Memory and Displacement in the Writings of Cynthia Ozick and

After the Holocaust, a new dichotomy emerged in the context of what it means to be in exile for the Jew. Many survivors, refugees, and their children found themselves living in new countries. This experience introduced a host of new emotions and challenges for the survivor or refugee, many of which are still being acted out today. The ideal situation, in regards to resettlement, would be for the immigrant to disregard the past, and assimilate …

…many different ways weather it was through literature, religion, art, or music. And no matter how divergent the subjects were, the Yiddish language, the lingua franca of Ashkenaz, bound them all together. The flowering of Yiddish culture, especially as expressed through the literary medium, let many Jews become very comfortable in this exile. It is in this new Diaspora that so many of Ozick’s characters, as well as Irena Kelpfisz deal with so magnificently.