Shush! Growing up Jewish under Stalin: A Memoir (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798502345538)

Many years after making his way to America from Odessa in Soviet Ukraine, Emil Draitser made a startling discovery: every time he uttered the word "Jewish"―even in casual conversation―he lowered his voice. This behavior was a natural by-product, he realized, of growing up in the anti-Semitic, post-Holocaust Soviet Union, when "Shush!" was the most frequent word he heard: "Don't use your Jewish name in public. Don't speak a word of Yiddish. And don't cry over your murdered relatives." This compelling memoir conveys the reader back to Draitser's childhood and provides a unique account of mid-twentieth-century life in Russia as the young Draitser struggles to reconcile the harsh values of Soviet society with the values of his working-class Jewish family. Lively, evocative, and rich with humor, this unforgettable story ends with the death of Stalin and, through life stories of the author's ancestors, presents a sweeping panorama of two centuries of Jewish history in Russia.

Author: Emil Draitser
ISBN-10: 8502345532
ISBN-13: 9798502345538
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 01/06/2022
Pages: 338
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.70d