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Window shutters symbolize privacy, secrets, or shutting the world out. These shutters are painted pristine white on the outside and "Everything is just fine" is inscribed on each slat. The other side of the shutters are left weathered and worn as found. A story written on the back-side of the shutters about Jews and Blacks and racism in my own family illustrates how racism and anti-Semitism tear us all apart.

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© Beth Grossman 1998
28" x 33" x 15"
Marker on shutters

Text on Shutters

Last night I saw an interview on television with Hitler's secretary. At first I thought "Why isn't she on trial? Why is she still walking around free?" Then I listened to her and I saw how scared she was. It was remarkable. She said it was only after she heard the shot of Hitler's suicide and knew he was dead that she felt she had any choices. And she didn't know what to do. Hitler had given her a bottle of cyanide because he wanted the people who worked closely with him to kill themselves before the Allies got to them. But she decided to go outside and for the first time she realized what the war had done to her country. Hitler hadn't allowed any discussion of what was going on with the Jews.

The next thing I saw on TV was an African American writer, who was saying that Blacks are aware of their race all the time. I don't think whites are aware of their race much at all, even though we are actually a small minority in the world. This writer was talking about how blacks always have to negotiate behaving in an "acceptable" way. But then they're forced to betray other black people by not using their status to speak up about racism. I wonder what would happen to famous white people's status if they started speaking up against racism. I'm thinking about Jewish people- with our big mouths...Why do you suppose something happens to us every 50 years? I guess Blacks have learned a few lessons from us. But I'm still proud of our willingness to speak out.

I didn't know this was going to be about Blacks and Jews, but since we're on the topic WE NEED EACH OTHER! It's interesting to me that the frictions between the races have surfaced most between Blacks and Jews. We have fought against similar prejudices, are both hated by white supremacist groups and have lived in the same neighborhoods. OK, now I know what I have to talk about... Jewish upward mobility. I would guess that Blacks have a few feelings about us being able to pass. And it's interesting how quickly Jews forget that we didn't get to pass in Germany.

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© Beth Grossman 1998
28" x 33" x 15"
Marker on shutters

All it took to be sent to the camps was one drop of Jewish blood, which is a ridiculous concept because Jews are not a race. So we Jews have figured out how to work the American system and help each other along in it - and how quickly we forget our proud working class roots.

How honest can I be? Can I implicate my own mom? We were driving from the airport past a black neighborhood into Houston and she said "They sure don't keep their houses up very well, do they?" I thought to myself, "I better not get into this with her and get the whole trip off to a bad start." But I wanted to say, "It's not their fault," but I knew my parents would think I was criticizing them. I went silent and stewed. There you have it... that's how racism separates white people.

I also wanted to tell my parents that life in "those neighborhoods" isn't as despicable as they think. We are afraid to really look because we would have to become aware of our privilege and we're scared we'd have to give it up. That's what keeps white people silent. But by accepting that privilege, there are lots of thing we've given up...like life in close connection to each other, as it was in the shtetl where we really had to depend on one another. This obsession with upward mobility leaves little time for Jewish ritual and family togetherness - the core of being Jewish. Sometimes we feel like we need to close the door on our past, because much of it is very painful to remember. But then we lose our heritage, our history and most of all our compassion for other people who are struggling.

We checked into our fine four star hotel. "I could get used to this," I joked. As I started saving the soaps and shampoos as if I was going home to a shtetl, I thought, it's too easy to forget about the little houses on the way to the airport.