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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"We'll do it because it's a mitzvah, that's why!"
Tamerlan Tsarnaev has finally been entombed, and that's a good thing. "A GOOD thing?", I can already hear some of you saying, outraged or nearly so. Yes, I said it's a good thing!
The maternal side of my family is the usual 'dogs' breakfast' mixture of Eastern European immigrants, but for my purposes here I'll concentrate on my Mom's paternal grandparents, a Polish Catholic plumber and a Polish Jewish seamstress. For two such people to fall in love in turn-of-the-20th Century Poland was possible, but to marry was unthinkable. Therefore, my great-grandfather saved enough money for them both to emigrate to America, and they left in the middle of the night, never to return to Poland. They came through Ellis Island, married in New York City and eventually wound up in the coal country of southern Illinois, where my great-grandfather had a cousin who helped him get a job as plumber in the mines. Great-grandmother, an excellent seamstress, also found work sewing 'fancy dresses' for ladies and also doing alterations for a local haberdasher. Being thrifty folk, they saved their money and eventually were able to buy a hardware and undertaking establishment, a not unusual combination at that time.
Great-grandfather was taught how to embalm by a salesman for an embalming-supply company and passed the state licensing exam. Intelligent and ambitious, in 1910 he 'split off' the undertaking business from the hardware store, purchasing a Victorian house on one of the town's main streets for exclusive use a a 'funeral parlor'. A booming immigrant population was drawn to the area due to coal mining, and his undertaking establishment began to flourish, because he and great-grandmother were also 'hunkies' (a derogatory term applied by the native population to all new immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe). Fast forward a decade, to the late 1920's...
Southern Illinois was a turbulent, violent place at that time: Prohibition was in effect, and two gangs literally went to war over control of illegal booze, gambling, 'ladies of the evening' and roadhouses. The KKK was also at its zenith, targeting 'wets', immigrants and Catholics. Murder, mayhem and political corruption were rampant-- everyday occurrences. One of the gangs was led by a particularly brutal man, Charlie Birger, himself a Russian Jew whose parents came to America when he was a child. Birger, undoubtedly a psychopath, eventually made a fatal mistake-- he ordered the murder of a local politician-- and was arrested, brought to trial, convicted and sentenced to hang, the last man to ever be hanged in Illinois.
Among the preparations for Birger's execution was the very practical question of what was to be done with his body after he was hanged. His sister, who lived in St. Louis, indicated that she wished to claim it. The coroner contacted undertaker after undertaker after undertaker, all of whom flatly turned him down, always citing as their reason that "it would be bad for business" were they to do so. In desperation, he finally reached out to 'the hunkie undertaker', my great-grandfather. After a bit of beating around the bush, he put the question to him. On the verge of turning the coroner down, like all the others, my great-grandmother spoke up and said, "Of course we will help Mrs. Schansky". My great-grandfather didn't speak, but nodded reluctantly in agreement. Relieved, the coroner left.
As soon as the coroner left, great-grandfather turned to great-grandmother and asked, "Why, Ruth? Why?". My great-grandmother looked at him levelly and replied, "We'll do it because it's a mitzvah, that's why!'. For those of you unfamiliar with the word, a 'mitzvah' is an moral deed performed as either religious duty or as a moral act of human kindness. Before sundown on the day Mr. Birger met his well-deserved fate, my great-grandparents helped his sister and his children bury his body in a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, according to Jewish custom.
We are liberals and progressives here. In spite of the horrendous acts Tamerlan Tsarnaev committed, his FAMILY did not commit those acts; they too were victims of his crimes, and no less worthy of a measure of our compassion and understanding. I've read comments here on the subject of what should have been done with Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body that made me double-check whether I was at DU or that other site that can never be mentioned. Isn't it our belief in 'mitzvahs' what make us different from them? I thought it was, and I still think so.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)SharonAnn
(13,772 posts)Right along with works like:
To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To harbour the harbourless; (shelter the homeless)
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.
