Mishpocha (Family)

Deborah Addison Coburn
Curated by Adah Rose Bitterbaum

Wednesday, May 24 through Saturday, June 17, 2023

Early in Tom Stoppard’s play “Leopoldstadt,” the family matriarch is looking through an old photo album, lamenting that there are so many people she can’t identify. She explains that first there was no need to write down who they were because everyone knew, and later only some knew, and then before anyone realized it, they were disappearing from being remembered. She concludes, “It’s like a second death, to lose your name in a family album.” I’ve been fortunate to recently inherit my parents’ albums of old family photos. While I can identify my immediate family, the identities of many remain a mystery to me. I do know that some had been in this country for generations, while others never made it out of Poland alive. Though the names of many of my ancestors have disappeared, when I look at their faces, they are still vibrant, full of personality and very much alive. This collection of pictures is my attempt to pay tribute to the family that came before, my “mishpocha”, even if I can’t name them.