“I have not visited my parents native country, nor did they after leaving.”
Their country, Russia, is full of unpleasant recollections, people, dreams, and hopes were all lost at the hands of the Soviet Regime. Irwin’s parents know this well and whenever Irwin forgets, they are quick to remind him as to what exactly they left behind. He carries these stories with him as they are his parent’s heritage and legacy. Memories of wretched anti-Semitics; memories of standing in long lines for a mere pint of milk. Almost everyone in Russia lived the same way, ruble to ruble. As if a life without monetary struggles wasn’t hard enough, the Soviet government also took away their rights of free speech so they lived a silent life of struggle before escaping.
It’s difficult to justify returning to visit the country that had tortured his parents in their youth and the silenced the pains of the many Jewish migrants
Originally settling in Brooklyn, Irwin’s parents only moved to Staten Island later on during his lifetime. Brooklyn had been easy to call home as Midwood, an area near Sheepshead Bay and Kings Plaza, was predominantly Russian at the time.
Book store that Irwin’s parents went to. (House of Books, St. Petersburg: BOOKS~MUSIC~FILM)
There is a type of comfort that is only received from being with people of the same ethnicity as one self. And this was the type of comfort that Irwin’s parents received when they moved into this new and unfamiliar land. The Russian stores, restaurants and shops gave Irwin’s parents the comfort of home, being away from home.
Staten Island only came later when Irwin’s parents were looking to live in the future, rather than just living for the now. Staten Island had better neighborhoods, better schools and they could have a house of their own. His parents were seeking a better future yet again, similar to the time when they left Russia.
Although he himself has never been to Russia, Irwin still feels quite connected. Russia itself may be half a world away, but to Irwin, it is as close as home. In his house, his family and him speak Russian; they eat Russian food; they enjoy Russian humor and anecdotes. He may consider himself more American than Russian,but it is hard not to feel connected to his parent’s old country as his mother and father have brought all the captivating aspects of Russia over with them.
“I’m lucky that my parents left Russia.”
If his parents had not left, it would not only be theirs, but also Irwin’s life now that would have been drastically different. His parents would have continued living the same way it had been all those years and
“I would have not been as lucky.”
Scraping by in a time where all the horrible circumstances happening simultaneously would have broken the back of young Irwin. The ever decreasing value of the ruble, the ominous presence of the mob , the controlling police forces, the end of the Soviet Regime gave way to the Perestroika, the time of political and economical reform that started in 1979. Life would have been rough and to add to those external circumstances, the feelings of anti-Semitism were enough to motivate all of Irwin’s family to travel to America. Without a doubt in mind, the decision to move was the greatest decision and strive towards a better future and more opportunities that they have ever made.
Choosing to come to America was not hard at all. America is after all, America. The land of opportunities, the land of freedom and hope. It is a country built by the outcasts, for the outcasts. The possibilities in America seemed also ridiculously impossible. When cars on the other side of the world relied on carbureted engines, the World Trade Center had poked its head through the clouds. The massive amount of technology that was present in the America had seemed so foreign yet by then, it had seemed so readily available.
Irwin’s mother ended up working at the World Trade Center later on, having been part of a truly redefining moment in America’s history. But it just goes to show that one’s past will follow one to a new country, but it is up to oneself to become part of something greater and to contribute to one’s own brighter future. Gone was the two channeled television; gone was the long wretched lines; gone was the bitter silence of words not spoken; gone was the discrimination for being Jewish and gone was Russia. America with its variety of shows, its vast number of schools, numerous opportunities if one knew where to look had popped from their dreams into their reality.
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