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Beth Strasser: New tape. It was backwards. Let's see. I want to know about
religion, whether you're Orthodox, Conservative or Reform Jew.
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Dr. Pauline Reinkrant: If anything's a Reform. Well, I'm a convert to
Judaism.
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Reinkrant: I was raised a Catholic. But when we got married, his family
insisted we get married in the synagogue. So I had kind of a conversion,
which is very hard and very short. Well, the attitude of Jews who are
raised in that religion, who are-- what do you call them. Practicing Jews
don't believe that you can ever convert to Judaism.
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Reinkrant: If someone gets married to a Jewish man, they just accept you.
They accepted me in Vienna because they know of my half-Jewish background.
I didn't know very much. I had to take an exam in basic terms in religion.
And one of this was to know the Ten Commandments. I knew them the Christian
way, which is different from the Jewish one. But this rabbi was very nice
and mild and very understanding. He said, well as know-- as long as you
know it's all right. And still, they didn't consider me Jewish for a long,
long. But then came all these paragons. Agnostic. And just
[unintelligible].
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Reinkrant: And I studied Jewish history. My great teacher in Judaism was
Dr. Freedhoff. Dr. Freedhoff is the rabbi emeritus of the Shaman Center in
Switzerland, and he's one of the greatest scholars and also, I should say,
teachers of religion. Now, my two girls who are [??], they aren't Jews
anymore because we couldn't do it with this mother who would have given
her. And we didn't [??]. We committed to something.
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Reinkrant: So I send them, I thought to go to summer school. So I sent
them to [??] because it's a liberal temple. Well, that's the basic idea,
even of Christianity. ______________ [unintelligible] children about
Christianity.
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Reinkrant: And then when they're not confirmed. Well, after tenth grade,
you confirm them. But somebody had to take the children to Sunday school.
So most of the time I took them because Sunday school was taught on
Sundays. Up to some 5th grade, I think. Saturdays after 10th grade.
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Reinkrant: And most of the time when the children went to Sunday school,
there was a service in the main auditorium in the sanctuary. I went to all
these. And on Saturday is the service, the reading of the Torah and
interpretation of the sermon and following to religious service.
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Reinkrant: And on Sunday. Dr. Freedhoff gave lectures on all kinds of
providence, religion, political, culture. Catch. ________________________.
But he was my teacher. I never knew that I was so much-- were religion.
Because you go to school. You have-- we have, of course, a religious
instruction also our third grades. We have no choice. [??] and everybody
has to take instruction. Catholic religion. All Catholic. And the husband
of a young niece of mine catches up now on his Education. To a school, a
technological school. Night hours. What do you call them? Night lectures?
Night school.
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Reinkrant: And he's now a man of 32 or 33 years and is a well trained
electrician. That's his study for several reasons. Because he wants to
promote himself. He wants to take two periods of religion. So let's see we
had no choice. We had to.
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Reinkrant: But, since we were compelled to do it. Oh, because you were too
young. Because we did not provide instruction. I don't know. We never cared
too much for this religiousness. We did everything possible out of us. We
went to mass on Sundays and he said not to use excuses.
______________________________________.
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Reinkrant: If a man passed a church, he had to lift his hat. But somehow.
Well, as any other not beloved subjects. I didn't know too much about it. I
was always very interested in church history and in Christians-- Christian
denominations. But it was a historical influence. That started the
development of Christianity. The first thousand years of Christianity in
many denominations and the out growing of all the denominations that the
Roman church, which is not the Catholic Church. I was always interested in
that, but I was not emotionally involved. It was for me just to study. But
I knew very much about it. I used to know very much.
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Reinkrant: And this __________________ which appealed to me emotionally,
which made an impression on me emotionally. And I would say this is
lecture. I consider myself Jewish. Yes, I would consider to be Jewish
anyway.
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Reinkrant: But I consider myself a Jewish, which I never considered it.
