In the early 1900's my ancestors immigrated from eastern Europe to the USA. They were from:
| Current place name | Dir | Current country | Lon/Lat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chernovtsy | SW | Ukraine | 26E 48N |
| Kamen Kashirsky, N of Kovel | NW | Ukraine | 25E 51N |
| Suwalki | NE | Poland | 23E 54N |
| Kaunas | Lithuania | 24E 55N |
Those that didn't leave Europe were wiped out in the wars.
They were all Jewish, but my dad wasn't, my mom isn't, and I am not.
Whoops, my mom 11/2005 notes:
Well now, people of Jewish religious/cultural background who came here from (mostly) eastern Europe -- and their children -- who GAVE UP their religious practices/beliefs -- call themselves "secular" Jews. It was and is usually a political thing, i.e., a conscious rejection of traditional, non-democratic, authoritarian and non-scientific values which traditional "western" religions are made up of -- and which secular Jews want none of. (Also didn't and don't want anything to do with Jewish nationalism -- in modern times this has to do with supporting the State of Israel's expansion, etc.)
So thinking about it, dad and I would never deny being of Jewish heritage, i.e., background -- how can one deny one's background/heritage/birth? --hence, "dad wasn't" and "mom isn't" is not correct.
So I would rephrase that sentence to something like: "parents non-religious" (That leaves your own description to be figured out, but I would guess it's the same. You could say "family non-religious".)
Last modified: 2006-03-16 05:55:41 +0800