Why am I enamored of British royalty? (And I am certainly not alone.)

 So why do I care about the royals? Is it merely a distraction, similar to following movie stars? Am I living vicariously? Yes to all of the above questions. I love the pomp and circumstance, the ritual, the uniforms, and  the beautifully dressed people. I adore the carriages, horses, color, discipline, and music.  I admire the different suits for every occasion; the coats, hats, and fascinators for women; the little children's traditional styles. 

We do not have a monarchy thanks to the founders of our United States of America. Our federation of states and central government were formed in opposition to the English system. The colonial leaders abolished the longheld tradition of heriditary rulers. The writers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution adamantly refused any similarity to a sovereignty. A google search reveals numerous monarchies in the world, so why my interest in the British version?

A multitude of reasons exist: our common language, culture, history, and democratic government (executive, legislative, judicial). England established a constitutional monarchy in 1688. Britain and the United States have been inexorably linked since the 17th century. U.S.A. is regarded by Brits as the rebellious child, the audacious independent thinker, and the guache relative. Reluctantly, we saved the behinds of the British after several years of pleading on the part of Churchill during World War II. These facts support my interest in the British royals  as opposed to the Danish or Spanish kings and queens and their families. 

I am aware of the attrocities committed in the name of the British crown during centuries of world dominance. The Commonwealth has probably outlived itself and merely is an excuse for maintaining a hold on former colonies. The "firm," an unofficial nickname for the Windsors, possesses and spends exorbitant amounts of money. Only recently did they accept divorced and biracial spouses (the latter is still questioned). The Queen was old fashioned in a manner similar to my mother. So why am I fascinated?

We are all complex with conflicting and inconsistent characteristics. So I can be a liberal but still be thrilled by royalty. I am attracted to order, ritual, and tradition. The British excel at these components. They know how to put on a show. Americans do this every four years for inaugurations and whenever state funerals are needed. We try, but we lack the flourish and spectacle--the sound and sights of a grand event. When King Charles III is crowned, I do not believe there will be a gray haired guy in a down jacket and bulky mittens slumped crosslegged in the parliament seating section (though I admire that particular man).

There are numerous malicious contemporary and historical monarchs. I have only "known" Queen Elizabeth II in my lifetime. I was seven months old when she became queen. So, she was the generation of my parents. Her children fit into my age group. These are people of my life. We have experienced the same world order. The Queen suffered the trauma of bombings, deprivation, and the existential fears of a world war as my parents did. (It is well known that King George VI, his wife, and the two princesses lived at Windsor during the war.) We baby boomers share characteristics, raised by  parents whose formative years were dominated by war.

Certainly, the Queen erred, and she ultimately admitted her mistakes. I have not witnessed too many American leaders who have said "mea culpa." And these errors were monumental. But, all in all, Queen Elizabeth II remained steadfast, strong, persistant, and hard working for seventy years, traits I admire. She kept her promise to serve and to be neutral. Her seemingly never ending presence demanded respect. We actually have no idea about her political viewpoints. Due to the miracle of modern technology, the world witnessed her grief, stubborn reserve, and--lately--her humor. We know she loved animals which speaks volumes about a person.

Therefore, QEII was a woman who changed in numerous ways; she began as a young, insecure leader dependent upon male advisors. Over the years, she became independent. Her Royal Highness was slow to alter the ways of the past. But she evolved and even pleased the public with lighthearted demonstrations, most recently with Paddington Bear. Her ability to adjust to the everpresent demands is why, to me, she was a good Queen. And what American leader has been on a biscuit tin?

©2022 Karen Levi 

YOU SAID WHAT--GERMAN CITIZENSHIP?

 Being a second generation survivor* or a 2G'er has been a journey. Long before I heard the term, I knew I was one. Actually, for as long as I can remember, my grandparents' and parents' stories have reverberated in my head. Since young childhood, I sensed secrets and repressed emotions and memories swirling around my home. Long before I knew what to do with the information that spewed forth erradically from relatives, it had been lodged inside my psyche. The questions to ask your parents form on your lips early on. They are answered over the years but often not. Frequently, I have forgotten to ask vital questions or did not even know what I wanted or should know. 

Fast forward to the present--after writing two books, visiting my parents and grandparents birthplaces, engaging in endless discussions, researching, reading books, watching movies, and confiding in my sister--I have added information to the virtual tome--Our Story. 

Connie, my sister, and I have had bronze plaques set into the pavement of Berlin and Frankfurt to indelibly mark the murder of our greatgrandmother and great aunt. The governments of Germany and China have memorialized my family and others like them in numerous constructions built of stone.

