Waters Ton. Bringing the Past Into the Present

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Bringing the past into the Present: Family Narratives of Holocaust, Exile, and Diaspora: TheStory of My Story: An Anthropology of Violence, Dispossession, and DiasporaAuthor(s): Alisse WaterstonSource: Anthropological Quarterly, Vol. 78, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), pp. 43-61Published by: The George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic ResearchStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4150889 .

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Bringinghe Past ntothe Present:FamilyNarrativesof Holocaust,Exile, ndDiasporaT h e S t o r y o f M y S t o r y :A n Anthropologyf Vio lence ,Dispossession,n d D i a s p o r aAlisseWaterstonJohnJay Collegeof CriminalJustice

AbstractThissastory f an oldmanwhose ravelshroughhe20thcenturyweremarkedbysorrow, umor,ragedy,ndtransformation.he uthorollowsnanthropol-ogy's radition f writing n individual'siography,ocatingone man's ifeinspaceandtime. t salsoanexperimentnautoethnographyince hisanthropol-ogistis the old man'sdaughter.Thepersonal,ntimatenarrative ecountsfather'shistory childnJedwabne, oland, oungman in Havana, ldman inSanJuan,PuertoRico)whichs alsoa storyaboutpeasantry,ascism, atriarchy,dictatorship,migration, ransnationalism,evolution, nd diaspora.In thestrands f thistale,weseeprocesses f structuraliolence nd social uffering.Memory,nterpretationndnarrativean takeustowardsestruction,thnocen-trism, he worstof nationalismnd war,or towards nderstanding,mpathy,justice.Myhope s that thisexperimentnautoethnographye a means owardsbecomingmindful,owardswakening-anecessaryut nsufficientonditionnpreventingenocidal iolence.autoethnography,tructuraliolence,diaspora,Jedwabne oland,Cuba,memory]

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TheStoryof MyStory:AnAnthropology f Violence,Dispossession,and Diaspora

Memoryeads o consciousness,ecollectiono the possibilityf mean-ingwhichalwaysncludes perceptionf relationbetweenoneselfandthe world.

- JaneLazarre,eyondhe Whitenessf WhitenessJoycesrightabouthistorybeinga nightmare-but t maybethenight-mare romwhichno onecanawaken.Peoplearetrappednhistory ndhistorystrappednthem. - JamesBaldwin,Notesof a Native on

A story ies at the heartof thisessay.'That tory s a personal,ntimate ar-rativeof anoldJewishmanwhose ravelshroughhe 20thcentury avebeen coloredby tragedy ndsorrow.nthisanthropologicalroject, aim toexaminehemultiple onnections etween he manandthelarger istoryhatframeshispersonal xperience.nwhatwaysarelarger ventsreflectednhisstory?Howhashistory ffected heman,andinturn,othersaroundhim?Thispaperollows nanthropology'song raditionfwriting n individual'sbiography,he classic ife historymethod(Crapanzano980, LangnessndFrank1981, Mintz1974 (1960),Shostak1981, Watson nd Watson-Franke1985).Nearly ortyyearsago, Langnessnoted that "...much of whatanycultur-al anthropologistollects n the field and on whichhe bases hisprofessionalmonographss biographicaln character"1954:vi, uoted n Frank 979:73).Thisworkbuildsonthatanthropologicalradition,orI amdocumentingneman's ife andlocatinghisexperiencenspaceand time(Frank979:73; 6).

However,hisproject oesfurther,inceIamtheold man'sdaughter.willrecountmy father's tory(asa boyin Jedwabne,Poland,a youngmaninHavana, ndan old manin SanJuan), ndtake usfull circle n myown sto-riesof returnwithmyfather o thesettings f his life. Because f the intimateconnectionbetween he anthropologistnd hersubject,we mightconsiderthisessayan experimentn autoethnographyf the kind hatReed-Danahaydefinesas"produced yan 'insider' r'native' bserver f hisorherowncul-turalmilieu"2002:423). fter ll,myculturalmilieuwas in largepart hapedbymy atherwho isalsomy"subject,"hichmakesme a most ntimate ativeobserver.Even o, I do not have insideraccessto all aspectsof his culturalmilieu, inceso muchof myfather'sifeexperience ccurred eforemy ime,and in places Idid not know: his boyhoodin Poland or life as a young maninCuba. It might be reasonable to think that in some ways, I am as much astrangerto his cultural milieu as I would be to any unfamiliar ieldsite.44


