VOL XXVIII, NO.4 - DECEMBER 2002 The Borosenko Memorial A PUBLICATION Of THE MENNONITE HERITAGE CENTRE and THE CENTRE FOR M8 STUDIES IN CANADA The John and Margaret Friesen Lectures in AnabaptistlMennonite Studies by Margaret Bergen I n September 2002, I joined the Mennonite Heritage Cruise in order to be able to participate in the dedication of a memorial stone in the former Mennonite village of Ebenfeld, Borosenko Colony, now the Ukrainian village of Iljanifka, in memory of the victims of the massacres of the villages of Ebenfeld and Steinbach. One cold December night in 1919, a band of Machnovites brutally massacred all the families in the villages of Ebenfeld and Steinbach -- 67 men, woman and children in Ebenfeld, 54 in Steinbach. Only a very few people escaped. The dead were hurriedly buried in mass graves by several men from neighboring Mennonite villages. The Mennonite cemetery in Ebenfeld still exists. It is surrounded by acacias, and has been maintained by the Ukrainian family on whose property it is located. They describe it as "sacred ground". They know the exact spot of the mass grave. Two years ago I approached Harvey Dyck regarding a memorial stone for the mass grave in the Ebenfeld cemetery. I took on the financial responsibility, and Harvey did all the preparatory work. He engaged Paul Epp, Toronto, to design the stone which was made in Ukraine by Aleksandr and Elena Pankew. He met with the Ukrainian family in Ebenfeld on whose land the cemetery is situated and the local administrators to obtain permission for this project, and he set up the program for the memorial service. The memorial service was held in the Mennonite cemetery in EbenfeldJIljanif- ka, on October 5, 2002. The memorial stone had been set up beside the mass grave. The service was well attended by local Ukrainians who stood respectfully and reverently in a semi-circle in the cemetery. It was also attended by two bus-loads of people from the Mennonite Heritage Cruise, as well as two bus-loads from the Zaporozhye Mennonite Church. The memorial stone is circular, representing the continuity of the past, present and the future. The inscription is in German and in Ukrainian. Mourning viewers must walk around it in a circle to read it, thereby participating in the gesture of continuity and its message of hope. The incisions on the stone are similar to those of a millstone. This humble artifact repre- sents the simple agrarian life of those be- (cont'd on p. 2 "The 'Sect vs. Confession' Controversy on the Eve of World War I," "Russian Mennonites and the Government's Land Liquidation Measures," and "The Dutch- German Controversy during and after World War I." Abraham Friesen is a native of Manitoba, having studied at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College and the University of Manitoba. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in California and since 1967 has taught at (cont'd on p. 7) Dr. Abraham Friesen of University of California, Santa Barbara, delivering the inaugural lectures of the John and Margart Friesen Lectures in AnabaptistlMennonite Studies at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg on Nov. 12-13,2002. (Photo: Courtesy of Conrad Stoesz) by Bert Friesen Mennonete istorian D r. Abraham Friesen recently delivered the inaugural lectures of the newly launched annual lectureship in AnabaptistlMennonite Studies, co- sponsored by Canadian Mennonite University, the Mennonite Heritage Centre, and the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies. The lectures were delivered at Canadian Mennonite University on 12-13 November 2002. They were on the theme of Russian Mennonites and World War 1. The three lectures were entitled:
Transcript
VOL XXVIII, NO.4 - DECEMBER 2002
The Borosenko Memorial
A PUBLICATION Of THE MENNONITE HERITAGE CENTRE and THE CENTRE FOR M8 STUDIES IN CANADA
The John and Margaret Friesen Lectures inAnabaptistlMennonite Studies
by Margaret Bergen
I n September 2002, I joined theMennonite Heritage Cruise in order to
be able to participate in the dedication ofa memorial stone in the former Mennonitevillage of Ebenfeld, Borosenko Colony,now the Ukrainian village of Iljanifka, inmemory of the victims of the massacres ofthe villages of Ebenfeld and Steinbach.
One cold December night in 1919, aband of Machnovites brutally massacredall the families in the villages of Ebenfeldand Steinbach -- 67 men, woman andchildren in Ebenfeld, 54 in Steinbach.Only a very few people escaped. Thedead were hurriedly buried in mass gravesby several men from neighboringMennonite villages.
The Mennonite cemetery in Ebenfeldstill exists. It is surrounded by acacias,and has been maintained by the Ukrainianfamily on whose property it is located.They describe it as "sacred ground".They know the exact spot of the massgrave.
Two years ago I approached HarveyDyck regarding a memorial stone for themass grave in the Ebenfeld cemetery. Itook on the financial responsibility, andHarvey did all the preparatory work. Heengaged Paul Epp, Toronto, to design thestone which was made in Ukraine byAleksandr and Elena Pankew. He metwith the Ukrainian family in Ebenfeld onwhose land the cemetery is situated andthe local administrators to obtainpermission for this project, and he set upthe program for the memorial service.
