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Showing posts with label families. Show all posts
Showing posts with label families. Show all posts

Monday, October 14, 2013

Remembering When, Part Four

Publishing the e-mail last night, I will now break it down and respond to it for more background's sake. After that, I will delve right into the so-to-speak "meat" of the memoir (Keep in mind that this is the "bread" part. Also, I have been really busy with college and post-operation recovery and rehabilitation, among dealing with other issues—many of which can be explained by what is in this memoir.). Here are the e-mail, its breakdown, and the responses:

I have serious doubts about any Jewish Family connections over in Poland.  Here's why:
     1)  Surnames were not used in Poland until about the 16th century. Before that it was the equivalent of "Joe son of the Tailor".

Even further, Ashkenazi Jews did not take surnames mandatorily until 1787-1815 (when the dividers of Poland—Austria and Hungary, Prussia, and Russia—passed surname mandates). The Czernecki family tree traces back as far as the 1840s. As Tracy R. Rich of JewFAQ states, Ashkenazi Jews are lucky to get a tree traced back past 1700; and "Jaffe" was one of the few pre-1700 Ashkenazi surnames. So was "Andrulewicz" or "Andrulevicus", and our Anusi relatives such as Kazimierz Andrulewicz took the Polish form and moved from Stakliskes, Lithuania to cities such as Bose, Poland.

     2)  The pronounciation of our surname is different in Polish.  "Czarnecki" is pronounced "Cha-nyet-ski".  The  "r" is silent, a "y" appears after the "n" ,a "t" appears between the "e" and "c" and the "cki"  becomes "ski".  They even pronounce it the Polish way in Mexico because they are trained in Eastern Europe phonics. Also, "Czar" means "black" in Polish.  Figure out the "ne" meaning and you will understand the origin - maybe.

Keep in mind that Slavs are natively light-haired, blue-eyed Whites. This was not us at all. In fact, Julian Czernecki, for example, had brown hair and blue eyes. By the way, the Facebook page "Hebrew In Israel" shows a picture of an enslaved black-haired, blue-eyed Jew. As for Alexandria's relatives, some even had brown hair and dark skin.
    
 3)  You need to spend some time on Polish Roots.org/(surname).  Notice how few Jews had our surname.  "Cki" at one point indicated royality, however, everyone started to use the "cki" (ski) after the 16th century.  There are many Roman Catholics and Polish National Catholic Czarnecki's.  These are the predominent religions.


Many Jews passed as gentiles, and even gentile nobles. Think about, for instance, the mishpacha hakohanim known as the Kerrys—who are also relatives of the so-called "Maharal", by the way.

     4)  Great Grand Pop had some relatives in the Wilkes-Barre area.  All were Roman Catholics. (at least 4 families)  There are at least 4 other Czarnecki clans in Wilkes-Barre (not related to us).  All are Roman Catholics.  Friends in the area from Poland are also Roman Catholic.  (They all would know.)

Not necessarily. Remember that John Kerry did not know that he is a kohen and a ben-Yehudah for decades on end. By the way, Great-Great-Grandma made sure that her son Antoni Jan  (later Anthony John) would not marry a believing Jewess named Mary Trudniak—though he did, anyway; and Anthony and Mary later became the paternal grandparents of my dad. 
     
5)  Your Great Grand Piop arrived in this country when he was 3 years old.  I don't believe that he would know that the family was Jewish.  The family was always active in the Catholic (Polish) church in Sugar Notch after their arrival.


He actually did. According to Granduncle Tony, Great-Granddad wanted to marry for love, as was against Old Country custom. Understanding that the Andrulewiczes were Jews and that Old Country custom involved shidduch, one can easily see why Alexandria Andrulewicz Czarnecki opposed her eldest son's wishes to marry for love: in Judaism, shidduch—marriage—has nothing to do with love, since "shidduch" means "match" or "matchmaking". Even among—perhaps especially among—Anusim, marriage for love was an unacceptable form of marriage, especially if one wanted to keep any form of halakhah. Marrying a Messianic Jewess (a "meshumadah") in Great-Granddad's case did not sit well with his Ashkenazi, Litvake-Poylische Orthodox, Anusit mother one bit—after all, for instance, her cousin Shmuil Morgovich (a maternal relative) had his death registered with the Aukštadvaris clergy; and to insult the memory of devout Jews like him by marrying a "meshumadah" was a chillul HaShem.