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But that reasonableconclusion s off the mark. I do not feel I am astrangero myfather's ultureorthatIam an observerookingonto his life.JaneLazarre,notherdaughter f an immigrantEastEuropeanew,haswrit-ten that her father's arly ife "couldnever ustbe academichistory o me.[It s]lodged nthe deepestlayersof my psyche-the wayI move,the wayIspeakat times...his reverseEnglishyntaxwillsuddenlypenetratemyowneducatedgrammaticaltructures...evenhe way I feel"(1996:14)I shareLazarre'sensibility.Theawkwardositionalityf theethnographer orkingwith herfatheronananthropologicalroject erails urattemptso defineprecisemethodolog-icalgenres.This s notjustmyfather's iography,otjusthis narratedmem-oir, t isnot about heanthropologist,or s itonlyaboutcultural rameworksornationalhistories.Thisessay and he largerproject n which t isbased)saboutall thesethingsat once.Thisethnographic rocess tretches ertainboundarieswhilesharpeningotherlines.HereIamwriting boutmyowngroup,myownfather,an inti-matedomain,established rioro my"vocation"s an anthropologist.t hesametime,hisexperiences uniquenotjustto himselfbut to the largerhis-toryof whichhe isa part.Iwaspartof thatlarger istoryoronlysomeof thetime,and not thoseyearsthatdidthe mostdamage-the yearsof his dis-placement.The ine thatdifferentiatesimfromme hasto do withthisexpe-rience.Forme,the mostdifficult spectof this effort s toclearlyunderstandthe sourcesand consequences f his becominga deeplywoundedperson.Autoethnography,research enre hat focuseson a personand their"ever-changing elationships"Abu-Lughod991)andon movementsbetween hepersonaland the cultural,historicaland social structuralReed-Danahay1997,AngrosinondMays e PHrez003,Ellis ndBochner 003), smystart-ing point owardsunderstandinghe causesandconsequences f myfather'swounds.2Autoethnographyiberates hisdaughtero enter a deeplyprivateand interiorplaceas an ethnographer.Theprocesss painfulandfrightening.Lazarre arns hat the dangers realwaysunderestimatedndthatthe intimatenatureof thisprojectmakes t"farmoreexhaustinghan [those]safer,more distantstudies"1996:22).nlightof this warning, t is significanthat NancyScheper-Hughesdvisesanthropologistso grapplewith the suffering f individuals inceembracingthat pain will help anthropologistslose their moral blinders, confront struc-turalviolence, and be "engagedwitnesses to the genocides, ethnocides, anddie-outsthey haveso often encountered in the course of pursuingtheir 'voca-

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tion"' 2002:351,1996).In describingAlfredKroeber'surn from"'particu-larlistic'thnography"o abstract,heoreticalwritings, cheper-Hughesffersa cautionaryale(2002:354-355):Perhapshesuffering, rematureeaths,and cultural evastation f hisnativeCalifornianformants erejusttoo difficult orKroebero face,and he retreatednto hesafety one of atheoryhatput heir osses ntoa broader,ultural istoricalerspective.Kroebernceconfided o a col-leaguethathe did notdelve into his Yuroknformants'xperiencesfthecontact ra becausehe 'couldnot standall the tears.'And o Kroeberbeganto write he individualut of hisworks....But in turning wayfrom the tragic personaland collective historiesof his informants,Kroeber'snthropology...(thesuperorganic'as a] disembodiedandimpersonal pproacho culture)ailedto grapplewith the destructiveanimusof hisadopted tate owardtsindigenous eoples...In my "particularisticthnography,"start with the personal Anzalduta1987;Behar1993,1996) or cluesto the broader istoryhat is alsoimplicat-

ed in the damage.This projectseeks a synthesisbetweenexperimentalethnographyndpolitical conomynotas away o perfecthe craftof anthro-pologybut o capture themotionof connected ivesacross he curveof time"(Ellisand Bochner 003:217)andto refineourunderstandingf embodiedhistory Farmer996:261-262,Waterston999:10-13,Waterstonnd Rylko-Bauern.d., Boyarin 992:xiv).My nterest s in tellingmyfather's toryandexploringwhat it mightmean for "bringinghe past into the present,"process hat Rylko-Bauerefers o in heressayin this collection,and else-where Rylko-Bauer002).Memory ith tsroot n the Latinmemoria-mind-ful, is keyto my purpose.After ll, to be mindful sto beaware,anessentialstepin preventing enocides, thnocides nddie-outs.Withme,myfatherrecounts life tornbythe upheavals f the20thcentu-ry.His"moments f being" rememorieshat come like "asledge-hammerblow,a shock;he meaningunfolds fter heexperience"Schulkind985:21).Itis my hopethat in the strands f thistale,wemight earnmoreaboutwhatPaul Farmer 2003)calls the mechanismsof structural iolenceand themachinery f political conomy hatcontinue o wreakkillingorceon mil-lions of people today. It is my hope that this experiment in autoethnographyis not an exercise in solipsism, but a means towards becoming mindful,towardsawakening.46