redwitch
(14,944 posts)I was appalled at the reports of people protesting outside the funeral home and yes, some of the comments on DU were just awful. I too like to think we are better than that.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)redwitch
(14,944 posts)The Montague/Capulet angle especially. My husband had an Irish aunt and an English uncle who fell in love in Belfast where he was stationed as part of the British army of occupation. They moved to London and got married as it would have been quite dangerous for them to stay in Ireland.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)Squinch
(50,935 posts)Her decision to help will stay with me. Thanks for the story.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)She lived to the age of 102, and I had the pleasure of her presence into my own young adulthood. Most of her family who remained in Poland died at the hands of the Nazis, yet she did not hate them. I once asked her how she could NOT hate the Nazis and the German people, and I will never forget her reply: "You can hold people accountable for their sins without hatred. In fact, it is essential for your own soul that you forgive them, because hating them corrupts your soul, as well as theirs".
Squinch
(50,935 posts)dflprincess
(28,075 posts)and for your great-grandfather he should have remembered that burying the dead and comforting the bereaved are Acts of Mercy (really the same thing, just different names).
I love this story and can only think what a wonderful couple your great-grandparents must have been.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)My grandfather and his siblings often used the term "like a well-matched team (of horses)" to describe their parents. They were like-minded, and where one had a weakness, the other had a strength. The funeral business they started is now in it's 5th generation of family ownership, and still adheres to certain traditions they started: 1.) Never charge a family for burying a child, because their grief is burden enough; 2.) Allow no one to lie in an unmarked grave, even if you must buy the marker yourself; 3.) Do nothing publicly or privately that will bring reproach upon your or your family, because those we serve entrust us with with a precious gift, the utterly defenseless remains of someone they love, and we must be worthy of that trust".
colorado_ufo
(5,732 posts)Such elevated spirits, such inspiration. Levels of Heaven above most of what we see today.
Thank you for sharing.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)dflprincess
(28,075 posts)I have had to bury my brother and my mother. I have no complaints about the funeral home I dealt with both times but I wish I could have done business with your family. --- If, for no other reason, than the first tradition you listed (not that their other traditions aren't wonderful). A family/business with such compassion would make a difficult time a bit easier to get through.
Again, your Bobe & Dziadzia sound so wonderful and it sounds like they passed their strengths and caring on to later generations.
shireen
(8,333 posts)I hope everyone reads your post.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)They are no better than the RW thugs, and perhaps worse, because they PRETEND to be liberal, which presumably allows for death being the end of any evil a person can actively do.
Reminds me of the nutjobs back in the Middle Ages who used to try, convict, and execute livestock for supposed "crimes".
a giant
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Thanks for sharing, that was an enjoyable read.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)Half-Century Man
(5,279 posts)Should have been said, and well said at that. Send it to the paper in Boston.
LibDemAlways
(15,139 posts)drmeow
(5,017 posts)Half-Century Man
(5,279 posts)BostonHerald.com
Please submit
MADem
(135,425 posts)Half-Century Man
(5,279 posts)Goggled boston newspaper,
MADem
(135,425 posts)is a tabloid so it's easier to read on the subway, even if it is shitty. They get around, but they're hateful!
Half-Century Man
(5,279 posts)I was in a hurry.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(48,988 posts)ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)But thank you for the compliment.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)It's always so hard to tell.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)ashling
(25,771 posts)and thank you for your compassion and belief in and adherence to "mitzvah."
If you don't mind, I would like to use your story from time to time.
ashling
(25,771 posts)I will never forget it
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)ashling
(25,771 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,574 posts)Thank you for this excellent, EXCELLENT story. Your great-grandmother was a smart, courageous and loving woman. I salute her!
I also salute your great-grandfather, who had the very good sense to first, marry her, and second to listen to her.
We should always do a mitzvah, whenever possible. They are good for our souls...
We ARE better than that.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)GoneOffShore
(17,339 posts)Tikkun olam (Hebrew: תיקון עולם or תקון עולם -
And it is a kindness.
Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Plato
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)nolabear
(41,959 posts)A kindness done in particular is a kindness done in general. Everyone benefits if they allow themselves to.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)A phrase I heard Bobe say countless times.
jcboon
(296 posts)Best post I've read ever.
Thanks
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Mercy and compassion can NEVER be wrong. Not ever.