Also, according to Aunt Mary (who was named for her grandmothersironically, in accord with Sefardi and Karaite practice, as opposed to Ashkenazi practiceand not the mother of Jesus), Great-Grandma and another son of hers (not Granduncle Tony or Pop-Pop, but one of her other three sons) told her that Great-Granddad was quite abusivethus, obviously, not very loving. By the way, women are not treated well in P'rushi ("Rabbinate", "Rabbinical"; literally, "Pharisee") Orthodox Judaism; so, you can guess from where Great-Granddad got his attitude.
     


6)  The church was the center of activity after the immigrants came from Poland.  It allowed them to keep customs alive and socialize with those who were similiar in origin and faith and helped them assimulate into life in America.  Jews would not easily fit into a Catholic society as was in Sugar Notch.

I go back to John Kerry for several reasons on this—after all, Fritz "Frederick Kerry" Kohn and Great-Granddad share several parallels. Both converted during times of Anti Semitism in Europe (Mr. Kohn in Austrian-Hungarian Czechland, Great-Granddad in Russian Pale Poland.). Both immigrated to the United States and lived as Anusim in the United States (Of course, Great-Granddad had no choice in the first 18-20 years of his life altogether, much less the first 16-17 years that he spent in America—May 16-18, 1908 to May 16-18, 1924; and he became a citizen on June 24, 1921. By then, he had the habit of living as an Anusi well ingrained into his being and his daily-living patterns. ).

Both Frederick Kerry and Anthony John Czarnecki had crises which affected the ends of their lives, and the ends of their lives were suicides—Mr. Kerry was a failed businessman who shot himself in a Boston bathroom; Great-Granddad was a depressed man with three severed-off toes on his right foot and other reasons that he used as excuses to jump off of Falls River Bridge in Exeter, Pennsylvania. Incidentally, as you should be able to tell by now, I have read up quite a bit on the John Kerry story and found how fascinatingly parallel it is to my family's story.

I just don't see a Jewish connection in any way.  Also, check out the words of the Polish National Anthem.  Antoni Czarnecki is mentioned as a Hero.
Regards, Uncle Tony

The "hero" was actually Stefan Czarniecki, who was an ardent Anti Semite. By the way, we have no family tree that traces back to him. Also, Pop-Pop later changed his story—he went from saying that we were Polish-Lithuanian Americans who were related to Stefan Czarniecki to saying (as I recall—or as I recall something like it), "If we had Jewish blood, I don't know about it."

Kol hakavod to Granduncle Tony, and he's got to learn to stop being afraid of Jack Czarnecki—though, as I said, you will understand why he is afraid when you find out what happened to Mary Trudniak Czarnecki. 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Remembering When, Part Two

I really do not feel like writing tonight, since I had a depressive breakdown. Nonetheless, I promised to write "part-by-part on (at maximum) a daily basis (minimum more than one part a day) at thenicolefactor.blogspot.com". This memoir originally began as a Stage32 project (I am not promoting them or endorsing them, by the way—nor am I demoting or discouraging them—I was invited to Stage32 and felt that I needed to write something to qualify for my invite.). Thus, my acquaintances's suggestion that my family story be turned into a book or movie already had been a suggestion to me (from me to myself, as I recall) previously—though I would have honestly delayed resuming or rewriting the memoir without his suggestion. Part of the delay would have been due to Depression.

That I have Depression is important to mention because Depression goes down the line from Great-Granddad (about whose suicide you will read later) to Pop-Pop (unless it skipped a generation, but I doubt that it did), Dad (e.g., Those pill bottles in his apartment were not just B-12 vitamins  and now I know what purpose they served.), and me. Also, Depression is nothing new to the Jewish community. As Yehovah (Blessed be He.) wrote through Moses:

"And among these nations shalt thou find no ease , neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fearday and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 67 In the morning thou shalt say , Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say , Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear , and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see."

(I am using the King James Version; so, Ms. Stuart would have no reason to roll in her grave could she do so.).

Ironically, I come from a Phraisee ("Rabbinate") family (See Matthew 23:8-10 for why I do not use "rabbi" or any word thereinvolving.)—so, I am not supposed to use "Yehovah". However, as I have learned, nowhere in Scripture does Yehovah say that one may not use His name altogether. My family had no interest in this, though—in fact, as my Aunt Mary told me, they did not even really have reverence toward Yehovah. As Aunt Mary described to me, her first reference to God and Jesus came from an argument between my grandparents:

"God damn it, Joan!"

"Jesus Christ, Jack! The neighbors will think you're crazy!"