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Reminiscences"Imetayoungman,"mymotherwritesnhermemoir.twas1942and Louisedescribeshe earlydaysof my parents' ourtship.His name was "MiguelWaserstein,rom Cuba. thoughthe hadgorgeousblueeyes. He wasverypoliteand askedmyfather orper-missionto invite me out in NewYork.Whenhe cameto visitme thefirst ime,tanteBettywasvery uspi-ciousof him.Evenhoughhe saidhewasJewishand spokeYiddish, hethought he had a very strangeaccent.Whats this Cubaplace?'heasked.'Ineverheard f sucha place.Maybehe'sa spy.'Whenwe had anevening date, we went to theHavana-Madridightclubor dinner.I waseighteenand he wastwenty-nine. He ordered cocktails andboughtme a packof Luckiesromthe cigarettegirl.The live showofLatinmusic,and his smooth,con-trolleddancing eemedso sophisti-cated.Ifelt likea movie tar."

Oneyearearlier, n the morningof July10, 1941,ShmulkeWasersteinSzmulWasersztajn)ayhiding n thebushesbythe Jewish emetery n Jedwabne, small townin northeasternPolandnearBialystok.edwabne asmy ather's ometown,ndShmulke iscousinwho hadyetto leavePoland orCuba s mostof thefamilyhadalreadydone.Intestimonyhegavebefore heJewishHistorical ommissionn 1945,Shmulke escribeshe "destructionf the Jewishcommunityn Jedwabne,Poland"2001:19-21):

Local ooligans rmedhemselveswithaxes,special lubs tuddedwithnails,and other nstruments f torture nd destruction nd chasedalltheJews ntothestreet....Theyookhealthiermenand chased hemtothe cemetery nd ordered hem to diga pit,and after t wasdugout,Jewswere killedeverywhichway,onewithiron,anotherwitha knife,stillanotherwitha club.

MiguelWaserstein,Havana,Cuba,ca. 1938

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TheStory f MyStory:AnAnthropologyfViolence,Dispossession,ndDiaspora

Beards f oldJewswereburned,newborn abieswerekilledat theirmother'sbreasts,peoplewere beatenmurderouslyndforced o singand dance.In he endtheyproceededo the mainaction-the burning.Jewswereorderedo lineup ina column, our n a row,andthe nine-ty-year-oldrabbi and the schochet[Kosherbutcher]were put infront....andallwerechased nto the barn.Some ried o defend hem-selves,but they weredefenseless...Thenthe barn was dousedwithkerosene nd lit...Thistestimonyappears n a bookpublishedby historian anGrosswho

titled the bookNeighborsecauseon "(that ay)...inJuly1941,halfof thepopulation f a small EastEuropeanown murdered he other half-some1,600 men,womenand children"2001:7).Shmulke nd a handfulof otherssurvived,avedbya Christianeighbor(AntoninaWyrzykowskindfamily)who hid themin a barn.ProfessorGrosshasdedicatedNeighborsoShmulke,hewitness,whose estimonyerves s "amainsourceof information"orthe historian'seconstructionf thathistory.

Thoughhe bookcame out in2001,Shmulke'storywas not new to me.Igrewupon it,hearingromanearlyagewhat twas like ormygrandparents,Itsak sak IsacAizik) ndRivaWasersteino raise iveboysand twogirls n ashtetl hat hadseenpogromsordecades, ulminatingnthe massmurder f1941.Inthesummerof 2001,myfatherremembersedwabne:

ThePolishwereveryanti-Semiticndtheyhad to relieve hemselvesoget ridof theJews.Weare a littlevillage,a smallvillage n the northeastnearRussia,near Lithuania, nd Germany-Prussia.rankly,he pueblo(village)JedwabnewasmostlyJewish.Allthe storeswereJewish.And he mar-ketplacewasWednesdays,o the Polacksrom hevillageswerecomingwith theirhorses,withtheirwagons,andit occupied he wholeplace.The armers,heydidn'thavea store, otheywouldcometoJedwabne.Asa matterof fact,[theJews]werefriendlywiththe Polishpeoplecometo buythe store,clothing, hoes,and food. A lot of food-her-ring (laughs)....that'she firstthing they buy-herring! Herring, ouknowherring?

Somethingwas wrongin Jedwabne.Jewswere separateand that waswrong. Ifelt it was wrong.Youcan feel hatred because Iwent to schoolwith Polishkids,and they show it. Theydidn't wantto talk to you, you're

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bad.SotheJewishboysandtheJewish hildrenogether, nd the Polishchildrenogether.Theteachers n the publicschoolswere teachingthe people thesongs against the Jews. The teacherswere all anti-Semitic.Theyannounced hat forPassover,the Jews]had to kill a Christianhildtomake he matzoh!