I lost my mother last week and this post made me cry. There are so many people with so much love and kindness, and on the flipside, I have decided to quit my job because my boss is currently making me work insane hours to finish a project that was mismanaged from the start because of his ego. I will not tolerate that level of selfishness any more. It has been a true wakeup call. Mercy heals the soul of the giver as much as the receiver. It is the only answer when faced with tragedies in this world. It is the blessing we can give.
Thank you.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)mountain grammy
(26,613 posts)Like you, I cherish those memories that are a part of our history and know well what a "mitzvah" means. Your last paragraph is right on and I think so to.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)... understand better than those of us who have not how important mercy, kindness and forgiveness are.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Let me add the words in the morning from the police chief.
"We are not barbarians and we bury the dead."
I thought you'd apreciate his words too...and it was a mitzvah as well.
Beautiful story by the way.
4 t 4
(2,407 posts)body so that is really different from your story. Then his uncle came forward to claim his body after a few days and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with him. He should of course be buried, but this is much different then your story, you say he alledgely killed 1 ONE man, this was an act of 'what we are now told is terroism' we don't know what that really means other than it tends to be 'lots of people' One possable murder is very different than many lost lives and people losing limbs.It can't really even be compared imho
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)We are not barbarians.
4 t 4
(2,407 posts)4 t 4
(2,407 posts)'ordered the murder of anthoner' really bad but not nearly as bad as blowing off strangers feet and legs sorry maybe it's just me but the two don't even compare??
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Second I quoted a police chief this morning, third...do not become the monster. You are giving this rotting flesh far more power than it had when it was a person.
"We bury the dead. We are not barbarians" Worcester Police Chief.
4 t 4
(2,407 posts)I have not become the monster. Not sure what that means and I have posted we allways bury the dead 3 times now.
4 t 4
(2,407 posts)really kinda pissed now, you all have me declearing multiple times how I agree that he should be buried - and I do- but is there any thread declairing the missery the people are feeling that lived through this. The two should be connected- don't you thhik??
ET Awful
(24,753 posts)Whether the two crimes or criminals are similar or not is irrelevant.
Tamerlane Tzarnaev has already paid the ultimate price for his crime. He's dead. He can't be punished anymore for his crimes.
There have been many discussions regarding the victims. You just have to read to find them, it's not hard.
To question the OP on the basis of the relative atrociousness of the crimes of two different individuals is missing the point entirely.
The fact is that the hullabaloo over whether the body should be buried here, there, or elsewhere is a denial of one simple fact. Burying him is the right thing to do.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)they should not in any way be connected. We should rise above and show how good humans behave. And yes, we should also support and care for all of the people suffering because of what this person did. But they are not connected at all.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Wise words from a homicide detective. If you let hate consume you, in time you will become what you are trying to stop.
I am willing to bet he's seen "a lot more" than you will ever imagine. And unless you have ever been in emergency services, or the combat arms, I am willing to bet so have I.
This was after a horrific call where older brother stabbed younger brother multiple times. Ths detective was outside the trauma unit, for soething else. He told me these very wise words as we power washed that ambulance, just a tad miffed.
Oh older brother was found to be mentally incapable of standing trial, younger brother lived on with injuries that left him crippled for life, albeit not visible. And I am not even talking of the mental scars here.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)I was unclear in my OP, and for that I apologize.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)It's not the crime being discussed, it's the mitzvah, the rightness of being good and kind and doing right action. This had nothing to do with either killer and everything to do with the rest of us.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)If you have time, read 'Bloody Williamson' by Paul Angle and 'Knight of Another Sort: Prohibition Days and Charlie Birger' by Gary DeNeal. Having read them, you will see that Mr. Birger and his gang were responsible for the murder of scores, and likely hundreds of men and women during his reign of terror and gang war with the Sheltons in southern Illinois during the '20s. By any modern definition, he was a mass murderer.
