Page 59 - issue
P. 59
Exodus 51
with six or seven people crowded into one room. About three
months later, the pair flew to Vienna. Because he was a minor,
traveling with his uncle, it “only” took him six more months
to be able to get to America. Arriving in Baltimore, where he
had cousins (the Khoshkeraman brothers), he went straight
to yeshiva in Ner Israel. Fortunately, he knew a lot of English,
because his mother had had the foresight to sign him up for
after-school English lessons where they studied “English in En-
glish.”
Eight years later, when Jews still could not get passports
to leave the country, his parents bribed officials to get pass-
ports and were able to come directly to the U.S. They were
in their 50s at the time and found it very difficult to adjust
to a new language and culture. “Persians are very attached
to their culture. The way Americans socialize is very differ-
ent from Persians. Baruch Hashem, my parents were able to
sell their successful clothing business and other assets be-
fore they left. However, because of inflation and the exchange
rate, the money they received was comparable to about a for-
tieth or fiftieth of what it was worth there. Still, those who
were able to bring their life savings had it easier than those
who could not.”
It still was not easy. “Imagine someone who is somebody in
his own hometown in his own country. When he goes some-
where else, nobody knows him; nobody knows where you came
from; nobody knows what you do or your good reputation. In
Shiraz, if anyone heard my father’s name in the business dis-
trict, they would say, ‘Ah, your father! Everybody knows him.’
“By coming here, he couldn’t communicate the way that
he wanted to. He can’t say things in the way he wants to, so
it is harder and it takes time. Everybody is different and some
manage more easily than others. The good thing is that there
is a Persian community here, a Persian shul and people he can
communicate with.”
The older Koshkarman children understand Farsi pretty well,
but as subsequent children were born, it became necessary to
speak more English at home. The younger children therefore
don’t understand much Farsi. Mr. Koshkarman thinks that his
children might not limit their options in the future to only Per-
sian shidduchim, but believes that they feel strongly Sefardic
and would probably like to retain those customs.
uuu
It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since the
Persians first began to trickle into town – enough time for a gen-
eration to be born, grow up, and build new families. Whether a
Persian Jew ended up in Baltimore by sneaking across moun-
tains on a camel or in an airplane on a student visa, whether
as an older adult or as a baby in Sinai Hospital, the members of
the Persian community feel very connected to each other and to
their culture. Baruch Hashem, in Baltimore they have created a
strong and colorful community and contributed to the vibrancy
of the Baltimore Jewish community as a whole.u
u 410 358 8509 u
with six or seven people crowded into one room. About three
months later, the pair flew to Vienna. Because he was a minor,
traveling with his uncle, it “only” took him six more months
to be able to get to America. Arriving in Baltimore, where he
had cousins (the Khoshkeraman brothers), he went straight
to yeshiva in Ner Israel. Fortunately, he knew a lot of English,
because his mother had had the foresight to sign him up for
after-school English lessons where they studied “English in En-
glish.”
Eight years later, when Jews still could not get passports
to leave the country, his parents bribed officials to get pass-
ports and were able to come directly to the U.S. They were
in their 50s at the time and found it very difficult to adjust
to a new language and culture. “Persians are very attached
to their culture. The way Americans socialize is very differ-
ent from Persians. Baruch Hashem, my parents were able to
sell their successful clothing business and other assets be-
fore they left. However, because of inflation and the exchange
rate, the money they received was comparable to about a for-
tieth or fiftieth of what it was worth there. Still, those who
were able to bring their life savings had it easier than those
who could not.”
It still was not easy. “Imagine someone who is somebody in
his own hometown in his own country. When he goes some-
where else, nobody knows him; nobody knows where you came
from; nobody knows what you do or your good reputation. In
Shiraz, if anyone heard my father’s name in the business dis-
trict, they would say, ‘Ah, your father! Everybody knows him.’
“By coming here, he couldn’t communicate the way that
he wanted to. He can’t say things in the way he wants to, so
it is harder and it takes time. Everybody is different and some
manage more easily than others. The good thing is that there
is a Persian community here, a Persian shul and people he can
communicate with.”
The older Koshkarman children understand Farsi pretty well,
but as subsequent children were born, it became necessary to
speak more English at home. The younger children therefore
don’t understand much Farsi. Mr. Koshkarman thinks that his
children might not limit their options in the future to only Per-
sian shidduchim, but believes that they feel strongly Sefardic
and would probably like to retain those customs.
uuu
It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since the
Persians first began to trickle into town – enough time for a gen-
eration to be born, grow up, and build new families. Whether a
Persian Jew ended up in Baltimore by sneaking across moun-
tains on a camel or in an airplane on a student visa, whether
as an older adult or as a baby in Sinai Hospital, the members of
the Persian community feel very connected to each other and to
their culture. Baruch Hashem, in Baltimore they have created a
strong and colorful community and contributed to the vibrancy
of the Baltimore Jewish community as a whole.u
u 410 358 8509 u