Today, I became a German citizen at the Embassy in Washington D.C.  Just like that--no interrogation, no Sara beside my name, no stamp Jude or big red J on top of my photo. The consular representative smiled and laughed and was glad to have me join the Bundesrepublik Deutschland. I said to myself, oh she may have Jewish ancestors look at that nose, but she wore a small gold cross. 

Naturally, I accomplished the arduous, frustrating, bureaucratic task--during the pandemic--for my family and the millions who lost their citizenship and became stateless. Connie will become a German citizen in a few weeks. It was a tag team effort. We shared documents. Sometimes I gained a foothold in the system, other times she did--one step forward and two backwards. I am still waiting on a document from the U.S. government, no longer needed. Eventually three German civil servants in Cologne Germany, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. decided that, yes, these two women have proved their case.

Germany decided to naturalize descendents whose parents lost their citizenship between 1933 and 1945 and were stateless as a result of the actions of the Third Reich. The law was The Restoration of German Citizenship (Article 116). 

I never thought about the designation of stateless, in this case the result of a fascist government's heinous actions. Without citizenship, a stateless individual has no legal rights or access to any services or privileges. We know the fate of the stateless Germans during World War II and after. 

When Hitler took away the citizenship of the Jews in 1938, it was clearly a sign to leave immediately. The action signaled that Jews were non-persons, no rights whatsoever. The Nazis changed the names of these previously upstanding citizens--women and girls became Sara, and men and boys became Israel. Miraculously, the lucky ones left Germany because they could afford the criminal manipulation that the Nazis served up. In other words, my grandfathers had enough money to be able to buy tickets after they had lost everything. 

So when people squirm and make faces about Germans, I am a citizen. And I stand proudly. And I know why I decided to claim my right.

* A second generation survivor is the child of a survivor of the Holocaust. 

© 2022 Karen Levi

IN MEMORY OF SYD JACOBS

 I am privileged to have known Sydney (Syd) Jacobs for many years. She accomplished more in a wheelchair than most able bodied people. I did not know her in her twenties and thirties when she swam to international reknown in the Para Olympics. Most probably, she demonstrated a can-do attitude before the climbing accident which claimed use of her legs. 

Not to be forgotten is her husband, Mark Otto, wonderful father and professional in his own right. Without him, life would have been far different for Syd. Countless times, I saw him carry Syd up and down stairs when a place was not retrofitted for wheelchairs. Speaking of wheelchairs, Syd never to my knowledge used a motorized one. She donned car racing gloves and wheeled up and down hills and rocky pavements. Syd went where no other woman I knew went before. No chore, responsibility, or event slowed her down. I felt honored to be by her side when I accompanied her to lunch or dinner in a restaurant or to canvas for a candidate. Social activist and fierce advocate for her two children, I have watched her at work.

I met her through a parents' group called Latin America Parents Association (LAPA). She and I joined at the same time, since our older children are five months apart. We were active in the organization. She became president and started an innovative culture camp. 

This was the 1990's when we Boomer couples, still idealistic, desired to be parents. Many of us had tried infertility treatments without success. What better way to help underprivileged and underserved populations than to adopt unwanted children. After arduous home studies in the United States, we traveled to Central and South America to endure hardships for our infant children, tolerating unsanitary conditions, long stays, and confinement by corrupt politicians.

Unfortunately, international adoption has ceased due to conspiracy theories and bad actors, resulting in laws which made it nearly impossible to adopt. It should be noted that those who created the new laws had no stake in the process--just a group of white men thinking they were morally upright. I am certain none of them witnessed the poverty in Latin America first hand. 

International adoption, which began in the 1950's with Korean babies, had its heydey in the late 1980's through the 1990's. Now, international adoption is merely a figment of our imaginations. If it was a roaring stream, it is now a dry creek bed. Children languish everywhere. Embryo freezing and surrogacy have replaced adoption. 

Syd and I chose differently regarding education for our children, nonetheless I admired her integrity and tenacity. We shared the value of honesty and seeing through the nonsense. We could talk for hours which we did when we went out together. 

I will remember the play dates in parks, the shared Jewish holidays, and the LAPA events with fondness. In the 1990's and early 2000's, LAPA was my family, a community of parents and children who had a dream to be parents and improve the lives of children born to unspeakable poverty. We were liberal, cool, open-minded, down-to-earth people who valued our choices. That time, as well as Syd, is gone. We have forgotten what we parents did and why. 

Son Kory

Pictures of Syd Jacobs with her family and my children over the years.

