From “Wascht” (aka German Wurst) to pig spleens to Soviet prison camps and mass murder, Ron Vossler’s writings make us feel emotions ranging from humor to horror in describing our German-Russian heritage and history.
Many of his books (Lost Shawls and Pig Spleens or Dakota Kraut) and articles take a humorous look at such topics as our fascination with sausage (“The Fellowship of the (Sausage) Ring” in the Heritage Review).
Officially he’s an “auto-ethnographer.” That means this native of Wishek, North Dakota, looks at German-Russians from the inside, poking fun at our quirks as only “one of us” possibly could.
Ron will be the featured speaker at the convention’s Saturday night banquet. His talk, titled “Voices from the Valley of Hope,” is a set of readings illustrating the inner landscape—both humor and tragedy—of the lives of our German-Russian forefathers. It should be a topic that will capture the interest of everyone attending
During the convention, he will also be presenting a workshop called “Context of Mass Murder,” which will delve into the darker and more complex topic of persecution, heroism, and victimization. Ron’s exhaustive research into the history of our German-Russians allows him to weave a tapestry of events where German-Russians were themselves oppressed and subjected to great suffering, where they became heroes in saving some Jews from extermination, but where some were also involved in executing Jews.
This topic will be a hard one for many to hear. No one wants to think of our people involved in such crimes. But Ron makes the point that there is no need for “collective guilt.” We can be proud of heritage, at the same time being honest about our history.
Ron sees the discussion as a way to open dialogue and resist the dishonesty of keeping silent about this piece of history. “…an honest discussion of events from our ethnic history, including the darkest portions…will allow a better understanding of the incredible suffering of the ethnic Germans in the past century.”
Many of his books (Lost Shawls and Pig Spleens or Dakota Kraut) and articles take a humorous look at such topics as our fascination with sausage (“The Fellowship of the (Sausage) Ring” in the Heritage Review).Officially he’s an “auto-ethnographer.” That means this native of Wishek, North Dakota, looks at German-Russians from the inside, poking fun at our quirks as only “one of us” possibly could.
Ron will be the featured speaker at the convention’s Saturday night banquet. His talk, titled “Voices from the Valley of Hope,” is a set of readings illustrating the inner landscape—both humor and tragedy—of the lives of our German-Russian forefathers. It should be a topic that will capture the interest of everyone attending
During the convention, he will also be presenting a workshop called “Context of Mass Murder,” which will delve into the darker and more complex topic of persecution, heroism, and victimization. Ron’s exhaustive research into the history of our German-Russians allows him to weave a tapestry of events where German-Russians were themselves oppressed and subjected to great suffering, where they became heroes in saving some Jews from extermination, but where some were also involved in executing Jews.
This topic will be a hard one for many to hear. No one wants to think of our people involved in such crimes. But Ron makes the point that there is no need for “collective guilt.” We can be proud of heritage, at the same time being honest about our history.
Ron sees the discussion as a way to open dialogue and resist the dishonesty of keeping silent about this piece of history. “…an honest discussion of events from our ethnic history, including the darkest portions…will allow a better understanding of the incredible suffering of the ethnic Germans in the past century.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment