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Reflections
of an "Experienced" evacuated person/refugee/displaced
person
Below is a note my father wrote to his children and grandchildren,
several days into their journey away from their home in New
Orleans, on the way to safety at our house. My parents have
never been the types to sit and advise us, or wax nostalgic
or didactic with us. They have transmitted their values to
us more through their behavior than by words. But I believe
these words to be priceless, and I share them with awe and
humility and complete honor for my parents. (The name "Klompie"
appearing in the note is my father's nickname for my mother.)
Juliet
Spitzer
Memphis, TN
September
1, 2005
Dear
Guys,
Not many people have become an evacuee/refugee/DP three times
in one lifetime: first, by the Nazis,second time by the Communists,
and the third time by Mother Nature (in 1944-45, 1949, and
2005 respectively).There were some similarities and some differences
among these three events. In all these instances I found myself
separated from essentially all my worldly possessions. In
1945 I returned from Austria to Baja, Hungary after having
been liberated from being a slave to being a free person with
no possessions other than the clothes on my back. By then
I had lost both of my parents. My aunt and uncle, the Roheims,
embraced me as if I had been their own son and helped me establish
a relatively normal life. The complete loss of my material
belongings bothered me very little.When I became a refugee
for the second time in 1949, after escaping from Communist
Hungary, it was my then-fiancee and now my wife, who was my
emotional and intellectual support. Physically (materially)
the Jewish community (AJDC) supplied my needs. This combination
enabled me again to live a relatively "normal" life
after arriving to Vienna with one change of underwear and
some papers and documents.Again the separation from material
goods caused a relatively small problem. With God's help,
Klompie and I were reunited, got married, had two wonderful
children, six lovely grandchildren and lived a very happy
and satisfying life. When we left New Orleans as evacuees
in August 2005 to escape from Hurricane Katrina with the idea
of returning in two or three days, I actually had three changes
of underwear (a major improvement over the previous times),
some papers and documents. Our chances of recovering additional
material possessions from our water-indundated home look rather
slim at this point. However our chances to rebound toward
a semblance of normalcy are extremely high indeed. Most importantly,
Klomp and I have each other, we are reasonably healthy (thank
God), and we have tremendous emotional support from our children
and grandchildren. These, and only these, are the important
considerations. Everything else loses significance when considered
in the proper perspective. Finally, one should also regard
this situation as an unusual opportunity provided by Providence
for our children and grandchildren to perform an extraordinary
mitzvah: to serve as an emotional anchor during our recovery
towards normal life. I love you all very much.
Pop
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