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From Gutenberg to Google: Five Jewish Diasporic Auto/Biographies

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From Gutenberg to Google: Five Jewish Diasporic Auto/Biographies FROM GUTENBERG TO GOOGLE: FIVE JEWISH DIASPORIC AUTO/BIOGRAPHIES by Elaine Susan Barron Mendelow A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL December 2018 Copyright 2018 by Elaine Susan Barron Mendelow ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who helped me on my doctoral journey. To those of you who do not see your names in print, please forgive my unintentional oversight. It takes a (global) village to complete a Ph.D. program. Special thanks go first to my advisor, Dr. Alan L. Berger, who encouraged me from my ambition’s early beginnings. I remember sitting in his office, offering up my ancient transcripts and my recently retaken GRE scores. He gave me the guiding words of inspiration I needed to submit an application to the Comparative Studies Ph.D. program at FAU. The acting director of the program, Dr. Michael Horswell, now Dean Horswell, was welcoming from the very first advising appointment. His wise counsel was indispensable in helping me to form my stellar committee, which, with a little coaxing on my part, he agreed to join. Kudos goes to supportive committee member Dr. Miriam Sanua Dalin, an outstanding Judaic Studies scholar whose presence on my committee assured the highest standard of academic integrity. I am eager to acknowledge an honorary member of my committee, my dear, dear friend Dr. Howard R. Wolf, Emeritus Professor and Senior Fellow, Department of English, SUNY Buffalo, who was always there to help navigate the inevitable shoals and challenges encountered after a hiatus of many decades away from the rhythms of a university program. “H,” as I like to call you in our iv voluminous email correspondence, you were a steadfast presence and an unflagging source of support and counsel throughout the experience. I honestly don’t think I could (or would) have done it without your treasured friendship. My special gratitude goes out to my professors in the Comparative Studies Program, Dr. Taylor Hagood, Dr. Adam Bradford, Dr. Alan Berger, Dr. Regis Mann, Dr. Emily Stockard, Dr. Richard Schusterman, Dr. Eric Berlatsky, Dr. Marcella Munson, Dr. Steve Blakemore, and Dr. Faith Smith. Thanks also to all my cohorts in the program for their help and support, especially Lochard Noel, who always insisted on accompanying me to the parking garage after our evening classes, despite my protests. Very special thanks is reserved for Gabrielle Denier, Administrative Paraprofessional of the Comparative Studies Department. As she has done with so many department cohorts, she came to my rescue many times: indispensably helping me in meeting swiftly impending deadlines, filling out vital forms, and surviving the experience of comps! Throughout these ordeals, she remained a model of kindness and patience, her usual sweet self. Thank you, Gabby for all you do. Thanks also to her counterpart, Bonnie Lander, Executive Assistant for Dr. Berger. Bonnie managed to schedule important dissertation advising appointments into Dr. Berger’s busy calendar. She also made certain that numerous letters of recommendation were retrieved, sent and received in a timely manner; not always easy with such a peripatetic professor, not to mention printing out numerous copies of dissertation chapters. Special thanks go to v Austen Canonica for his moral and technical support in formatting and submitting my dissertation in time for all the deadlines. I am grateful to FAU Graduate College for awarding me a 2015-2016 Graduate Diversity Fellowship and for the opportunity to participate in the Summer 2018 Dean’s Summer Writing Workshop. Thanks especially to workshop leader Dr. Eric Berlatsky and my workshop colleagues Melanie Uribe, Jason Levan and Michael Levan for their constructive comments, especially on the diaspora chapter. The whole experience helped me get to the finish line. Many thanks go to Professor Roger Porter of Reed College, author and authority in the field of auto/biography. His reading suggestions provided me with the fruitful bibliography which played a key part in guiding the diasporic structure of my dissertation through the life narrative analyses. He also listened patiently to the early beginnings of my dissertation proposal defense with helpful observations. When we moved to South Florida over twenty years ago, we became part of the Boca Raton Synagogue community. The synagogue was the source of so many secular and Judaic learning opportunities, offering speakers and lectures encompassing contemporary and cultural topics, often in very erudite presentations by world-famous personalities. The experience was so academically stimulating that it rekindled my desire to pursue a degree within an organized university program. I owe a great deal of thanks to Rabbi Emeritus Kenneth Brander, PhD, Marah D’atra Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, Associate Rabbi Phillip