But this is, of course, I remember, many many years. Because my little
daughter's 41 years old. So just imagine how long ago it was that I went to
all his sermons and [??]. It was fantastic. It's one of my greatest
experiences I've had in my life. His lectures and sermons. I owe him so
much. Just because I owe him so much. I could never consider me as yours.
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Reinkrant: You see-- I don't know how involved you are in religious ways.
He never said anything against Christianity. Never. He could never.
Correct, for him Jesus is the last of the great prophets of Judaism. He
never __________________ to the last gentle-- so we called. The last
gentle [??] of Judaism. You see?
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Reinkrant: That was very-- it was my great experience as far as
intellectual discourse. Intellectual activites was concerned.
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Strasser: To drift away from that. Have you had any membership in
organizations for Jewish people? Reinkrant: I do not. I do not belong to a
congregation.
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Reinkrant: I used to belong to the Lord of Shaolin Temple. And then, the
children [??] didn't pay anything because we were not established
financially. But then after, after we were confirmed, I made a mistake. To
leave this organization because contributions are very high.
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Reinkrant: Lord of Shaolin Temple is the largest temple in Pittsburgh. And
not only was there a considerable membership fee to be paid. And he was
just not up to it. After all, you have to educate our children in the first
place. Send them to college.
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Reinkrant: But there are also many additional contributions. Sisterhood
Brotherhood and Stockwell, an organization which is [??]. You have to
contribute to the building fund. But this was over our head. I couldn't do
that. But I've been sorry ever since that I should have tried all this
contributions.
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Reinkrant: I must add that I have another burden. I left hospital. I had a
very beloved sister with two young children. And when her husband passed
away. Misery. And I sent her money and all kind of things just to prevent
the worst. So we had this and then of all his family, just one brother
survived. He was his brother.
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Reinkrant: But, he was always a very odd creature. And he never really
could acquire a firm position yet. My husband was in the government of the
city of Vienna. He was a well-liked and highly appreciated consultant for
housing projects. His brother had also a good education.
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Reinkrant: He was taken to [??] right away I. The way they did it in
Vienna was to form a human chain across the bridges. And to catch
everybody. Nobody could pass a judge. And they examined everybody. And if
somebody was Jewish, he was taken prisoner, and sent to [??]. And that's
what happened to his older brother for no reason whatsoever. He crossed the
bridge [??] and then he was sent back out. And after a year, he was
released under the condition that he leave Austria within six weeks. He
leave, where he should have gone? We were lucky that we had this
connections. His American friends, a musician of his or a friend of his. A
musician among his friends. And I have connections from my father. I didn't
have anybody to thank you for. So he was railroaded to Palestine. You know
what it is. Illegal immigration to Palestine.
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Reinkrant: Many ships with Jewish refugees that just sunk. Thousands of
them. Ships _____________________.
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Reinkrant: He was sent back to Europe where the people went into
concentration camps. My older brother married a Jewish girl who was very
very young. They raised [??] in Catholicism. Talked to her parents.
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Reinkrant: They were sent away to a concentration camp. That was-- I told
you just the other day because I know one day they just got the news. They
they settled somewhere else. And this was the information we got.
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Reinkrant: The brother of the parents of my sister in law. And his five
visits to secure themselves a place on the ship which was sunk. It just
sunk. Couldn't go anyplace or they have to go back to Germany. Of course
they were sent to concentration camps.
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Reinkrant: It's so hard for me to think about things because it's so
foreign from the American experience. I cannot grasp it.
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Strasser: It's something Europeans shouldn't be able to grasp either. It's
so awful, nobody should.
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Reinkrant: They don't know. They don't know about this. They don't know.
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Reinkrant: It's a psychological matter. They just don't want to know.
Justice generally doesn't want to know the existence of evil. And we gladly
understand that, cause they live so long. They should let us live. The said
do not assess me. So I'm glad for that. It's fantastic. So his brother
finally was put on the ship and he arrived in Palestine. The first job of
the search for him was one of the laundry men, but he was never intelligent
enough, although his education was quite adequate. To strive for anything
better. We sent money to Palestine. We sent money to Europe.
