Looking for Me (8 page)

Edith, “the little mother,” eventually grew up to become an extraordinary mother to my brother and me. And in case you're wondering, she did end up going to college, the only girl in her family to do so. Her brother Danny, who went to college on the GI Bill after serving in the military, was the only other Paul child to earn a college degree.

Since the surviving eleven siblings all went on to marry and have children of their own (no more than three each), I have dozens and dozens of cousins. I count myself lucky to be so rich in family.

auction: The Paul family was able to keep its home because of the Home Owners' Loan Corporation, founded in 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which helped homeowners keep their homes and avoid foreclosure during the Depression.

 

bubbelah:
Yiddish term of endearment meaning “darling.”

 

challah: Special egg bread, often braided, eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and holidays.

 

crackers and oleo!: During World War II, instead of saying “bread and butter” when hand-holders were separated by something coming between them, they'd say “crackers and oleo” because of the shortage
and increased cost of butter. Oleo is margarine, a butter substitute.

 

gefilte fish: Poached fish patties made from a mixture of ground fish, mostly carp or pike. A traditional food typically eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath and holidays.

 

kinder:
Yiddish for “children.”

 

kishkes:
Slang for “guts.”

 

knishes: Baked or fried turnovers filled with potato or meat or cheese.

 

l'shana tova:
A greeting used on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, meaning “to a good year.”

 

mezuzah: A small parchment scroll inscribed with biblical passages in Hebrew and inserted in a case. The case is attached by Jewish households to their doorposts, as required by Jewish law and as a sign of their faith.

 

milkhikh:
Yiddish for “dairy.” The kosher laws forbid the mixing of meat and dairy.

 

pirogen: Small pastry turnovers with a filling. Can be made sweet or be filled with things like chopped meat or mashed potatoes.

 

potato latkes: Potato pancakes.

 

Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year, which follows the lunar calendar, usually occurs in September or October.

 

schmaltz: Rendered (melted) animal fat, usually chicken fat. Often used in Eastern European—style Jewish cooking.

 

Seder: “Order” in Hebrew. The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

 

Shabbos: The Yiddish word for the Jewish Sabbath, which begins on Friday night and concludes at sundown on Saturday night.

 

shayne maideleh:
In Yiddish, “pretty girl.”

 

shul: Synagogue.

 

Workmen's Circle Lodge or Arbeter Ring: A national organization founded in 1900 by progressive-minded immigrants to promote Jewish community, Jewish culture, and social justice.

 

yarmulke: The skullcap worn in synagogue by Jewish males and worn every day by Orthodox Jewish men.

 

zayde:
Yiddish for “grandfather.” Jacob is Edith's step-grandfather.

 

zhyd:
Pronounced
zid.
Russians used this word as an offensive term for Jews and enemies alike.

Most of all I'd like to thank my mom for digging deep into her past to patiently answer my constant questions, and her many siblings for telling their stories to me (and anyone else who would listen) over and over and over again. If not for Edith, Sylvia, Mildred, Danny, Raymond, Marian, Annette, Melvin, Lenny, Sol, Jack, and Sherry,
Lookingfor Me
would not be. And I thank them, as well, for all the love and laughter that accompanied those stories. Unknowingly perhaps, all of them set me on the path to becoming a writer.

My dad, too, was instrumental in my choice of careers. I thank him for teaching me that good writing is the key to unlocking many doors.

Sonya Sones and Ann Wagner have seen the poems for this book so many times that they must have all the lines memorized by now. I thank them from the bottom (and the top) of my heart for their continuously insightful input. The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators deserves my undying gratitude for awarding me a Work-in-Progress Grant for
Looking for Me.
If not for the grant, this manuscript might not have gotten into the capable hands of Erica Zappy, who was one of the grant judges and subsequently became the editor of this book. Thanks go to SCBWI for paving the way, and to Erica for her enthusiastic embrace of my story.

Last, but not least of course, I want to thank my husband, David, for being my biggest cheerleader, and my three kids, Adam, Sara, and Joel, for giving me a small taste of the fulfillment my grandmother found and the challenges she faced raising twelve children.

Minnie Paul holding Danny. Sam Paul holding Mildred (left) and Sylvia (right) in front of their row house in Baltimore.

Bubby Anna

Minnie holding Sherry.

Sol, Sherry, and Jack, from left to right.

Sol in front of the family diner.

Melvin sitting on a piano bench.

Jack, Sol, and Lenny, from left to right.