Aaron D. Neufeld

Aaron D. Neufeld- BLOG #16- ‘Americanized In Time to Die’

A large part of my project focuses on Americanization. My grandparents were European immigrants, forced to leave their country and come to America pretty suddenly without parents, siblings, relatives, homes, possessions, jobs, or money. After The Holocaust they had whatever they had with them and had to start from scratch. When they came to America they were met with much unfamiliarity with customs, language, routines, clothing, American lifestyle and the American way.

It took my grandparents many and many years to slowly begin to adjust to the American lifestyle. Through photos we observe as their clothing styles begin to slowly change over time, as well as their hairstyles. They learned English and got American jobs. My grandfather worked at a fruit store and was later an ice-cream man, a very American job.

The only issue with all of this is that it took too much time. Years and years passed before my grandparents were finally Americanized (or at least as Americanized as they were going to get.) The birth of my mother in America really aided the Americanization process as she was enrolled in American schools and partook in American activities, forcing my grandparents to be exposed to it. However, by the time my grandparents experienced putting their daughter through college or her attending law school, and really realizing the extent of their Americanization, they were already in their 60s and nearing retirement. They took too long to reach the point of Americanization where they could understand and enjoy American lifestyle and values. They were Americanized in time to die.