Abraham

So, there is this picture in Jobnik where Miriam is looking up at the stars and she sees a mix of stars and plans. I immediatly invisioned Abraham looking up at the stars when God promised him his decendents would be as numerous as the stars. The 2 pictures look a like.

I couldn't find any relation to the two stories they seem so oppposite. Miriam is a women soldier and Abraham was a father of religious people. The more I thought about it I think there could still be some similarities. Abraham looked to the stars where God promised him as many decendents as the stars where maybe Miriam was fighting for a land that could be the home to millions of people and their decendents. Maybe this does not make a lot of sense or it's just a dumb thought but I want to believe there is a reason that this picture of Miriam looking up at the stars is so memorable.

Jobnik!

When I got done reading Jobnik! I felt there was no reason to the story but the more I thought about it, (or I should say the less I thought about it), I knew I was missing something. It doesn't make sense that we would be required to read a book that has 'no meaning' behind it plus every book has a reason to be written.

My initial reaction was I felt bad for Miriam. I wanted to reach out to her. I hated the way she was giving herself away sexually to men that didn't care for her. It's not that she didn't know that but in some cases it seems she was genuinely interested in them. I think she was having an identity crisis. She said she was an American Jew who moved to Israel to fight in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

She didn't seem to be to publicly outspoken for one side or the other and the news stories ,whether they were from the T.V. or newspapers, seemed unbiased as well. Some talked about the attacks on the Israeli's then some seemed sympathetic to the Palestinian side. One example that I can think of is the News story where there was an attack on Palestinian civilians and they mentioned that a young child was killed as well as his father. I took this as she feels somewhat sympathetic because this story is mentioned therefore she feels somewhat confused.

Miriam also talks about how she never really belonged to any group of people. She is kind of a 'loner.' One example is from her home life. Her parents raised her in a conservative, strict, Jewish religion but her family was somewhat lax. Her way of dress was not completely 'modest' according to Jewish rules.

There is one scene in the book where Miriam is talking with a therapist and he diagnoses her with all these different mental illnesses. She does not seem to have a reaction it's like she just accepts them.

I think all of these points taken from the story do show a sense of confusion as to who she is. I think she takes it out in her relations with men as well. I think she is trying to cling to someone rather than something in order to 'define' herself.

I would really like to hear other ideas and opinions on the matter EVEN IF IT IS AN OPPOSING VIEW I LOVE DEBATE! Let me know y'all!

Jewish Identity

Sfar speaks about Jewish Identity, specifically, he is trying to say that Jews do not have a distinct look. The stereotypical 'Jewish' look does not exist in Sfar's book, he talks about Jews from France and North Africa which clearly don't have the same physical appearance. However, it may also mean they don't have the same religious practice, and in the book, it shows that they do not practice Judaism the same way. Nonetheless, Sfar believes everyone should be accepted no matter how they practice.

It's also an important lesson that can be learned in any sect of life. However, I can see it especially identifying with religion. I know some older generations are so quick to judge people if they practice a different religion or they practice the same religion but with a 'twist.' This is obviously unfair but people shouldn't worry too much. I just think it is interesting to see how we have evolved socially.

The Rabbi's Cat

When I first read the Rabbi's Cat I did not get it. In class I shared the same frustration with other students who were confused at the drawing style or the plot. There were so many sub plots that I didn't know what ones were important nor did I understand how they were connected. I also couldn't figure out how they related to Judaism.
It was explained in class that the significance of the story is actually on the last page where the Rabbi states there is no 'right or wrong' way to Judaism. The Rabbi reaches this conclusion through the book when he meets a variety of characters that are Jewish or not Jewish.
One example is when he meets his daughters future husband and realizes that although he is a Jewish Rabbi himself, he is not a stanch, traditionalist Jew. At first this bothers the Rabbi but over time he realizes he can't do anything about the situation and learns to accept it.
Another example is when he meets his nephew who is a street actor. His nephew is also in a relationship with a catholic singer. The Rabbi does not see this as proper but again, he learns to accept it.
As I stated before, the Rabbi seems to say at the end of the story that is does not matter how you live but everyone within the Jewish religion should be accepted. I think that is a lesson that everyone could learn.