And ookat the systemamongthe Jewswhenyou killa chickenorkilla meat,you'renotsupposed o drinkblood!Youhaveto-in salthave he meatforaboutan houror twoto take outthe blood,becauseyou'renot allowed[todrinkblood]even froman animal!And ookathow when the shochet Kosher utcher],when he killsan animal,hisknifehas to be likea surgeon's nife, o the animalwouldn't uffer!

RetrospectivesAfter hefirstWorldWar,Rivawantedoutof Polandor herchildren, special-lythe boys.Shewould not see her sons fallfor the Polisharmyand she fig-ureda passage ut.Theyearwas1924andAmerica ad closed tsbordersopeople ikeher.3 oRiva enther secondborn,Motol,o Cuba.InCuba,MotolbecameManolo. hen herewasChaim,Fagel,Yankel,YosefandSarahwhobecame aime,Fela, acobo,os6, nd,asmy ather ays,"Sarahis Sarah." s ormyfather,he startedoutas MenachimMendel r Mendelee,intheYiddish iminutive.nCuba,Mendelee ecameMiquelito.Several earsago,Ibeganwriting boutmyfather,naminghat firstpiece,Following uth:TowardsnEthnographyf Identity. retrospective,hatstoryintroducesn old maninSanJuan:

It isnoontime, nd,at eighty-twoearsold,myfatherwalks romhisstorein Viejo anJuan o sitat thesametable,at thesamerestaurant,t the sametime,forthe samelunchhe hasbeeneatingover he past hirty-fiveears.LaMallorquinaasancientwooden anshangingromvaulted eilings ndtablescoveredwithplacemats oastingt's heoldestrestaurantnPuertoRico, factmostappealingo thosetouristswho still bother o wander he cobblestonesof OldSanJuan.DonMiguel, s myfather s knownaround own,is a well-respectedmerchantwithdisdainorthe tourist radeanda talent orknowingjustwhatmerchandiseo order or his PuertoRican ustomers.

My ather'sstore is just a half block from the restaurant,so it's a conven-ient placeto take lunch. It'sclose and the waitersknowwhat he wants-servehim quickly,and bringa hot pocillowhen the old man waves his hand. Iknow

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thatgesture.My istersandI learned arly t means"bringmesomething"-water, offee,salt.Iftheydo it right-the coffeemustbe in a cupof a certain ize(nevermug), teaminghot(neverukewarm)ndin frontof himassoon as thedin-nerplateis removed nowaittime),the waiterswill be showeredwith DonMiguel'samous charm.Everyone utsidehis immediate amilyseemstoadorehim.He'sdemanding, uta regular uy,apaisano.His kyblueeyesonfire,my ather haresnsider necdoteswithwaitersademeaningtoryaboutone of hiswomencustomers? snippyappraisal f the gringo oupleat thetablebythe archedwindow?).

There's ood reason ora fast lunch.DonMiguelhas to get back o thestore.Nobody lse cando the job like he can,and nobodycaresaboutthebusinesshewayhe does.So theeighty-twoearoldmanstill runsa businesshe hates.Bitterly, e works ixdaysa week,from ninein the morninguntilthe storeclosesat six.Hisbitternesss partlya problem f identity;his lifetells so muchof the

storyof the20thcentury.Bycategory,myfather san EastEuropean, uban-Jewwith Americanitizenship.Hebelieveshe comesfromspecialstock:"Ifound out that my mother's ide descendfrom the familyKromberg.henameof Krombergsblueblood.Blue-blood. rom specialrace.Itookatestthe first imein PuertoRicoormyblood, he doctor ookedat meandsaid,'Why on'tyouframe t?It'sperfect!'Myblood.Andyouknowwhat?Mymoth-er'sbrothers,heywerepowerful-likea differentkindof race."My atherdoesn'treject he beliefsof hispersecutors,ut shareswiththem disdainortheJewasordinary,s"dirty,"s inferior.He nvokes ace o sethimselfapartfromand above otherJews,a chilling ndicator f both the complexity fracism, nd of how raceworks.BornnJedwabnen1913,myfatherMendelees Riva'soungesturvivingchild,oncebabyMoishe addied.Myather hakeshishead,recalling isearlyyears,"Ohhowwe survived unger ndsickness.My ather, tsak,he sufferedso,struggledo makea living.AfterWorldWar we werehelpless,he poorestof the poor.It'sa longstoryhowwe survived." have heard his narrativerepeatedo oftenforso manyyears, t seemsmythico menow.This ime,ontape,myfather' ries,hisvoicebreakingndstrainings hetellsthestory:

WorldWarIwas in springtimeand the snow melted. Thetanksgot stuckin the mud near our village, so they had to fight there-Russian andGerman.And our town started burning.And we were hidden in a cellar

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TheWasersteins,edwabne, Poland,ca. 1925. Mendelstandingsecond fromthe right,with arm on father's shoulder.

becausena cellar, ouknow, t least he bulletsrunbackandforth, nthe cellar ou'remoreprotected.My lder ister oldme,Fagie,hatsheall nightheardhow the bayonetand the soldiersmoaning,moaning,lyingonthestreets,deadanddying,andthe wholestreet.Youknow, he Russianswereverybad.The Germans eregoodtotheJewsat thattime.And he Russian ereaccusingheJews orbeinga spyforGermany,o myfatherhadto runaheadof time.Because lltheJews, he maleJews, heywere ookingorthem becauseheywerespies.