In addition to those he murdered, he also maimed and crippled many for life. The only distinction between his acts and Mr. Tsarnaev's is that Birger's occurred over a period of years, whereas Tsarnaev's occurred all at once. In terms of the sheer number of those killed, maimed and terrorized, Mr. Birger is the clear 'winner'.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)The upset person is having a reading comprehension problem. Your story is completely separate from what either of these men did. And it's beautiful, especially so in the face of the ugliness of what happened. And your story is about us and not them. And we both know that. Are we the kind of humans who do right in the face of obscenity or not. Your grandparents did and we could learn much from them.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)It is so much the same as to be indistinguishable. We are not barbarians, we bury our dead. Even if we hate what they did. Even Hitler would have deserved as much, hopefully to be followed by the fiery lakes of hell if your beliefs go that way.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)We are not barbarians. In fact, aren't we progressives fighting to keep the barbarians away from the 'gates' of civilization?
LostOne4Ever
(9,288 posts)Im so glad to see so many positive replies to it as well! We must always remember, no matter what others do to us, they are still humans and have families. Hate is bloody endless cycle that we all must break free from!
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)In our own grief and outrage, we often grow myopic, and forget that they too are innocent victims of their family member's depraved acts.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)LostOne4Ever
(9,288 posts)This thread reminded me of an article from the Being Liberal FB page I saw a while back. I was wondering if they accepted Keane's offer:
http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/05/06/news/doc51886299c9c5d502887874.txt?viewmode=fullstory
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)I've read some "he wasn't buried HERE" denials, however. Mr. Keane was very brave and generous to have made the offer, whether it was accepted or not.
treestar
(82,383 posts)Well written and informative.
beemer27
(460 posts)Your grandparents were right. Sometimes we must do things that we find unpleasant because we are human, and want to treat others as humans. The bomber has brought shame and disgrace on his family, and has stood in front of his maker to answer for his deeds. For us to punish his family would be wrong, and serve no purpose. We must try to repair what damage he has caused, and try to figure out ways to prevent others from doing this kind of deed in the future. To do less would not help the victims, or our community.
You are fortunate that you have such people to show you the way. Your grandparents displayed the best of Judaism and Christianity.
I hope that we can all learn from their example.
libdude
(136 posts)A famous Rabbi once stated that we are the makers of our world, to paraphrase. Wonderful story of your family and giving us all readers some pause to reflect and ask as to what type of world we have and are creating. Thank you for sharing this.
Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)greatlaurel
(2,004 posts)Thank you for posting this. I felt the same way, but couldn't come up with the right way to say it. Thank you to you and your bobe.
I agree with an earlier poster that you should start a bobe forum. What a wonderful woman she was. We are lucky to have you on this site.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)for you and you have a heart. May the great spirit continue to bless you with a conscience.
Solly Mack
(90,762 posts)matt819
(10,749 posts)That's what's missing now. Simple human decency, even (especially?) when it's not particularly convenient.
colorado_ufo
(5,732 posts)Such stories give me hope for the human race.
xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)JustAnotherGen
(31,798 posts)For sharing that. Food for thought. . .
annabanana
(52,791 posts)KatyaR
(3,445 posts)Your great-grandparents were good people.
I never understood the anger over giving this man a place to rest. At some point we have to stand up and proclaim, we will put aside our anger and treat him with respect as we would wish to be treated. Otherwise, what kind of society are we?
MrBig
(640 posts)I support the others on this thread who suggest you send it to the newspapers - more people need to read this story. Thank you very much for sharing it.
Burma Jones
(11,760 posts)Thanks......
Misskittycat
(1,916 posts)hedgehog
(36,286 posts)tavalon
(27,985 posts)and yet I personally do everything I can to step lightly, ecologically. Why would I bother? It's a mitzvah.
Rex
(65,616 posts)He might have been a shitstain in life, but in death he is just an object now. All this fuss is stupid to me, bury him or burn him and then forget about him. Like we do to all mass murders.
libodem
(19,288 posts)redqueen
(115,103 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)...well, okay, maybe a little.
But a body to many of us is just a chunk of flesh no more worthy of 'respect' or 'morality' than a chunk of granite.
I don't know how many billions of people we have put into the ground in our history but some communities are running out of room and, quite frankly, there are better uses for land.
Just my 2 cents worth.
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[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
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hopemountain
(3,919 posts)and for reaffirming & reminding and us of our humanity through the "mitzvah" and kind acts.