That's not to say, of course, that this revelation has lead to perfect harmony and contentment; rather, it's imbued in me, at least, the confidence to say that I did something for a reason. This interested me, this moved me.
Take, for example, a concert and colloquium I attended last night entitled "Musicians of Auschwitz: Witnesses of Another World, Keepers of Memory." As many of you know, I am particularly fascinated by the Second World War and Holocaust studies and happen to be interested in studying the intersection of performance and social justice, so naturally I went. The music, as performed by students in their final year at the Royal College of Music in London, was moving not so much due to its composition (about which I am not qualified to speak), but the resonance of its context. Hans Gal, the composer being honored by the gala, was not the typical Holocaust survivor. As tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the organizers of the event at the Council of Europe, were clear to highlight that Gal's life was relatively easy - he was interned in a camp in Great Britain at the beginning of the war for being Austrian (despite the fact that he was Jewish), for many of the same reasons the United States interned Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. Despite the fact that I probably could have gleaned more from the evening had I not been zoning out during the presenter's speech in French, and had more of a capacity for understanding the nuance of Gal's composition, going to the concert connected different parts of history for me, and added a layer of discourse surrounding art and trauma.
Such is the story with my research as well. Not everything, ok really much of nothing, has gone 100% according to plan thus far, and yet, every interaction, article, interview leads to a new story and perspective. My current work involves reading a lot of articles, meeting members of the community, and trying to understand the extremely complex and de-centralized organization of the Jewish world in Alsace. I have finally made contact with my elusive advisor and have meetings with him and the Grand Rabbin of Strasbourg in the upcoming weeks. To update you, I'll be headed to Paris in a few days to do some work in the archives of an organization called COJASOR (Comité Juif d'Action Sociale et de Reconstruction) and I'm hoping to uncover a bit about the aid that was given to North African Jewish families upon their arrival in France in the 1960s and 70s. I'm very much looking forward to it and will be sure to share with you my more interesting findings.
In other news, as stated, venturing out and exploration has been a theme in the past weeks, both geographically and gastronomically. I realized about 10 days ago that I hadn't left the city limits of Strasbourg since my arrival and I deemed it the longest period of time that I've ever been in one city without exiting. So, I took a daycation to nearby Colmar, one stop on the "Coeur d'Alsace" tour - if you were interesed in that - and got to see a bit more of the region. Colmar is often described as a smaller version of Strasbourg and I would deem that accurate. Still, one never really gets tired of fairytale German-style facades, looming cathedrals, and the perfect coffee while people-watching in a new city. Here are some pics!
City Hall, Colmar
Colmar, about 30 minutes south of Strasbourg by train, marks the beginning of the infamous Alsatian wine trail
Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Colmar
Gastronomically speaking, now that I've moved into my permanent apartment, I've gotten back to cooking for real and exploring the various markets in Strasbourg. In season now: pears, root vegetables, cabbage, quetsch (this is like a cross between a plum, apricot, and fig), and apples. LOTS OF APPLES. When I'm not cooking for myself, I must admit I haven't been trying as many Alsatian specialities as perhaps one might. Food life here is very, shall we say, porky. Regional specialities include choucroute (sauerkraut with 3,5, or 7 meats of dubious origin atop), tarte flambé - people describe it as Alsatian pizza. mmmm NOPE. - pork knuckle, knacks (sausages of equally dubious origin), and a whole lot of cheese. The cheese is great, as is the wine :) I'm becoming a regular sommalier in terms of distinguishing between Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, and Muscat! Overall, life in a land where you are guaranteed great bread, wine, cheese, chocolate and patisserie is a great thing. Well, maybe not for my waistline!
I head off now to a week away from Strasbourg -- I look forward to hearing from you and will update you upon my return.
Wishing you all love, warmth, and the time and energy to pursue that which moves you.
Doria