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Reinkrant: So we just couldn't afford to belong to the congregation, but
then I was sorry. __________________________. Well, I belong to the Zionist
Women of America. I believe in Zionism. I believe in Israel and the right
of Jews to establish a national home. After all they have a place to go
from another persecutions. It's just-- I think they'll have to fight for
the last one. Because what are they supposed to do with another Holocaust,
for example.
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Reinkrant: Well, I belong to Haddassah. It's a women's organization that
face tremendous hostility in Jerusalem. You must have seen that. Now we
have another branch and that schools and it serves Arabs and Israelis. The
same thing. We saw people of all nationalities of all kinds. Of all
formations of races. That's it. They just extend their help wherever. Yes.
And I belong to [??] That was just by a strange. Well, there is here in the
United States in Denver A huge Jewish hospital for children who suffer from
asthma. It's one of the great centers of Israel. Especially children, but
also grown ups and the, whatever it's called. The saying over the [??].
Nobody enters who hates. Nobody hates who enters. So you don't [??] but--
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Reinkrant: It must exist. So, I heard of this hospital and was
tremendously impressed by the fact that they take care of especially
children. And I want to become somehow a part of this. So I went once
reading and I found out that avery brave woman, a huge organization all
over the United States, are the sponsors of this hospital in [??].
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Reinkrant: These are the two organizations for everyone, but they are all
Zionist. They all believe in the right of Jewish people to a homeland
because they can go to heavens. That's like the ones who experienced in
this generation.
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Reinkrant: You don't belong to a congregation. All the stories you don't
belong to a congregation. But now it's too late. We'll get burried
somewhere. Someplace. I don't care where.
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Strasser: Can you chat _______________ [??].
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Strasser: Does your mother-- I forgot the questions, I'm looking through
the ones that happened. Uh, does anyone else share your home? Reinkrant:
No. Strasser: Can you tell how many children you have? You have the two
daughters? Reinkrant: Two daughters.
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Reinkrant: One is 41 and one is 49. The one who is 41 has a Phd in
psychology and also took a course in information sciences and technology to
help the chosen field. You have to know computer. Today, the computer must
work with all these technological things because she is an experimental
psychologist. They do not belong [??]. They do not believe in too much talk
and go to the instruments. So as I have my younger daughter, and she is
teaching all the __________________________________.
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Reinkrant: To a Catholic. She's married to a Catholic but not a practicing
Catholic. So my children are
_________________________________________________. As far as I'm concerned,
we could be raised as Catholics. I don't care as long as I know religion.
That's the basic things in life to know how to act. And it's a good
guidance in choosing among some of the religions. I have a strong belief in
religious eduction--
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Reinkrant: Because my two scholarly-- my daughter and my son in law say
they are agnostics. They don't know anything far as religion teachers as
reality. So since they don't know themselves, why should they expose their
children to uncertainties? It's so silly. It's all very silly. So they have
no education in religion. And my younger daughter, who is married to a
Jewish man and she raises her children in liberal Judaism so the children
know what it's all about being Jewish. And they live in Hagerstown,
Maryland. He is a businessman. Fairly successful, quite nice. A nice house
with a swimming pool, which he had to get because of a serious operation
some four years ago. And one rib had to be removed and
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Reinkrant: replaced by a plate. And he needs the swimming experience. It's
kind of a therapy if one has had some handicaps. You use motion. It's a
swimming pool. He swims until the running come back. But they are quite
well. The children are raised in a kind of liberal Judaism. The girl who is
16 years old, she was even bat mitvahed. She said it is not necessary for
her.
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Reinkrant: And Bruce [??] was bar mitzvahed a year ago at the age of 13.
He was bar mitvahed. This means they accepted this full--
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Reinkrant: Membership in the Jewish. They can go and and read the Torah
because I don't know I don't know about anything about Judaism. But there's
no services, great ceremonies. Anybody can visit [??] to read from the
Torah and [??]. Because the Jewish religion has no [??]. They are brothers,
which means the preachers. They all are preachers.