Moskowitz, the BRS faculty, staff and the many program speakers and vi course instructors, especially Rebbitzen Hassia Yehuda and Dr. Avigail Rock whose courses made such an impression on me. A special thank you goes to Mrs. Amy Horowitz, whose wise counsel was so supportive in the Megillat/Book of Esther chapter. Thanks also goes to my Shabbos davening mate Avigail Andrea Alpern for her calm presence and sharp proofreading skills. Thanks as well to my loyal friends Penny Pearlman, Hena Aloof and Judy Schneider who sat together with me during all those illuminating Saturday afternoon shirum and even adjusted birthday celebrations to fit the immutable demands of my academic calendar. My introduction through friend and community member Lisa Finestone to photographer and mensch Ed Reichenberg heralded the beginning of a family friendship and working relationship spanning nearly two decades. He served as the photographer for nearly all the recorded interviews. I am grateful for his technical support, discretion and calming presence; so helpful in capturing so many of the life stories we did together. Having him work on the video camera aspect freed me up to concentrate solely on the interview which certainly enhanced the results. Many thanks go to technical consultant Benjamin Weiss, whose youthful expertise was indispensable, for, among other things, uploading the interviews to create an easily accessible private online site for committee members. The congregants of the Boca Raton Synagogue truly represent “the ingathering of the exiles.” From their midst came the individuals who became the subjects of the five contemporary auto/biographies in this dissertation: Isaac vii Jacob, Zmira Mozorosky, Rochel (and George) Berman, Sibyl Silver and (the late) Jay Lauwick, whose late wife Leah would surely have cheered me on in this pursuit. My thanks and gratitude to them for sharing their stunning stories is beyond measure. Many thanks are in order for the members of my family. My darling millennial daughter Raquel Rein, my greatest and most loyal fan, offered her constant technical and moral support. Raqueli, I don’t know where you found the patience to get your mother up to speed in 21st century technology, but I’m glad you did! Thank you, too, for our precious grandchildren, Jordana and Bibi whose sweet entrances into our lives put the project in perspective for me. Of course thanks to my son-in-law Jeffrey Rein, father of Jordana and Bibi, who wanted a bumper sticker that read: “My grandmother is an honor student.” Thanks to the California faction, my youngest brother Dean Barron, always ready to lend an ear and be a valuable sounding board, and my son Ron Mendelow and his wife Sharon, for their moral support three time zones away. Thanks to my younger brother Dr. Martin Barron for setting the bar so high, and his wife Laura for her inspiring pursuit of her artistic studies. My cousins Barbara Rich, Susan Rosenberg, Joanne Burke and Linda Schneider constantly cheered me on, giving me strength to finish this special mission. “Never too late” has become our family mantra. Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to my husband, Dr. Gary Mendelow, my beloved partner of forty-five years, who willingly assumed all manner of domestic chores so I could be free to read, write, and finish whatever viii assignment needed my full attention. With his fluent skills in oral and written German, he guided me through a challenging online German Reading and Research Course. I like to think that when we pored together over a complex passage of German literature after our Friday evening Sabbath meal, we had neatly defied the Final Solution. Gar, your unflagging support was instrumental in helping me realize my dream. ix ABSTRACT Author: Elaine Susan Barron Mendelow Title: From Gutenberg to Google: Five Jewish Diasporic Auto/Biographies Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Alan L. Berger Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2018 I have chosen to begin with an analysis of Megillat/Book of Esther because of its chronological placement as well as its status in Jewish tradition as the prototype of diasporic auto/biography. Briefly, it relates the story of a covertly Jewish queen who makes the decision to risk her life in order to save her people from genocide. (Professor Patricia K. Tull takes credit for the expression, the “Esther moment” to describe Esther’s choice to commit to her life-changing Jewish self-identification, with all its inherent risks.) Determination and recognition of the danger she faces are reflected in Esther’s comment, “If I perish, I perish.” Postcolonial theory is a prism through which to view the ancient story and ultimately relate its elements, particularly “the Esther moment,” to the diasporic auto/biographical narratives included in the dissertation. Robin Cohen’s explanation of the concept of victim diaspora will be contrasted with the x Kabbalistic interpretation of diaspora as the divinely orchestrated means to mend the world.
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