Oh that Vladek Spiegelman

I think Art needs to lay off of his father. He is so mean to his father! I understand where he sees his dad as annoying and clingy but after reading other people's bloggs I understand more why Vladek is the way he is. His life through the Holocaust made him appreciate and find worth in everything to the point where he saved junk. During the Holocaust he had to save and ration everything in order to survive. He wants a close relationship with his son because he needed people connection through the Holocaust for comfort.

All the things he learned to value became a part of his life, literally transforming his person, to the man we see a little of in Maus 1 but mostly in Maus 2.

Come on, Vladek is a funny guy too! Can't Art learn to laugh at his dad and some of the crazy things he does?! I laughed so hard when Art was trying to explain, 'hey dad, we don't want any food!' But Vladek insisted they take it anyway. I think that is so funny because I'm not sure if Vladek really gets the point or if he chooses to ignore what his son says. I like to think Vladek doesn't give a crap about what his son says. *Love this guy....*

Maus II

I just got done finishing Maus II. I liked the first one better, NOT THE POINT. I want to discuss in this blogg the other groups who were persecuted besides the Jews in the concentration camps.
I have a fascination with the persecution of the Polish people because it seems such a mystery as to why they were placed in these camps. The Jews we know were treated this way because they were 'ethnic minorities' but even this circulates debate among historians. Once again...NOT THE POINT.

I wanted to talk about the Polish people because they were not really ethnically different, both are considered middle European nations. Looking back on Polish-German History, the 2 countries have been fighting with each other since their origins in the 900s. I have always believed that from this ancient problem between the 2 countries came the situation from WW2, that being the Polish peoples persecution under the Nazis.

As I read Maus 2, I started to question my assumption so I consulted a reliable source, an old college professor who specialized in Eastern European relations. The man is a genius. I want to be him some day. He said that although the 2 countries were pretty much fighting throughout History the primary time is was especially bad, (which consequently caused Polish persecution), was what happened after WW1.

I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about now! After WW1, the Treaty of Versailles decided that Germany would be punished immensely for the war. They had to pay money, their army was cut to barley enough people, and they also had to give up important land, like Danzig which was an important port city. The Germans gave up most of this land to...YOU GUESSED IT, TO THE POLES! Danzig was actually considered a free city/country where Germans and Poles shared the wealth but that didn't last long because Hitler attacked Danzig therefore stretched to other Polish occupied lands. Hitler brutally attacked Poland out of jealousy. Now I just realized that this does not answer the question that I was trying to ask before and that was, WHY were the poles persecuted.

I already established some anger issues coming from Germany on the Poles but also there are other reasons such as differences in culture and especially religion considering Poland is very Catholic and Germany, under Hitler, was not any type of religion. Not to mention, Poland had the leading numbers in Jewish population which caused even more hatred from Hitler. So the poles were indeed considered ethnic minorities.

Any questions?! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE history!!

Call me crazy bananas...

In class we were discussing Maus and on one of the pages, Vladek Spiegelman has a dream while he is sleeping at a labor camp where his grandfather came to him and said, "Don't worry, you will be free on the day of Parshas Truma." Professor Levine said this was when a chapter was read, usually from Exodus, once a week for a year. My immediate reaction was, "Huh, that's interesting because Moses' story with the Israelites is featured in Exodus." Then I started thinking...

That's an interesting comparison. Vladek Spiegelman is supposed to be freed on Parshas Truma which is when the Israeli people were also freed by Moses. Maybe it doesn't make sense. I asked a friend in the class and he failed to miss the connection....at least he wasn't as excited about it as I was...

As always, let me know!!

Maus 1

So this week we were assigned to read the first Maus comic book by Spiegelman. Pretty exciting stuff. I own both of them, therefore have read them. When I first heard of Maus I was learning about Polish History. My professor for the class recommended these books to me and I went out to buy them right away, can I just say that I bought them at a Harry Schwartz bookstore second hand for about 10 bucks for both! I was excited. NOT THE POINT! The point is when I first read them I was intersted in them for Vladek Spiegelman's historical input. I didn't realize there was an 'art' form in 'em. Well, I realized why the Nazis are portrayed as cats and the Jews are portrayed as mice, that was pretty cool to see. Outside of that however, I had no idea there was more of an art form other than just the historical meaning.

One of the things I found interesting is that the Polish people are depicted as pigs....and I wonder why. I could be incorrect, because my polish history class was 4 years ago now, but Poland had a large population of Jewish people but they were for the most part left alone until the Nazis came in of course. I guess I still don't understand why the Poles are shown this way. If anyone has any idea, let me know!