Written Assignment

Research Project on the Transmission of Family History:
Interview Report
Agnieszka Harasim
New York City Collage of Technology/ CUNY
The Family-SOC 1103
Professor Graciela Bardallo-Vivero
November 4, 2014

B. OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

Section I: FAMILY MEMORIES

8. My interviewee was 89 years old female who was born in Warsaw, Poland where she lived with her seven siblings and her parents for 20 years. Her family was classical “nuclear family” with only parents and children living in a single household. The respondent’s grandparents and some relatives had deceased during the World War II. Fortunately, she was young; therefore she only has great recollection of the good times that she spent with them. Her father was working in a suburban mansion as a property keeper in paid labor whereas her mother took care of the kids and housework. During the German occupation the family faced a very difficult period in their lives including lost of their house in the early 1945. Prior to this, German authorities repeatedly victimized and tortured my respondent’s father and her three brothers who eventually were sentenced to the concentration camp in Auschwits-Birkenau, Oswiecim, Poland. Life after these events was extremely difficult because they had to sleep on the street for a long-time, facing hunger, and humiliation. After my respondent’s father and siblings lost their life in the concentration camp her mother remarried a Greek man and the rest of the family immigrated to Greece in the middle of 1945. At that time, my respondent had just a little elementary education in German language, which she was, forced to obtain in Poland. Nevertheless, this fact did not help her to find a job and become independent. Although she was just 21 years old at the time when she moved to Greece she had no other choice but marry quickly and move from home as soon as possible. Her first husband was an English soldier that she met one day on the street. They had a daughter soon after they got married. However due to frequent deployments that resulted in her husband’s absenteeism and instability of family dynamic, her marriage of two years had ended. Struggled to make a living as a single parent my respondent found a job in textile factory but this job was labor intensive, required irregular and long working hours. Therefore she could not take care for her daughter properly, so and frequently asked her mother and siblings to help her. At that time, there were no day care available and parents were often forced to leave their small kids with neighbors or just alone at home. My interviewee remarried in 1948 to a Greek architect who provided an exceptional financial care for her and her daughter. She was no longer required to work therefore she decided to go to school to pursue her education in economics. In 1974 her family decided to immigrate to the United States where she lives nowadays. In America they were considered as a working class family, thus, my respondent worked as an accountant for 15 years. Her husband found a job in construction and after a few years he decided to take board exam and became an architect. Her daughter obtained her education as a medical doctor and returned to Europe where she lives with her husband and daughter. My respondent retired from her work 25 years ago and 10 years ago she lost her husband to cancer. Now she lives alone in the lower east side Manhattan apartment that she owns.
9. The sentimental records such as photographs, albums, and jewelry are still kept at home by my respondent however all of her personal records, such as documents, journals and living will letter are kept by her representing attorney. My interviewee lost a lot of family records and pictures during the war and through multiple moving processes. However she was able to save a lot of expensive pieces of jewelry that were given to her by her husband, her mother and her grandparents. Although she does not originate from a rich family she somehow was lucky to
maintain possession over some beautiful pieces that she was willing to show me during the interview. She keeps all her jewelry collection in a safe box and her wish is to pass this to the next generation. My respondent values her family’s memory therefore she placed framed pictures around the whole apartment. Some are hanging on the walls in the hallway and some in the bedroom whereas some stand freely in the living room and on the bedroom chest and nightstand. She is also expressing that her old photographs are kept in albums in the closet in order to prevent time-affected damage to the collection. This includes pictures of her parents and siblings, grandparents her daughter and granddaughter picture and many others.

Section II: INTER-GENERATIONAL AND INTRA-GENERATION
RELATIONSHIPS.
10. Special and lifelong circumstances created inter and intra generational relationships in the respondent’s family. Her daughter and her granddaughter are the only remaining family but they live in Europe therefore do not visit her very often. The daughter who is now 68 years old is visiting her once or twice a year during wintertime to celebrate Christmas and during spring to celebrate Easter. In addition, her granddaughter is 44 years old and works as a journalist and visits her each year for a few weeks in the summer.
When my respondent moved to the United States she left all her family in Greece, however, she was able to reunite with her mother and three sisters after they obtained their visas and brought their families with them. Her mother was elderly women when she arrived and she had no financial support therefore all of the responder’s siblings were sharing duty in providing the basic care. My interviewee’s family tradition is that the children are primary care givers of the elderly parents. In her country of origin, Poland, the parents always remained in their own home or an apartment and children or their grandchildren were responsible to provide all care that is needed. In Poland and Greece when my respondent and her relatives had lived for years the family bond was unbreakable. They were living very closely to each other, sometimes in the same building or house and they always relied on each other’s help. Holidays, birthdays, and celebrations were part of family traditions that were also implemented after the families moved to the United States. According to my interviewee a typical Polish family is characterized by solidarity, dedication, and passion for each other.
11. The respondent is very religious Christian Catholic who celebrates all of the mandated religious holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and New Year. Since the family moved to America they also adopted traditional American holidays for example Thanksgiving, Halloween, Patriotic holidays, Valentine’s day, Mother’s and Father’s day. In addition, all family members belong to the same church and they pray regularly at each Sunday’s mass. After the Sunday mass the tradition was to celebrate family diner in the restaurant or in the home of one of family members.
At home food was often prepared by the oldest and more experienced in the clan however everybody wanted to be involved in the food preparation process. Children and adolescents were included in this practice but an adult who assigned them age appropriate assignments supervised them. Old generation plays a very important role in each event and they are highly respected. According to the interviewee, the first-generation of Americans celebrated the original holidays that were deeply rooted in ethical or religious traditions. The second-generation, are more likely inclined to celebrate to the traditional American holidays then traditional Polish cultural holidays.

Section III: FAMILY’S INTEREST IN IT’S PAST
12. Although my respondent’s family originated from a very tough time she highlighted that despite few traumatic events such as loss of her father and three brothers her family is very lucky.
She specified the special events that were celebrated at home with so many siblings, and unconditional love and respect that everyone was cared for everyone. The past was often discussed during family dinner in purpose to find pleasure in memories. Sometimes on the daily bases the past were referred to a specific incidents that were used to teach a lesson or to warn the younger generation. However, the interviewee did not discussed with her family about many painful memories from the past.
13. Based on the interview, I was able to distinguish the reason why cultural elements are being discussed during the special occasions such as weddings, reunions, and funerals by older generation. Polish old generation like to teach younger generation about cultural footprint of their descendants and their teaching is rooted in experience, knowledge and cultural component to effectively reinforce the cultural.
14. My interviewee did not know more about one side or the other of her mother or father side ancestry. However she remembers that her grandparents from the father side were living in the same yard and they were more often present at the family events. A grandfather on the father side taught them how to work on the farm and how to appreciate goods that were collected as a gift from Mother Nature. The respondent expressed that she believed that due to the fact that her father was their grandparents’ only son he was the main beneficiary of their heritage.

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