Their reverence was and has been toward maintaining appearances of being a perfect, Slavic-American Roman Catholic family—at least since they became Crypto Jews (or Anusim; Hebrew "אנוסים"—"forced ones" or "hidden ones"). This might help to explain the exacerbation of the Depression in our familyand it's what led up to Great-Granddad Czarnecki's 60th and final year, beginning with him and his family when they became Anusim in Lipsk nad Biebrzą in about the year of Great-Granddad's birth. 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Remembering When, Part One

Scrapping my old family-history memoir and writing a new one, I begin with the following conversation that I had with an acquaintance. I begin with this particular conversation because it'll help you understand why Alan Jackson's "Remember When" is really my Czarnecki great-grandparents' story, and their story is (if you will) the linchpin story in my family story—that is, the story that connects the other one and really makes up my family history. Of course, I'm well aware that almost everyone (as can be seen on the YouTube version of "Remember When") could, would, or even did say that this is their story, or their relative's story, or whoever else's story. Nonetheless, you would see that (as I saw that) "Remember When" was written almost as if Alan Jackson knew my family story well before I did and even continued to probe into my family history to complete the song.

For copyright reasons (and, incidentally, part of which adds to my disdain for Ann Stuart and the Copyright Act of 1708-1710), I cannot get into a breakdown of the lyrics. However, you will be able to break down the lyrics for yourself and find my Czarnecki great-grandparents' story in them when you read their story (and, incidentally again, I guess that Ms. Stuart forgot the wisdom of another monarch—an ancient Jewish monarch by the name of Shlomo ben David—to whom I may be related, as you will find out, by the way. Also, "the wisdom of...Shlomo ben David" is actually the wisdom of Yehovah [Blessed be He.]—and I will make clear throughout that I—as many of my relatives did and do—believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible God in written form Himself.).

Meanwhile, here is the conversation that started the rewriting of this memoir (and it heavily indicates that my Messianic Jewish beliefs define who I am, how I view my family history, and every other factor in my life and background):

Ever been in the states?
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:02am
Oh yes.
I'm still in them.
I was born in the Diaspora.
I plan to make aliyah as soon as Netanyahu and Likud find their government collapsed on themselves.

10/4, 2:03am
Whr is that?
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:04am
Netanyahu and his government don't allow Messianic or Patrilineal Jews to make aliyah as Jews.
We have to call ourselves gentiles of Jewish descent or convert, and I won't do either.

10/4, 2:05am
oh i have to google this.
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:05am
They even let Yad L'Achim infiltrate the Interior and Foreign Affairs Ministries.
Good idea.
I had to learn a lot by Googling and following the news, etc. myself.
I even had no clue that my dad is Jewish.

10/4, 2:06am
Well if your in new york holla at me. Wow yr dad??
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:07am
Yep. He still gets mad at me for finding out. When I told him that, e.g., his paternal grandmother (Mary Trudniak Czarnecki)'s dad's maternal family (the Nagys) converted because of Anti Semitism, etc., he was like, "I don't want to go there." and "You can't ascribe motives to" why they converted.
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:08am
Also, for years, this is the story that I got...

10/4, 2:08am
Wow girl i feel for ya!!!
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:09am
Anthony Czarnecki, a relative or even descendant of Polish-Lithuanian szlachta Stefan Czarniecki, comes over here as an adult and marries Mary Trudniak. He serves in Korea, and--after working in the coal mines for years--dies of Black Lung in 1972.
I feel more for them. They miss the richness of our real story by denying it.
Real story, beginning with Tony (as they called him)...

10/4, 2:10am
hhmmmm allot of rich history; shouldbe made into a book.
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:11am
I tried to do that for a while, actually. Once I can put more of the story together (Oy vey!), I'll pick up writing it down back up.

10/4, 2:12am
So go back into it might even turn out to be a movie!!
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:13am
It could be. I have thought about that.
Especially since my last Fosko-Rusnak great-granduncle (of blessed memory) just died.

10/4, 2:14am
Don't waste time, move with the spirit and put ypu heart and soul into it. You have a gold mind here!!! What you waiting for??
your
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:15am
Point taken. You're right.
I gotta figure out where to get started.
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:16am
Anyway, beginning with Tony: a Czernecki boy was born in Cuman, Poland (Tsuman, Ukraine) to a Jewess from the Andrulevicus (Andrulewicz, etc.) family on October 24, 1904. The Jewess, Aleksjondria Andrulewiczowna Czernecka was en route to or from visiting a cousin, Vil'gel'm Andrulevich, in Buzhanka, Zvenigorodka (Buzhanka, Cherkas'ka) when she gave birth. Then came the pogroms, and Aleksjondria and her husband, Julian Jan "Feliks" Czernecki (whose birth names are actually unknown), converted themselves and their son "Antoni Jan" (as he became). Needless to say, their families were pissed and done with them...