My atherwentahead,before he tankscome.Theywent aheadinanotherown.Myather,whenall thepeoplewerecoming,hesaid, Didyou see my wife?Where'smy wife and children?'There, here!'Everybodyunning.When mymother]walkedn the mud,[mybrotherYankel]ost hisboots.Andmymotherbeggedhim, 'Yankalee, ankalee, o get yourboots,por favor[please]go, go get your boots,you'regoingto getfrozen.'

Theneventually s we'rerunning,mybrother ack Yankel]awmyfatheron thetopof a hill of snowandhe saw,he saw(voicebreaks)-51


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his father-cry-crying, 'Andwhere's his one?' Herehe is!''Where'sthe otherone?' Heeerrre!" y atherwouldcry.'[AfterWW],he hadnomoneywhatsoever.remembereinghungry,

cryingo mymother,I'mhungry, iveme somethingo eat.' Canyouimaginehow muchmymotherusedto suffer?My atherwentintothestreet o see whetherhe could handle omething-to buyorsell-andnothing.The Waserstein'srrivedn Cuba,one by one, between1924and 1939.

Miguel ndhisbrothers ana general tore n Manguito, smalltown ntheprovincef Matanzas. sanawkwardixteenyearold,my atherrealizedhatall the Cuban oyswithgirlfriendsnewhowto dance.Ambitious nddriven,Miguelbecamethe best dancer in Manguito fteronly a few monthsofinstruction,ndthe onlyone whocoulddo a pasadoble.Later, e moved oHavanawhereheopened wostoresof hisown,revealinglyamedElImperio(TheEmpire). onMiguel adbigdreams.

Now,the El Imperioof PuertoRico is very famous throughout heCaribbeanndpartsof LatinAmerica.4Women ome fromVenezuelao buytheirweddinggowns n ElImperio.Others ome fromSantoDomingoo buyFrench ace for the gowntheywillsewfor themselves.Askanywomanwhoworks orthe PuertoRican overnmentboutElImperio.he'll ellyou t's heplace o getthosegorgeous,ailored ilkblousesandgreat uits or work.

My atherwantedonly"thebest" or his children.He didn'twantus togrowupfirst, nCuba rlater,n PuertoRico, lthoughhose were he placeswherehefeltmostat home. Hetriedraising s in NewYorkorawhile,butitdidn'tworkout. By1961,the CubanRevolution adputthispettymerchantin the samecategory s UnitedFruit ndGeneralMotors,eavingMiguelhepennilessheadof a growinghousehold.Despitehisdreams,we returnedothe HispanicCaribbean hereDonMiguel ebuiltElImperio.I grew up in a householdwith three languages:English,SpanishandYiddish.Problemwas eachof uswasat a differentevelof proficiency iththese three languages,makingcommunicationnly"slightly"ifficult.Myfather earned o speakEnglishn his latetwenties,when he joinedthe U.S.Army nd becamean Americanitizen.To hisdaypeopleare confusedbyhisYiddishypanish ccentwhenhespeaksEnglish-"Whatsit?" Wherereyoufrom?" nthe early1940s, Michael ashe was then known),answered a Britishbeauty he met in England,"I'ma Texanand this is how we talk in Texas!"

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Forhischildren,here was endlesscriticism. It'snot 'agua,' t's'agua,'"thoughnoone else couldhear he difference.Miguelwouldsnapat us. "Yousoundlike a yanqui hatway,"he'd adddisdainfully. eally,myfatherhadother killshe wantedus to develop.This Spanish)anguagewas his ownandhe'd preferwe keep awayfrom it.Better we should concentrateonEnglish,nd studyotherthings ikeballet,pianoand howto set a lovelytable.After ll,one of hisdaughterswould have to be crowned MissAmericaomeday,and to getthere,he had us practice.Practice owtowalk,how osit,how osmile,andofcourse,howto playpiano themost"refined"f thetalents,andbesides,thepianist lwayswins!).Noneof us becameMissAmerica,butI wentonto studyanthropology.Myfather'sattemptto seduce mewith royaltyhad failed, but thecharmer ooedmewithamazingto-ries.Frommy ather,was ntroducedtokey opicsn culturalnthropology,althoughneitherone of us gave itthat label or would even know o know t at the time. HisdescriptionsfJedwabne,n EastEuropeanastoralommunity here ewsived nthetown,providingerviceso thesurroundingolisharmers, ecamemyintroductionto peasantry.Mydomineeringather,xactingbedience,ervice nd"respect"gaveme anearly,irst-handasteof patriarchy.isvividanecdotes boutbru-talityunderCuba'sMachadondcorruptionnderBatistaaughtme aboutdic-tatorship, hile he intenseanxietyhatpermeatedurhouseholdn theyears1959-1964aveme a lessonaboutrevolution. alsolearned, erypowerfully,aboutdiaspora,hepresence f losspenetratingll hisstories.Thedaughter'seductionGallop 982)was unconsciousr preconscious,butcomplete.OnlyaterwouldI realizehow hisstoryshapedmy sensibility(Hoffman004:18)and recognizehat his sorrowsbecamemysorrows,hislossesmymotivationo understandhem(Boyarin 996:31).When "discov-