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Reinkrant: They can, of course, give a benediction and they give this
benediction to all the children. Even from a religious school. But
otherwise there are small religious
_________________________________________.
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Reinkrant: And I feel well about it because children should know that
[??]. They would never have considered this to raise their children in
Christianity because they are both [??] But as you know, when they are,
when they are in 10th grade and confirmed, they don't go to service
anymore. Just as Christian children will go to church once they are
confirmed. Right? Isn't that right?
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Strasser: I mean, once they move out of home, maybe. Reinkrant: Huh. Once
they leave home, possibly.
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Reinkrant: It's basically one has, of course, some religious attitude. And
once in life you have an experience that you are called forward to be
tested and then you are ready to do it with a noble approach. I think so.
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Strasser: Um, can you tell me the nationality or ethnic background of most
of the people in the first neighborhood you moved into?
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Reinkrant: Well, it is very odd. On one side, the Jewish people on the
other side are mostly Serbians. The other side is row houses, are much
older than these houses. And as far as I know, they are small. Now, what
they would call penny bushes [??]. So they have positions, positions in
government and private business. They are mostly-- they are mostly
Christians and mostly Italians because they come over Meadow Bridge. When
immigrants come to this country-- when they used to come in this country.
Now there are very few coming because immigration is terribly restricted.
They settled together somewhere. The natioa grew up all together. So--
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Reinkrant: This was the section where the poor Italians settled.
________________________. And then one crosses Meadow Bridge. One comes
into this neighborhood near Highland Park, which is a good neighborhood.
Not the first class, but a good neighbor. So there are many Italians who
settled there. And there are maybe 2 or 3 Jewish people who settled in
these houses. 20 houses across the street.
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Reinkrant: Then this row of houses was built 25 years ago. And there are
also eight houses.
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Reinkrant: Six of which are occupied by Jewish people, and two by Germans.
It's really odd, but we all get along very well. Well, very, very well.
Everyone is very [??]. Great peace and harmony. The children play with each
other, just like now in Dilworth School, which is the public school here.
There are already many colored children because better to be colored-- move
into this neighborhood here. On Jackson Street, we have quite a number of
colored people living in nice houses. Children go to school. I see them
well cared for. Also, we have a child care unit, Which is [??].
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Reinkrant: And he laid both hands. Culture [??] and his wife are good
friends and so on. It's a matter of the home that brings all the hate.
Children don't hate. I was once told a story whereby a little boy says to
his mother, Mother, I met a friend of mine and he's going to come over. And
the mother asked, is he a colored? ______________________________.
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Reinkrant: So you're also very nice and comforting. The Italians, they
brighten up their windows at Christmas time, so its blended all over, and
when you cross, this part is dark.
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Strasser: Do you? [audio cuts] Can you say if you had any problems moving
into the Pittsburgh area? Being a Jew.
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Reinkrant: Well, in Duquesne University, which is very strict Catolic. I
really don't know. It's just, it's just a matter of difference of religion
or whether we are just-- I was always considered a foreign. And the
attitudes and the problem and mean I never made the religious
friends________________. I couldn't do any of it in front of all these
involved [??]. Ever since I
______________________________________________________.
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Reinkrant: But I think this is a phenomenon everyone in the United States.
People do not get the really conflicts. One is one's colleague in a
business setup. But then one moment passed and we're sharing a house with a
few friends. It's so good. It's really good. I don't know what everybody
has to say about it, but--
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Reinkrant: I think Italians are [??]. All order their children spread a
little bit and get married because I would think generally that's just a
fact. The American way. It's a kettle of immigration. You could stay--
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Reinkrant: With the little people who understand the problems best and
only the second or third generation really breaks it. Not all the time. I
met a Greek seamstress. The first years when we came. This Greek seamstress
have two children who are grown up. Parents and grandparents. They strictly
believe in the Greek Orthodox religion. And the Greek way of sending [??].
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Reinkrant: The daughter was married to a Greek origin.
_________________________________. And the son also married a Greek woman.
And the children are all--