©2022 Karen Levi

WAR IN 2022

 At dinner in a lovely restaurant, I remarked to friends, "soon there will be a civil war." One of the friends responded, "we are in a war, just not with actual weapons." I thought a moment about our divided country and lives and agreed. Actually, a white supremacist used an automatic gun in Buffalo to kill African American people. Another battle occurs everyday on our roads and highways. 

Today, three black SUV's displayed unwarranted aggression to me in a short period--one honked for no apparent reason; one tailgated and sped into another lane; and--the most egregious act--one passed behind and around me and turned, as I yielded to oncoming traffic (to make a left turn).

 A few days ago, I stood beside an Escalade and measured my height in comparison. I am 5 feet 2 inches. The SUV was approximately a foot higher. The running boards were about 12-18 inches above the ground. Who, except a very tall person, can get in a seat?

Shiny, black monstrocities dominate our biways. For some reason, black is the color of choice, though grey and white are also popular. The killing machines run lights, tailgate, honk, pass, and speed, disregarding traffic. Some call these instruments of hell oversized SUV's and pick-up trucks. 

Through a collusion of oil companies and car manufacturers, Americans purchase these objects with increasing frequency. How do they afford these oversized, expensive machines of terror and potential destruction? What about the cost of filling the gas tank? The marketing I have seen depicts these vehicles driving in any terrain--Buy one. You too could be adventurous. Nearly no one would ever drive over rocks and chasms to reach the edge of a remote cliff. The commercials are macho pipe dreams.

The driver--cis gender or not--sits high above the traffic, as if they have been annointed rulers of the road. Theirs is not a benign domain. They rule by intimidation and fear. Their subjects are average drivers who choose to obey traffic rules. The war pits huge gas guzzlers vs. typically sized cars. The gluttons of fossil fuel--aka the bad guys--block the view of traffic for the good guys. We, on the good side, cannot manuever into parking spaces see oncoming traffic, or merge safely. A good guy in a Prius does not have a chance if a bad guy in an Escalade crashes into him/her. 

As I have written before, there is no logical reason why anyone needs a huge Escalade, Denali, or Tahoe. Station wagons, though not exactly green, carried large families on vacation for years. Modern car racks and sleek, nifty storage units remove the need for extra large family cars. Years back, certain people drove Hummers as a macho statement. Now, many family vehicles are modeled on military transport. We are in a war. Did you know that the Suburban, Dodge Ram Pick-up, Mercedes G Class, Hummer, and Jeep Wrangler are based on actual military trucks?

It is well known that police departments receive or purchase decomissioned military materiel. Now, that trend has trickled down to the general population. Think about it--clothing with a camoflage print are uber popular for men, women and, children. Of course, guns are omnipresent. Specialty stores sell equipment and garments based on military uniforms. We are in battle mode.

I have no proof if the war on the roads divides like nearly every aspect of American life today. Consumers who choose the camo pattern are not necessarily radical conservatives.  However, I have a hunch that men and women who drive the most extreme gas guzzling vehicles are climate deniers, libertarians, and fervent 2nd amendment rights followers. 

To be fair, owners of BMW's and other sports cars typically drive too fast. Drivers in SUV's manufactured by sports car companies tend to speed, as well. However, it is more intimidating to be cut off on a highway by a large vehicle than a smaller one. Vans and smaller SUV's do not demonstrate great miles per gallon, but I cannot expect every person to drive a small automobile. The monstrosities I refer to are the extreme machines sold to make a statement. 

Crazier driving began during the pandemic when roads were empty which is no longer the case. The pandemic is one crisis that has divided the United States. Add to that climate change, immigration, abortion, human rights, racism, and voting. I believe we can tag onto the list the vehicles Americans purchase and the manner in which they drive. Most importantly, these conflicts demonstrate a widening gap in priorities, values, and regard for our neighbors near and far.

© 2022 Karen Levi

How Do We Live With Those Who Are--stupid?

 "Stupid," my sister and I yelled. The epithet was an expression of sibling rivalry. My mother or other adult shushed us. We behaved badly and were corrected. But times change and "stupid" takes on a different meaning and purpose. Reluctant to say out right that someone acts stupidly, I certainly can think the thought. 

I differentiate stupid from below normal intelligence and uneducated. Stupid, to me, is foolish, knowing better but nonetheless selecting the unwise option.

Stupid in adult terms translates to driving too fast, running red lights, and leaving your doors unlocked. Or is this a wish to live dangerously? Recently, I felt stupid when I succumbed to a scam. The conman (or woman) disguised him/herself expertly, but I admit I trusted. Thankfully, I discovered the fraud before I lost money. 

