In an open letter to my Non-Messianic Jewish friends, I wrote, "I need to honestly disclose that I am a Patrilineal Jew and non-proselytizing Messianic Jew who considers Jews as primarily part of an ethnic group and secondarily part of religious groups (including Non-Messianic Jewish groups). On that note, I believe that Jews like myself--that is, Messianic Jews--remain Jews and believe that only G-d may lead a Jew to be a Messianic Jew. Messianic Jews such as myself, Jews for Jesus, and Chosen People Ministries are not individual Jews and Jewish groups who intend to forcibly attempt to convert fellow Jews to believe in a Mashiach, let alone in the Biblical and historical Jesus of Nazareth as Mashiach--the proselytizers are those such as the Pablo de Santa Marias, Nicolas Donins, and Pablo Christianis within the Messianic Jewish community."
As I made clear to Reverend ("Rabbi") Jason Klein--and having written the open letter after having a conversation with him (since I felt that Reverend Klein is only of the many who needs to know where I stand, and I had disclosed my ethnic and religious identity to a few others besides him prior to writing the open letter)--, I do not want to put anyone or myself be put in the kind of position that the Czarneckis were put in.
As I wrote in Part Two, I remembered when my dad used to call me "Nicole Charnetski", had already come across The Complete Jewish Bible by 2006, and was getting into the Jewish roots of my Christian faith. I had also typed in "jewsforjesus.com" or something like that for (what I thought was) a joke, and so began my journey into finding out that my great-granddad Anthony Czarnecki--if nobody else, or at least he (since I at the time, as far as I remember, wasn't really or at all thinking about if anyone else)--was Jewish.
What I found out was that the so-called Anthony John Czarnecki was born a Chernetski in Tsuman, Volyns'ka Oblast, Ukraine--what was then Cuman, Luck, Wolyn, Ukranian-Polish Russia. His mother, the so-called Alexandria Alice Andrulewicz, was on her way to visit her cousin Vil'gel'm Andrulevich in Buzhanka, Zvenigorodka, Kiev, Ukranian Russia. He was born on October 24, 1904 either en route to or from his cousin Vil'gel'm's home (Diasporan home, anyway--since, for all Jews and whether or not a Jew acknowledges that, Israel is the home of homes for Jews).
As for the Andrulewicz (Andrulevich) family, they lived in--among other places--Buzhanka and Bose, Sejny, Suwalki Gubernia, Polish Russia--now Buzhanka, Cherkas'ka Oblast, Ukraine and Bose, Sejny, Podlaskie, Poland. Cousin Vil'gelm was part of the Buzhanka group, and Alexandria--who claimed to be born Aleksjondria Alicja Andrulewiczowna--was part of the Bose group. Alexandria, like her husband--who claimed to be born Julian Jan "Feliks" Czarniecki--gave his parents, gave her parents the names "Antoni" and "Katarzyna".
As for the so-called Julian John "Felix" Czarnecki, he was born in Lipsk nad Biebrza--where JewishGen acknowledges that Jews lived and a Jewish community stood--to a Chernetski and a Danilowiczowna--the Chernetski being born of a Chernetski and Laczinska, the Danilowiczowna being supposedly born of an Aleksjondria Alicja Andrulewiczowna--since, to be fair, both Alexandria Alice Czarnecki Dombroski (Anthony Czarnecki's second-oldest sister) and Alexandria Alice Chernetski (a Chernetski cousin) both bore that name, and Ashkenazic Jews do have a custom of naming children for deceased relatives. By the way, Alexandria Alice Andrulewicz Czarnecki did list her estranged mother-in-law as her closest relative back in her native--rather, her Diasporan--country, and Numbers 36 does command us Jews to marry our cousins--so what does that tell you?
Were "Katarzyna" Chernetska not really Alexandria's closest relative back in Poland, she would not have been listed. Especially after getting kicked off of the Chernetski family farm in Lipsk for becoming Anusim because of and during the pogroms, Alexandria would not have dared to list a relative to whom she no blood connection and with whom she would have no correspondence when she immigrated to and lived in America.
Once Alexandria, Julian, and Anthony became Anusim--as Granduncle Tony wrote in an e-mail to me (although he denies our being Jewish because of being--and I know that he's--damned afraid of his older brother Jack):
"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.
"There was no special items from Poland that were kept by the family that I know of. They came with little and acquired everything they had in America. Over the years all traces of Poland disappeared. They were now AMERICANS and wanted to be known as such. The Polish heritage was maintained through Church and their friends in the community."
Shiva was sat, pictures (as Granduncle Tony explained) were passed around and thrown away, and we're still either Anusim or so-called meshuadim to this day--and I darned-well know that Reverend Klein considers me a meshumadah, although he's too polite to state what he thinks that way. Meanwhile, Reverend Klein did make clear that he does not consider Hebrew Christians, Jews For Jesus, etc. to be Jews--since, as he explained (and as I know), the denominations of Mainstream Judaism do not consider Messianic Jews to be Jews.
By the way, Reverend Klein did use "havoc" in reference to what he believes that Jews For Jesus does in regards to the Jewish community--at least the Non-Messianic Jewish community. This prompted me to write, "I do not believe that groups such as Jews For Jesus and Chosen People Ministries cause any havoc or tsores against the Jewish community. As I've written, " Jews for Jesus does not intend to "induce someone to convert to one's faith" or "recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause"-- that is not up to them." 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 explains the position of Messianic Jewish (Hebrew Christian, Jewish Christian) groups."
I also once wrote, "The Inquisitors, the pogromists, etc.--they proselytized." By the way, as I've implied, Great-Granddad Czarnecki and his parents could attest to that. Also by the way, I'm not being flip in not calling Reverend Klein "Rabbi"--Matthew 23:8-10 commands that I call nobody but Jesus "Rabbi".
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