MichaelWaterston,American oldier,ca. 1945

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TheStory f MyStory: nAnthropologyfViolence,Dispossession,ndDiaspora

ered" nthropology,knew t wouldbemyguide"outwardsoward heworld-ly shapeof events"Hoffman004:16).

My ather s now ninety-one earsold. In the pastseveralyears,I havereturned o the settingsof his life: First o Cubawith him in the year2000;thenoneyear ater,withmyhusband nddaughtero Poland, countryhattruly s a graveyardfJews. nCuba,we foundmanymementos f hislife: heninetyyearoldwoman n Manguito hoexclaimed, Ididn'tdancewithyou,I dancedwithyourbrotheros6!";lsoinManguito,heold farmerwho calledout"Miguelito!"ememberingim fromsomesixtyyearsago;a fadedpaint-ed sign,"Waserstein Co.,ElFigurin,"-whichwas my UncleJacobo's ldstorefrontn Havanatill hereafter ortyyears;mygrandfather'sraventheJewish emetery.nJedwabne,we found no relics.

The Storyof MyStoryEvery earat Passover, am remindedhat"...Asa Jewit is mydutyto tellmychild notonlymy story,butalsothe storyof mystory,which s alsomychild's tory."With o manypartsand layers o the story,whichaspectdo Idecideto tell?I turn to anthropologyorguidance,a disciplinehat hastaughtme toexaminethe multipleconnectionsbetweenthe personand the history. fnothingelse, the 20thcenturywas the epochof upheaval. t sawthe conse-quencesof centuries f violentcontactbetweennation-states,ndthesubse-quenteffectson socialgroupswithin hose territories.t's"thedark ideofmodernity,"lexander abanHinton ells us. Inthe twentieth entury lone,sixty million [people]were annihilated...(the ong list of victimgroupsincludes) ews,Cambodians, osnians,Rwandan utsis,Hereros,Armenians,Ukrainianeasants,Gypsies,Bengalis,BurundiHutus,he Acheof Paraguay,GuatemalanMayans,nd theOgoniof Nigeria"2002:1).Hintongoes on. Annihilation ccurs "oftenafter nation-states mbarkupon lethalprojectsof socialengineeringntentuponeliminating ertainundesirableand 'contaminating'lements of the population."And the"manufacturingf difference"s a criticalaspectof these socialengineeringprojects"2002:13).Perhapshis isa key"mechanism"f structuraliolence,at the centerof the "machinery"f political conomy: ocialforcesbecomeembodied as individual experience in the denigration of their difference.Prevailing stereotypes that serve to exclude, marginalize and disvalue agroup (and the individuals who fit into the category)constitute a collective54


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culturaliction,an ideologyaboutthegroupanditspurportedmembers.Associalgroupsare deemed dangerousand demonized,the conditionsarethenripe or individualswithin hatgroup o become heobjectsof policiesof exclusionand expulsionas well as to becometargetsof mobviolence.Thisdemonizingprocess s also a necessarybut insufficient ondition orgenocide.Theexcluded,marginalizednddisvalued,meantime,can inter-nalize the harshmessagesdirectedat them (Gramsci971, Gilman1986,Bourdieu nd Wacquant992).Ideology, powerfulmechanismbywhichsocial forces become embodied as individualexperience, s a social andpoliticalproject.Meanwhile, s personal dentitybecomesmuddledwithdehumanizingdeologies,he wounds ntensify nd surface. nthisway,dif-ference becomesan ideological nfection, o use Edward aid'sexpression(1995:105),while the person uffers he "repressivenderside f marginali-ty" Boyarinl996:28).So muchof myfather'story s about hatmanufacturingf difference,hemaking f analien,someonesuspect.Hiswordsreveal hatpowerfuldeolo-giesareembeddedn him,and thathe is filledwithself-doubt ndloathing.Forexample,he does not dismissas absurd he accusation hat JewskillChristianhildren o makematzoh. nstead,he is onthedefensive,dignifyingthatdemonizing hargewithan apologiat does notwarrant.It seems to me thatkeystepsin the manufacturingf differencenclude:demonization,dehumanization,displacement,self-loathing,assimilation(internalization).ndiaspora,peopleare not so muchlooking ortheirlonglosthome,as seekinga place o be and to belong.For ndividuals nd theircultural roups,violentcontactproduces crisisof identity-of meaning-WhoamI in relationo the otherandto my pastself?

