Traditions ~ Fiddler on the Roof

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2022: Week 50 (TRADITIONS) 

In thinking about Tradition I couldn't help, but think about the movie Fiddler on the Roof. 

As a child I saw it in the theatre. 

As an adult I have seen the play a few times. 

I love the story.  

I love Teyve's song Tradition.

The first time I saw it I had no idea any of it had any connection to me or my story.  

The traditions seemed quant & completely outside of my sphere of knowledge. 

Teyve tells us:

"Because of our traditions,

We've kept our balance for many, many years.

Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything...

how to eat, how to sleep, even, how to wear clothes.

For instance, we always keep our heads covered

and always wear a little prayer shawl...

This shows our constant devotion to God.

You may ask, how did this tradition start?

I'll tell you - I don't know. But it's a tradition...1 

Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines TRADITION as:

1 a: an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or      behavior (such as a religious practice or a social custom)
  b: a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable
2: the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction
3: cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions
4: characteristic manner, method, or style   2

I grew up without Tradition. 

These traditions were entirely lost for my branch of this Bramble Bush. 

Information, belief, and customs were not passed down to this generation. 

At the age of 29 years old I heard some gossip that my grandfather may not actually exist. 

He might actually be a different person. 

The family name on my birth certificate one chosen at random.

How could this be?

My grandfather walked away from his family, and recreated himself as a new person with an entirely different cultural heritage.

It took me 20 years to confirm the tale was true via genealogical DNA matching. 

That DNA test also revealed that one of my great grandparents was Ashkenazi Jewish (or they were both half). 

My grandfather was the first born in Canada. 

He was born the year after their arrival from Ukraine on the homestead in Gronlid, Saskatchewan, Canada. 

The family were members of the Greek Catholic Church. 

I grew up never knowing the part of my genealogical story that began in Ukraine & included Jewish roots.

When I first learned about both I felt sad that I never knew where I fit in my own family history.  

I felt ripped off to have never known anything of my heritage from that one branch of my Bramble Bush. 

This was where my researching first began.

I never knew, but now I do. 

I find myself offended when I hear dismissive remarks about what is happening in Ukraine today. 

I can't help but think about how Ukraine was for my family before their arrival in Canada. 

Fiddler on the roof is set about 1905 Ukraine. 

My family was there during that time. 

It tells a tale that is still relevant today.

Fiddler on the Roof was set in a fictional village in Ukraine.
In 2014 the fictional village came to life:

As Russian troops pour into Ukraine and bomb its cities, many Ukrainians are on the move both internally and in an attempt to leave for other countries. Border crossings in the country’s west and south are attracting thousands of prospective exiles, according to the Guardian. There are also at least 100,000 internally displaced persons.

Some of the Jews who live in Ukraine — who number at least 43,000 and potentially many more — are part of that unfortunate migration.

“We just put many mattresses in the strongest part of the sturdiest building. It will have to do for now,” Moshe Azman, one of several men bearing the title of chief rabbi in Ukraine, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about what is happening at the residential compound near Kyiv that Azman and his community first set up in 2014 to aid Jewish refugees fleeing the last Russian invasion.

Named Anatevka — a reference to the fictional hometown of Tevye the Dairyman from the famed Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof” and the iconic Sholom Aleichem short stories on which it was based — the compound has seen dozens of families arrive from more densely populated areas, Azman said. 3

The village the story was originally modeled on Boyarka, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine which is about 13kms from the newly created town of Anatevka (noted above). 

Both are about 400kms from Skoryky, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine where my father's paternal immigrant ancestor story began. 

As I have watched the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold I wonder how many of my family members are at risk. 

My great grandparents risked all to bring their family to Canada.

Alexander & Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack
My great grandparents

How many did they leave behind?  

I don't know, and fear I may never.

The answer to why my grandfather walked away from his family is lost.

Exactly how the traditions were left behind will always be a part of the story I will never know. 

My heart breaks for Ukraine!!!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Video:

Fiddler on the roof - Tradition (with subtitles). guru006. Originally published Dec 24, 2006.  Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw

Footnotes:

1  Fiddler on the Roof - Tradition Lyrics. The Musical Lyrics.   Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://www.themusicallyrics.com/f/371-fiddler-on-the-roof-the-musical-lyrics/4062-tradition-lyrics-fiddler-on-the-roof.html

2  Tradition. Definition. Miriam-Webster Dictionary.  Retrieved December 12th 2022 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition#:~:text=noun,as%20historical%20though%20not%20verifiable

3  Liphshiz,  Cnaan. Ukrainian Jews, scarred by a bloody history, find themselves refugees once again.  Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Originally published February 25th 2022. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://www.jta.org/2022/02/25/global/ukrainian-jews-scarred-by-a-bloody-history-find-themselves-refugees-once-again

Sources:

Anatevka. About Us. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://www.anatevka.com/aboutus/

Beckerman, Jim. How Broadway's "Fiddler on the Roof," set in Ukraine, is newly relevant. New Jersey USA Today. Originally published March 5th 2022. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2022/03/25/ukraine-broadway-fiddler-roof-nj-school-theater-production/7159349001/

Fiddler on the Roof: Love’s Triumph Over Tradition. MBB220'S BLOG. LeHigh University. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://wordpress.lehigh.edu/mbb220/fiddler-on-the-roof-loves-triumph-over-tradition/

Fiddler on the Roof - Tradition Lyrics. The Musical Lyrics.   Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://www.themusicallyrics.com/f/371-fiddler-on-the-roof-the-musical-lyrics/4062-tradition-lyrics-fiddler-on-the-roof.html

