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1

Old World Dreams and Promised Land Nightmares in Early 20th Century Jewish-American Immigrant Narratives

100%

Gasztold B.

Scripta Judaica Cracoviensia

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2011

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vol. 9

105-119

EN

The origin of the concept of the American Dream is attributed to James Truslow Adams, whose The Epic of America (1931) was the publication that launched the popularity of the phrase. Adams referred to a dream of a better, happier, and richer life, which should be attainable for all people, and, in his view, America was the place which offers such an opportunity: „That dream of the land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. [...] It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position (415).”

2

Self-sacrificing and/or Overbearing: the Jewish Mother in the Cultural Imagination

100%

Gasztold B.

Scripta Judaica Cracoviensia

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2013

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vol. 11

PL

Given the historical proximity of Polish and Jewish groups, it is possible to identify their mutual interconnectedness. This paper presents one such example of the stereotypical Jewish Mother, in Israel known as a “Polish woman,” both in its sociohistorical and cultural aspect. Drawing from the theory of gendered and stereotypical representations, author traces a changing portrayal of the Jewish Mother on her way from the ghetto penury to middle-class affluence. Embodied by popular characters such as Molly Goldberg, the Jewish mother also became a target of bitter criticism, best rendered in the depiction of Sophie Portnoy-the iconic protagonist of Philip Roth’s novel Portnoy’s Complaint (1967). Feminist re-readings of this popular stereotype offer an interesting insight into its construction and try to explain its viability.

3

A Narrative Inquiry into Canadian Multiculturalism: Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

100%

Gasztold B.

TransCanadiana

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2013

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issue 6

207-226

FR

La loi sur la citoyenneté canadienne de 1947 a fait ressortir le besoin de se distancer de l’identité britannique et d’en définir sa propre canadienne. De nombreuses théories ont établi les liens entre le concept de canadianité et les caractéristiques d’un territoire donné et ont défendu l’idée de la survie des victimes de la colonisation comme essentielle pour la construire (Atwood, 1972) ou ont indiqué “la mentalité de garnison” (Fry, 1964) comme caractéristique de l’imagination canadienne. Considérer le Canada comme une “nation sur mesure” (“A Nation by Design”) (Zolberg, 2006) suppose qu’il existe plus d’une manière d’être Canadien. L’une des variables du discours multiculturel est la notion de récit, qui est non seulement un outil de construction et de transmission du savoir mais également il reflète la structure sociale et conceptuelle dont il ressort. Le roman d’Anne Michaels Fugitive Pieces (1996) (traduction française : La Mémoire en fuite de 1998) représente tel récit ancré dans l’expérience juive dont le contexte plus global façonne les modèles idéologiques propres à la diversité canadienne. L’auteure associe une perspective ethnique à un lieu culturel du Canada multiculturel et, ce faisant, elle crée un récit représentatif de l’ethnicité juive et de la pluralité culturelle canadienne. L’auteure de cet article examine la façon dont Michaels emploie les éléments du discours narratif reflétant aussi bien que rejettant la notion de multiculturalisme. Le caractère épisodique du récit et la représentation du temps comme interrompu reflètent le contraste possible entre sa construction et sa representation ; entre la politique institutionnelle canadienne et sa pratique. Le concept d’adoption ainsi que de famille de substitution défient une histoire linéaire et officielle promouvant d’autres récits que ceux légitimés par la noblesse du sang ou par l’appartenance au groupe dominant. Les lacunes dans le récit et les histoires inédites revèlent un processus très complexe d’édification d’une nation, qui doit tenir compte des premières étapes marquées de l’expérience de l’invasion et de la colonisation tandis que les omissions dans le texte et dans le récit révèlent non seulement les difficultés de définition de l’identité canadienne mais aussi d’acceptation des modèles déjà existants.

4

Crossing the Virtual Partition: Changing Jewish Rituals in Women’s Narratives

100%

Gasztold B.

Romanica Silesiana

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2014

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vol. 9

EN

For many years excluded and marginalized, Jewish women have managed to alter the definitions of Jewish ritual in an attempt to find more self‑conscious ways of religious expression. My paper examines how literature reflects this process by demonstrating different strategies employed by women writers to bridge the gap created by androcentric narratives. Given the example of two novels: E.M. Broner’s A Weave of Women (1978) and Allegra Goodman’s Paradise Park (2001), I discuss the changing role of Jewish women in Judaism. Whether by mirroring the male rituals, or reshaping the existing foundations of Jewish practice and thought, they have managed to change the performance and conceptualization of modern Judaism; the process, which is by no means completed. Key words: Judaism, ritual, Jewish women, American‑Jewish literature

5

The Continuing Story of the Yiddish Language: The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts

100%

Gasztold B.

Text Matters: A Journal of Literature, Theory and Culture

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2015

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vol. 5

28-40

EN

The focus of my article is a unique place, the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, which connects Yiddish culture with the American one, the experience of the Holocaust with the descendants of the survivors, and a modern idea of Jewishness with the context of American postmodernity. Created in the 1980s, in the mind of a young and enthusiastic student Aaron Lansky, the Yiddish Book Center throughout the years has become a unique place on the American cultural map. Traversing the continents and crossing borders, Lansky and his co-workers for over thirty years have been saving Yiddish language books from extinction. The Center, however, has long stopped to be merely a storage house for the collection, but instead has grown into a vibrant hub of Yiddishkeit in the United States. Its employees do not only collect, distribute, digitalize and post online the forgotten volumes, but also engage in diverse activities, scholarly and cultural, that promote the survival of the tradition connected with Yiddish culture. They educate, offering internships and fellowships to students interested in learning Yiddish from across the world, translate, publish, and exhibit Yiddish language materials, in this way finding new users for the language whose speakers were virtually annihilated by the Holocaust. To honour their legacy, a separate project is aimed at conducting video interviews that record life testimonies of the speakers of Yiddish. Aaron Lansky’s 2004 memoir, Outwitting History, provides an interesting insight into the complexities of his arduous life mission. Today, the Center lives its own unique life, serving the world of academia and Yiddishkeit enthusiasts alike.

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5 Gasztold B.

Old World Dreams and Promised Land Nightmares in Early 20th Century Jewish-American Immigrant Narratives

Self-sacrificing and/or Overbearing: the Jewish Mother in the Cultural Imagination

A Narrative Inquiry into Canadian Multiculturalism: Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

Crossing the Virtual Partition: Changing Jewish Rituals in Women’s Narratives

The Continuing Story of the Yiddish Language: The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts