RN Documentary: Family Mystery, Family Myth
Series: RN Documentaries
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Length: 00:29:30
This is Jonathan Groubert's story, but it could be yours too. It goes like this: his grandfather, Isaac, and all his family were from a small city in northwestern Poland called Konin. In 1905 they emigrated, no, escaped Polish anti-Semitism, grinding poverty and vicious persecution to a glorious new life of freedom and complete tolerance in America in 1906.
It seems this was all a lie.
In Family Mystery, Family Myth, Jonathan Groubert travels from Holland to the US, England and Poland in search of the truth behind his family?s emigration.
Also in the RN Documentaries series
An Angel-headed Hipster's Howl
(00:29:30)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Fifty year's after the publication of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" and its subsequent obscenity trial, poets and friends look back at its origins, impact and relevance today.
RN Documentary: Raising Cain(e) with Mahler
(00:29:31)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
American jazz pianist and composer Uri Caine talks about his interpretations of work by Austrian composer Gustav Mahler.
RN Documentary: The Music of Love (Valentine's Day special)
(00:30:59)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Seated at his Bechstein grand, concert pianist and astrologer Gary Goldschneider talks to Dheera Sujan about the music inspired by and written about love - illustrating with ...
RN Documentary: Cavalry, Caravans and Christians: Genghis Khan and Europe's first global age
(00:29:30)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
The lasting impact of the Mongol invasions on Europe, 800 years after Genghis Khan united the Mongols into one nation.
RN Documentary: Driving out the Filth in Zimbabwe
(00:31:00)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
A year and a half ago, the Zimbabwean government destroyed the livelihoods of 2.5 million Zimbabweans and made 700,000 people homeless. Nothing has been done to help the victims.
RN Documentary: Modern Day Mongolia
(00:29:30)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Mongolia in the 21st century must choose which aspects of modernity and tradition will shape its identity in the 21st century.
RN Documentary: Seamus Heaney: Bogging In Again
(00:29:30)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Poet and Nobel laureate revisits dark past in response to recent wars and violence
RN Documentary: Taming the Salt Monster
(00:29:29)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
The great swathes of the Western Australian wheatbelt were created a century ago when 1000 acres of bush were burned a day and the land became the nation?s breadbasket. ...
RN Documentary: A Christmas Edition of The Stars of Music with Gary Goldschneider and Dheera Sujan
(00:29:59)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Concert pianist and astrologer Gary Goldschneider talks to Dheera Sujan about the origins of Christmas music.
RN Documentary: Law and Peace Part I
(00:29:30)
From: Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Why has The Hague become the centre for International peace and justice.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
This is Jonathan Groubert's story, but it could be yours too. It goes like this: his grandfather, Isaac, and all his family were from a small city in northwestern Poland called Konin. In 1905 they emigrated, no, escaped Polish anti-Semitism, grinding poverty and vicious persecution to a glorious new life of freedom and complete tolerance in America in 1906. It seems this was all a lie. In Family Mystery, Family Myth, Jonathan Groubert travels from Holland to the US, England and Poland in search of the truth behind his family?s emigration.
Transcript
Radio Netherlands, the Dutch International Service presents, Family Mysteries Family Myths: A search for roots and truth. The program is produced and presented by Jonathan Groubert.
Wait a minute. My name might actually be Graubert or Groobert or Grobert or Grauber or Groberz.
The truth is my family and, in particular my family name, are kind of hard to find.
Richmond 1 No?no?
Music Ends
That?s British writer turned Jewish historian Theo Richmond reading from the Konin Holocaust memorial and not finding my family name.
But there is one thing we do know. My family is from a mid sized city in Western Poland called Konin.
Why they all left is less clear.
The story goes like this: my grandfather, Isaac Groubert, and all his family, emigrated, no escaped Polish anti-Semitism, poverty and persecution to a glorious new life in America in 1906.
All my life, I w...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
1:00, Title Polish Yid?ll Performer(s) FULD, LEO Composer FULD, LEO / KLETTER, MAX Manufacturer Name COLUMBIA Manufacturer Code 468.132.2
2:00, Title Slow Dance/Hora Performer(s) Szapora Composer Anonymous Manufacturer Name Lejazzetal Manufacturer Code LJCD03
1:00 Title JEWISH & BALKAN DANCE MUSIC Alternate Title Performer(s) NEW SHTETL BAND, THE Format COMPACT DISC Category Music Manufacturer Name GLOBAL VILLAGE Manufacturer Code CD 121
1:00 Title SAMI MALIK'S TUNE Performer(s) NEW SHTETL BAND, THE Format COMPACT DISC Category Music Manufacturer Name GLOBAL VILLAGE Manufacturer Code CD 121
Related Website
Of 2 purchasers of this piece...
- 2 also bought:
HV- Crossing Borders (00:54:00) - 2 also bought:
A Wake-up Call (00:29:00) - 1 also bought:
- 1 also bought:
A Cook's Notebook: Beach Mangos (00:02:37) - 1 also bought:
Dead Animal Man (00:07:49)
Emon Hassan
Posted on May 20, 2006 at 08:15 PM | Permalink
Review of RN Documentary: Family Mystery, Family Myth
Every family has its own story about how they've ended up in the present. Some are well documented and some are collection of remembrances that turn into a myth. Myths make for good family history because they give the existence of a family importance, depth, and cultural relevancy.
Groubert takes on the myth about his ancestors' name and their journey from Konin to America. In doing so, he embarks on a journey of his own to establish ties with this roots, without knowing if there'd be any to compliment his family's myth. The piece establishes early on that the myth could be just that. But the piece engages us because we, as does Groubert, it seems, want to find out, not what's there, but what never has been.
The piece, on another level, if you think about it, is perhaps not about how those myths about the family bear relevancy to Groubert, but an excuse to find his way back to Konin, as a Groubert. Being there, leaving his imprint, and therefore not letting the family traces fade away from Konin soil allows relevancy to rise and displace the existing family myth to pass on to the next generation of Grouberts.