Law, Page R. Putin’s war: The musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and Ukraine today. The Virginian Pilot. Originally published March 17th 2022. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from 
https://www.pilotonline.com/entertainment/arts/vp-db-fiddler-on-the-roof-031822-20220317-svpmcgtnn5hhdjvfuz5dhq4emm-story.html

Liphshiz,  Cnaan. Ukrainian Jews, scarred by a bloody history, find themselves refugees once again.  Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Originally published February 25th 2022. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from
https://www.jta.org/2022/02/25/global/ukrainian-jews-scarred-by-a-bloody-history-find-themselves-refugees-once-again

Mondello, Bob. If Russia's invasion of Ukraine feels familiar, look to Broadway in the '60s. National Public Radio. Originally published February 25th 2022. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from 
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/25/1083155890/if-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-feels-familiar-look-to-broadway-in-the-60s

Named for Fiddler on Roof’s Anatevka, new village to house Ukraine Jewish refugees. Originally published August 9th 2015. Retrieved December 12th 2022 from 
https://www.timesofisrael.com/named-for-fiddler-on-roofs-anatevka-new-village-to-house-ukraine-jewish-refugees/

There’s A Village In Ukraine Where Rudy Giuliani Is The Honorary Mayor. That’s Not The Weird Part Of This Story. BuzzFeed News. Originally published October 26th 2019 from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/fiddlers-on-the-roof-ukraine-impeachment

Tradition. Definition. Miriam-Webster Dictionary.  Retrieved December 12th 2022 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tradition#:~:text=noun,as%20historical%20though%20not%20verifiable

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Historical & Personal Context ~ Clyde Robertson (aka Max Pellack)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 41 (CONTEXT)



Context breathes life into names and dates making ancestors real people.  When trying to figure out where & how to search context is what provides direction. It's in the context and stories where genealogy researchers bring ancestors to life.

When I first found out that my grandfather was not Scottish I would say his family immigrated from THE UKRAINE to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1909. I didn't understand why dropping THE was so important. 


Context provides the historical reasons for why it's just UKRAINE. When under Soviet rule by the Russians Ukraine was referred to as THE UKRAINE. Now their own country removing THE is part of celebrating their independence.


I grew up not knowing my cultural background or hearing family stories. It seems that some cultural preferences are inborn. I remember coming home from school in about grade 1, and asking my mom for boiled cabbage with butter and vinegar for my after school snack. 

My dad grew up Scottish. My mom grew up Scottish & English. Cabbage was not a part of their growing up. I loved cabbage prepared in any form from a very young age.  My body knew my cultural heritage long before I did. 


Context is an important part of understanding your family's history.


When trying to figure out why my grandfather changed his name, nationality, and birthplace I researched the persecution of Ukrainian people in Canada. My ancestors were not interned during World War 1, but many Canadian Ukrainians were. Although not interned they would have been registered as enemy aliens. Having recently left Ukraine where they faced hardship the family must have been terrified. This was likely why my grandfather and his younger siblings appear to have never had their home births registered.  My grandfather was a young child growing up in a country where Ukrainian people were persecuted during his early formative years. Worldwide Ukrainian folks were persecuted. Historically it appears as though the Scottish people were accepted. It's not a surprise grandpa would choose to be Scottish.


My family followed the Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic faith in Canada. Ancestry DNA showed European Jewish for at least one of his parents. When I compare my DNA matches in Ancestry I believe Alexander's ancestors were Jewish, but without knowing the history of my family I have no context to be sure. I am left making guesses.  

Alexander & Mary (nee Maximiw) Pellack
My great grandparents

In the 1926 Canadian Prairie census I found my grandfather with his usual residence listed as Edenbridge.  Edenbrige was a Jewish community that had about 50 families in the 1920s. 

Who exactly Grandpa was living with is a mystery. 

His family also listed him as residing on the farm in nearby Gronlid (Willow Creek). I'm guessing the census taker asked who usually resided there, and his parents recorded him. Possibly he didn't reside at Edenbridge full-time?  Maybe he was visiting family?

Grandpa's mother tongue residing with his parents was recorded as Ukrainian. With Edenbridge as his usual residence English was listed as his mother tongue. 


Already beginning to distance himself from his Ukrainian heritage? To the best of my knowledge he never spoke Ukrainian after meeting grandma in 1939. My dad never knew that his father wasn't Scottish. When my Ancestry DNA came back showing I was 14% European Jewish dad was confident it wasn't from his side of the family. A few months later when his results came back with 27% European Jewish he was shocked. Dad immediately embraced his heritage. Dad never knew before receiving the results.


Grandpa left home about 1930 with one name, and met Grandma in 1939 with the other. Where he was those missing almost 10 years is a mystery. How he chose the name - a mystery. 

Clyde Robertson (Max Pellack) and
Mary Elizabeth Thomson
abt 1939

Clyde & Mary (nee Thomson) Robertson
aka Max Pellack

Grandpa never talked about his childhood. He never talked about being Jewish or Ukrainian. He claimed Scotland for his heritage. Grandpa died before any of us could hear his story.

Born Ukrainian in Gronlid Saskatchewan as Max Pellack. 

Died Scottish in Winnipeg as
Clyde Robertson.




He was my grandpa. I loved him. I will never have enough context to truly understand grandpa's story. 

Me with my dad & grandpa
Clyde Robertson (Max Pellack)
I was 3 years old

Me with my dad, grandpa and grandma
Clyde Robertson (Max Pellack)
I was 9 years old

Collect the stories & context before it's too late!




This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!










***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***





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https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2014/12/

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https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/02/surprise-im-ashkenazi-jewish.html

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Sources:

Edenbridge Saskatchewan, Canada, JewishGen,, Retrieved October 5th 2019 from
https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Edenbridge/





Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

_____________________________________________________________________