I acknowledge my cold-heartedness. Instead, I should continue to be compassionate towards the half of our country who are afraid and cannot think logically. But the faithful lose hope and patience. In today's perilous world with the diappearance of long-held values, a normal adult who ignores obviously dangerous behavior in an acquaintence or family member is stupid or irresponsible. An elected representative in our government who labels brutal anarchy as "normal political discourse" is plain stupid. A rose is a rose is a rose (Gertrude Stein) comes to mind. Shakespeare wrote the same sentiment--A rose by an other name would smell as sweet. If an action looks violent, it is.

Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same results.

The oft repeated strategy of "thoughts and prayers" and, recently, "mental health" in lieu of sensible gun regulations is insane. So why do these "2nd ammendment rights" proponents continue? Insane, stupid or callous?  The person who does not wear a mask during a pandemic and/or refuses to be vaccinated to protect oneself, family, and strangers--are they stupid or selfish?

Stupid is as stupid does--high on my list would be a family (children included) posing with their own automatic weapons or enabling an alcoholic by giving him/her access to a full liquor cabinet. Very stupid is suggesting that teachers and students should be armed. So is supporting a tyrant in a democracy. If you want to live in an autocracy, there are plenty of countries to choose.

There is a choice. Should I yell, "stupid," write the text, send the email or side with my better self? Think the thought rather than act on the deed. For someone stupid, dangerous, irresponsible, violent, insane, callous, or selfish could shoot me.

©2022 Karen Levi

 

What Do You Think?

 Recently, I read an article, "When is a Swastika Not a Swastika?" Immediately, anger raised its ugly spectre in my head. A cursory review of the literature reveals that well-known symbols do have different meanings. However, people recognize the current interpretation of a symbol not the ancient one. The cross, skull and crossbones, triquetra, and peace sign have multiple meanings which brings me to the swastika.

I appreciate that the swastika is purposed by different cultures. Swastika means well-being in Sanskrit and was a sacred representation for ancient Greeks, Romans, Celts, and Anglo-Saxons. Currently, it is a holy image for Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus. 

Adolf Hitler adopted the ancient symbol of the swastika or hakenkreuz and tainted its meaning for the indefinite future. For the Jewish people and those of other western faiths, it has become a potent reminder of hate, oppression, and death. Today, there are millions of individuals throughout the world who shudder at the sight of the swastika which represents a dreadful time in recent human history.

Why then, I ask, would two Jewish state representatives from California introduce new language to a hate crimes bill decriminalizing the display of the Hindu swastika? Obvious use of the sign in religious rites should not be punished. However, I have visited Hindu temples in the United States, and I have never seen its use. On the other hand, I have observed the symbol in ancient art in other countries. 

Most importantly, do California state representatives have time and energy for this trivial matter when there are pressing needs in their state? These assembly persons are Jewish, or so the article reports. I do not believe that Tikkun Olam translates to codifying the multiple interpretations of common symbols, especially given the rise in hate crimes. 

If a Hindu was punished for displaying a swastika for religious purposes, that individual should be exonerated. Religious freedom is for all. But I daresay most Hindus living in the United States understand the significance of the swastika. And certainly making a legal distinction between the swastika and the hakenkreuz is ridiculous. How many Americans comprehend the German term? And think of the misguided--filled with hate--who will claim a religious privilege to display a swastika. And our children--how confusing. A hakenkreuz is not ok but a swastika is a demonstration of Hindu faith?

Hakenkreuz--hooked cross (German)

Tikkun Olam--repair and improve the world (Hebrew)

https://symbolsage.com/symbols-that-changed-meaning-over-time/#the-peace-symbol

© 2022 Karen Levi

The Angels Above

Crying in Uvalde Texas

For angels lost

Cheering in Houston Texas

For Guns

Remembering 19 fourth graders

With Cherubic LatinX faces

Clapping at NRA Convention

For  Right to Own Instruments of Death

Dying of Broken Hearts

In Spouses, Brothers, Sisters, Parents

Purchasing Guns and Gear 

To Murder Innocents (not rabbits with an AR-15)

Delivering Eulogies in Churches

For their Souls to Rest in Peace

Screaming Autocrat

For Mental Health and Security in Schools

Chanting Protestors

For No more Prayers

Speeding Trucks to Walmart

To Stock Ammo

Working in Congress

For Compromise 

Pledging Allegiance

To Zealotry and Idolatry 

Sharing Feelings

Among Traumatized Teens in Chicago

Singing the National Anthem

For the United States of Dystopia

© 2022 Karen Levi