The hemeof shiftingdentity uns hroughoutmyfather's ntire ife. Theupheavalsf histimesbroughterribledisruptionso theself;my ather's ub-sequent roublesare rooted nthe traumaof loss,his search orrespectabili-ty,thatyearningo belong.

My ather'spainful toryalso tells us aboutnation-buildingnthe modernerawhere he desire o belong eadspeopleto submitand accommodateopowerfultates.Inmy ather'sase,hecravedbecoming nAmericanndyetcould nevermakea completeconversion,preferringorexample, o speakSpanish verEnglish,o live nSanJuanoverNewYork r Miami.Miguel everquitebecomes ully"American"lthoughhis ambition s to bealliedwith itsstrength. LikeAmerica,he intends to build an empire (ElImperio)and trainshis daughtersfor Americanroyalty MissAmerica).

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Inmy ather'sase, hemanufacturingfdifference as or hemostpart uc-cessfullyngineered.Hehasnever ottenover hefeelings f isolationnd one-liness hatcome rombeing astout,from orced bsence. canbarelytandallthe tears. t stellinghatvictimizations a keymotifof hisnarrativend hatheso oftendescribes imselfandhisfamily n the process f running,uffering,barelyurviving.Myatherhasnever topped unning,eremainsonfused ndis still ost,compelledo repeathe samestoryoverandoveragain.

Havingraveled hrough he twentiethcentury,myfatherremainsbur-dened bythe definingevents of the century.As an EastEuropeanew,myfather ontinues o viewhis ife"as f itwerealwaysbeing ivedunder hesignof extermination"Mintz 001:163).Thethemeof impending oom is ever-present n myfather's onversations,nd hisfear borders n paranoia.Themeta-narrativef inevitabledestructionnd loss hasactuallyplayedout inhis life. Nowninety-one earsold, his empirehas crumbledhis propertiesconfiscated,he business ostto bankruptcy)ndhis wife lostto divorce ftera fifty-one earmarriage.Myather,hevictim,wasalsoavictimizer. he ega-cies of history re reflected nthe psychologyf a manwho is botha sympa-theticcharacter ndterribly arcissistic.

Hisnarrativesonlypartiallynaccountingf events the "happenings;"thetensionbetweenmythand fact is evident nhis stories.Myather's endi-tion of the massacrenJedwabnes a good example. nhistelling, hestorybecomesa legend,even as it"speaksruth"o the violenceandhorror.nmyfather'shands,Jedwabnes a parableof heroismandsufferingold inthreelanguagesEnglish, panish,Hebrew).t hasyoungboy-heroeshoutinghemainstatementof theirJewishbelief (theShema)at the momentof theirdeaths,and ithasan old manpitifully egging isslayeroronekindof deathoveranother:

When he stablewasn'tbig enough or alltheJews o beburnedhere,theytook out the youngerpeople-you know,13, 14,15,18yearsold,and theytook them to the Jewishcemetery.Theymadethem digaditch.Theboyshadto diga ditch,andtheyputthem ina rowandtheyput them with hammers: Next!'and 'Next!'and each one of themscreamed ut,'ShemaYisroelAdonaiElohenu,AdonaiEchad!''HearOIsrael,TheLord urGod,TheLordsOne'].Each ndeveryone of them.And came an elderly man, it came his turn, and he said, "Por avor,dame con un cuchilloen mi corazon." Please,stab me in the heart!]Sohe gave him a cuchillo en el corazon!

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Bringing he Past into the PresentThestoryof my storyhas broughtme sorrow,but it has also broughtmeawareness ndtaughtmeempathy.know hatmy ather'sxperiencesf dis-placement nd disenfranchisementavedirectedme to studyoutsiders: hestigmatized,he poor,and homeless.