10/4, 2:17am
Start where it hurts!! Im a filmaker.We have a thing we say in the field the first 10 minutes should be shocking to the viewer.
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:18am
They joined other Crypto-Jewish family over in America. As my granduncle Tony put it (and I love that he wrote this, not knowing that I suspected that we are Jews):
I don't know who came with the group to America. It seems that there were only a few family members and friends. These people mostly settled in NE PA. Your Great Grandfather had a few cousins living within 50 miles of Wilkes-Barre but none that were mentioned living in Patterson, NJ. The Patterson family may have, in fact, moved to PA at or after the same time as them. There were several "friends" in Sugar Notch and the area that would periodically return to Lisco Poland to visit family and mail was occasionally received by them from family in Poland. One of the friends who lived in Sugar Notch would bring pictures of Great Grandpop's family to share with him. Since he left at a young age, he didn't recognize anyone but as I recall they all had names of the people in the pictures on the back.
The move from Poland was permanent. There was never any talk of returning. Not even for a visit. After moving to Sugar Notch the family flourished economically. Julian & Alexandria eventually owned houses at 203, 205, and 207 Freed Street. They lived in 207 and sold 205 to Son, Joseph and 203 to Son, Anthony(great grandpop). All the boys worked at first in coal mine related jobs.
I never seen nor did anyone mention anything special brought from Poland. A friend from Sugar Notch, Mrs. Bertha Wawrzyn, visited Poland every few years to see her family and would visit the family while there. All she ever brought back were photos that she took of the Polish Czarnecki's (see earlier comments).
There was very little discussion of the Polish life and family. Usually, when there was, it was a brief mention of the farm that was left behind. There did not seem to be any regrets about leaving for a better life. After all , they settled among Polish, Slavic, Hungarian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian people just like themselves. Similar language, similar customs, similar faces, houses, churches, etc. But life was much better than on the farm. They were quite happy in America and much better off. The motherland, Poland, was far off and just a memory, not to be forgotten but no regrets for leaving either.
Periodically a church pastor would run a heritage trip back to Poland for a group. Very few of those who immigrated would return. Occasionally someone "in the family" in America would join a relative for the return trip, Usually meeting the Polish or Slovak relatives for the first time and occasionally maintaining a letter writing relationship afterwards. This DID NOT happen in our family.
There was not very much correspondence with the Polish family. Only an infrequent letter. There were no exchanges other than through the Polish Church which would have clothing drives and send clothes to Poland in general, but not to specific family members. Bertha's photos which came after the trips were the only contact until they asked for the deed to be changed in the mid 1960's.
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:19am
That's only part of the e-mail. But we didn't write and they didn't write. Once the Holocaust was over and they made aliyah, they wrote to us only to ask for the farm back. Otherwise, all contact was done through Bertha.
To them, they wanted nothing to do with us. We were minim (heretics), koferim (apostates), and meshumadim (baptized koferim).

10/4, 2:20am
yes a book!!
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:21am
Will do, and thanks for the encouragement.

10/4, 2:21am
anytime!
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:21am
Meanwhile, both the Foskos (Foc(z)kos and Rus(z)n(y)aks) were Levites.

10/4, 2:22am
yea?
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:23am
The great-granduncle was Staff Sgt. Andrew Lewis ("Levi's"?) Rusnak (I just realized that. I think that he changed it to "Louis".).
That's a long story, too.
So, Grandma's a Maternal Levite, and I have no clue what Pop-Pop is.
All I know is that Dad is a Maternal Levite, maybe of kohen descent.
Eric Peterson
10/4, 2:24am
Wow i want to chat wit u in vid sometime we talk more deeply about this.
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:25am
The kohenim would be the Dudays ("Dudaj" or "Duday" means "horn" in Hungarian and could allude to shofars.).
Ok. That'd be cool. And thank you for listening to my story, by the way.

10/4, 2:26am
anytime babe
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:27am
Thanks.
Have a good night, and thank you again.

10/4, 2:27am
you to lets talk again around sun if its good 4 u?
Nicole Maratovah Czarnecki
10/4, 2:53am

That'd be great.

(By the way, I have a Facebook page and a separate Facebook account for my public work and other public activities—I urge family to reach out to me on my private account. Also, good luck to the family who want to sue me—nothing that I have stated is untrue or even uninferable; you did not copyright our family history or the pictures that you provided, and I am as much a part of our family or families as you are. As Dad, of all people, told Pop-Pop, "You can't change history".)