Broadway actress,
Alaskan explorer and Klondike rush entertainer. In 1894 after
performing,
she and her husband decided to go on an expedition to the Arctic
circle. They traveled with a group on foot, dog sled, raft and boat for
14 months in the Arctic. She recorded the event in a narrative
and
photographs and toured the United States lecturing in her Alaskan
costume, and wrote a series for a weekly publication. Rochlin
regards writing as the effort to form thoughts and to research
her ideas fully. “I found out that I was intrigued with looking things
up” she said, “When you’re in print, accuracy is so
important”. When
the evening concluded, Chairperson Mickey Jones joyfully added,
“Every year the festival gets
better. We have chosen good authors who are successful. And we have a
fantastic committee who start working in May, their time and
dedication is what makes it happen". Linda LaRoche Editor |