NancyScheper-Hughesrgesanthropologistso examine"the smallwarsand invisible enocides'n whichstructuralynamicsaken o an extremengenocide remanifestneverydayife. Rubbisheople' uffer nboth imesofwarandpeace... (and) reultimatelyorced o accept heirdehumanizedta-tus" 2002:369).believemyworkshavetakenupthat call.Myresearch ndwritinghavebeen dedicated o opposinghe circulationf falseimages, spe-ciallymythsandstereotypesbout he urbanpoorand the"innerityghetto,"thatimaginary reeding laceof socialproblemsnthe U.S. Waterston993,1999). nourtimes,America'soorareusedas ideologicaloolsinthe "manu-facturing f difference,"nd social,economicand political nequalities rerendered nvisiblebypropagandand rhetoric. deologies f difference lsohelp egitimate omination: e believe hat hosewho ruledeserveo,and"alltherestneedsupervision,uidance, eform,ncarceration,"sRobertCrawfordoncewrote(1994:1349). utanotherway, PhilippeBourgois2002)explainsthat"thenormalizationf structuraliolencemeanscruelty ndinjustice anpass or common ense...andbe understood ythegeneralpublicas justtheway thingsare naturally-whethert be homelessnessn the UnitedStates,apartheidhereandelsewhere),heprisonndustrialomplex rmerelypover-ty underneoliberal erms of trade" see also Scheper-Hughesnd Bourgois2004).We muststrongly hallengehe understandinghat these"things"reokay-that it'sjusttheway hingsare"naturally."

Isee myownworkon the urbanpooras partof the storyof mystory,animportant ieceof mylegacy. tbringshe past ntothe present, nd tells sto-riesfor our times. Myworkalso representswhat I have learned rommyfather's xperiencewithoutdiminishing is ownstoryordenyinghe unique-nessof the eventsof histime.

I hope myworkgivessome voice to the voiceless.I believe nvoice,oversilence; n remembering,verforgetting.Howeverubject o interpretationand his own narrativetructure, chmulke avevoiceto the massacred fJedwabne;withouthim,thestorywouldgo untold.

ButIam also concerned about where the storyhas taken us, and where, aswe imagine the future, mightwe go?Thistime, I turn to Jewishteachings forguidance.Ata YomKippuramilydinner,my mother readto us from herown

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father'sworn-outprayerbook. Louisereadsfromthe sectiontitled EthicalTeachings:

Judaismeaches he unityof the humanrace. Justice,ustice, halt houpursue.'Whystheword usticewrittenwice?To eachus thatwe mustpracticeustice talltimes,whethert be forourprofit rforour oss,andtowards ll men,Jewandnon-Jewlike.Judaismommands:Lovehyneighborsthyself,'nd declares hiscommand fall-embracingove obethe fundamentalrinciplef theJewish eligion n/d:319- 20).

I realize, hough, he storyhas not taken us to justice.Despite heteach-ings,I know hatmemory, nterpretation,nd narrative antake ustowardshatredustaseasilyas love, owards estruction, thnocentrism,he worstofnationalism nd war.We are at the dawn of a newcentury hat seems topromise s muchviolenceas occurrednthe 20thcentury.Peopleare afraidof annihilation nd desireprotection. nsteadof providing rotection, urworld eaders remanipulatingeeply eltfears,distortinghese emotions orotherends.At histime,Ifearto imaginehe future.

Onceagain I returnto anthropologynd to Scheper-Hughes'sdvice,"Grapple ith the sufferingof individuals...embracehat pain...confrontstructuraliolence...[bean]engaged notsilent]witness.Come o your ens-es!" 2002:351). sananthropologist,willfollow he coursemyfather'storyhasinspired. willcontinue o tell my story,and the storyof mystory. willcontinue o serveas moralwitness ndhavehope orunderstanding,mpathy,justice. willwork orpeaceful esolutionf structuraliolence,and,knowingIam not aloneinseeking uchgoals, rust hat Imaykeep o mysenses.

ENDNOTES11would like to expressmy deepest appreciationo friends, amilyandcolleagueswhopro-vided valuableguidanceand insight n the developmentof thisessay.I am verygratefuloBarbaraRylko-Baueror her usefulcomments,herperceptiveness,nd herencouragement,and thankherfororganizinghe AAA anel hathelpedpushmyproject long.Iextend pe-cial thanks o the anonymousreviewers orAnthropologicaluarterly,o HowardHorowitz,LouiseWaterston, aulFarmer,DeeadraBrown, nd to myfather,MichaelWaterston.20Onhe riseof autoethnographys ethnographicmethod,see Behar1996;Reed-Danahay1997;Ellisand Bochner 003;Tedlock 003.3The mmigration ctof May 6, 1924 containeda provisionhatset the annualquotato 2percentof the numberof immigrants f a particular ationality esident n the U.S.n1890.InJuly,1924when PresidentCalvinCoolidgeproclaimedhe Immigration ct ntolaw, he58


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quotafor new immigrantsrom Polandwas5, 982 people(Immigrationnd NaturalizationService).4ElImperioappearsas an elegant shop in two novels by Puerto Ricannovelists:RosarioFerr6'sTheHouseon the Lagoon, nd TinaCasanova'sambir6n.

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Waters Ton. Bringing the Past Into the Present

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