The memorial service was held in theMennonite cemetery in EbenfeldJIljanifka, on October 5, 2002. The memorialstone had been set up beside the massgrave. The service was well attended bylocal Ukrainians who stood respectfullyand reverently in a semi-circle in thecemetery. It was also attended by twobus-loads of people from the MennoniteHeritage Cruise, as well as two bus-loadsfrom the Zaporozhye Mennonite Church.
The memorial stone is circular,representing the continuity of the past,present and the future. The inscription isin German and in Ukrainian. Mourningviewers must walk around it in a circle toread it, thereby participating in the gestureof continuity and its message of hope. Theincisions on the stone are similar to thoseof a millstone. This humble artifact represents the simple agrarian life of those be-
(cont'd on p. 2
"The 'Sect vs. Confession' Controversyon the Eve of World War I," "RussianMennonites and the Government's LandLiquidation Measures," and "The DutchGerman Controversy during and afterWorld War I."
Abraham Friesen is a native ofManitoba, having studied at theMennonite Brethren Bible College and theUniversity of Manitoba. He received hisPh.D. from Stanford University inCalifornia and since 1967 has taught at
(cont'd on p. 7)
Dr. Abraham Friesen of University of California, Santa Barbara, delivering theinaugural lectures of the John and Margart Friesen Lectures in AnabaptistlMennoniteStudies at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg on Nov. 12-13,2002. (Photo:Courtesy of Conrad Stoesz)
by Bert Friesen
Mennonete
istorian
D r. Abraham Friesen recentlydelivered the inaugural lectures of
the newly launched annual lectureship inAnabaptistlMennonite Studies, cosponsored by Canadian MennoniteUniversity, the Mennonite HeritageCentre, and the Centre for MennoniteBrethren Studies. The lectures weredelivered at Canadian MennoniteUniversity on 12-13 November 2002.They were on the theme of RussianMennonites and World War 1. The threelectures were entitled:
Heinz Bergen of Regina displaying a copy of an 1867 detailedto~raphical map of the Chortitza Colony he recentlyacqwred. The details depict the economic conditionsincluding village boundaries, roads, fields, buildings,property numbers, community pasture lands andtopographical features. The original brilliantly coloured mapwith a 36 item graphic legend measures 1.6 metres by2metres and is drawn at a scale of 1:16800. Hopefully thismap will be made available in a form that will allow furtherstudy and analysis. For further information contact H.Bergen, 59 Richardson Cr., Regina, SK S4S 4J2 or [email protected]
Winnipeg,
************
faith who had lived side by side withUkrainians for generations. The memoriesof those unspeakable crimes linger in thehearts of the relatives. So let usUkrainians and Mennonites preserve thesememories.
Pupils from the local school then sang"A Gift of Life". Helmut Epp, pastor ofthe PetershagenIMolochansk MennoniteChurch, Molotschna Colony, spoke on thetopic: "Let us keep Peace", where heemphasized that one should not meet evilwith evil, that one should be ready toforgive, and that peace was more than thecessation of armed conflict. It means thatone needs to live in harmony with Godand with fellowmen
This was followed by a minute ofsilence, a prayer, and the laying of flowerson the memorial stone on behalf of therelatives, on behalf of the Ukrainianvillagers, by village children and by localand foreign guests.
For the memorial service represented aclosure - a service to remember and to reconcile. The innocent Mennonite peoplewho were massacred here in Ebenfeld andin Steinbach and in other villages in theBorosenko Colony, now had the funeralservice that was denied them in 1919.
We came here in a spirit ofreconciliation and to honor those who hadsuffered a horrific death.
Margaret Bergen lives inManitoba.
BorozenkoMargaret Bergen at theMemorial, October 5, 2002.
personal journey for me because my uncleJohann Bergen, was one buried in thismass grave. The burial, more than 82years ago, was done hurriedly, in anatmosphere of panic and great fear byseveral men from nearby Mennonitevillages, without any regular ChristianMennonite funeral ceremony The mutilated bodies could not be washed. Therewere no coffins for the 67 massacredvictims. There were no hymns, no sermon, no prayers. There were no mournersleft to mourn. Through this memorialservice we honored the memory of thosewho died giving them the funeral deniedthem in 1919, through words, hymns,prayers and the reading of their names.
Zinaida Slavinskaya from Ebenfeldllljankfka and I from Winnipegunveiled and dedicated thememorial. John Bergen prayedfor forgiveness for the perpetrators of these massacres, forreconciliation, and for God'sblessing on those who nowreside in these villages whereour people once lived. Thehymn "Bless the Lord 0 MySoul" followed.
Svetlana Bolyleva, director,Institute of Ukrainian andGerman Studies, Dnepropetrovsk National University, spoke on "Those EvilDays'. The fratricidal civilwar which followed the 1917Russian Revolution, causedthe collapse of law and order,which resulted in the deaths ofhundreds of thousands ofpeople of every nationality and
ing commemorated. The anchor at thecentre of the memorial is the historicalTsarist and Russian Mennonite symbol ofChristian faith and hope. The inscriptionon the memorial stone reads as follows:
In trauemder Erinnerung an Mennonitische Opfer des Massenmordes in derNikolailhaLerlNowosofiewkaer WoLoslwahrend des Buergerkrieges 1919.EbenfeLdJULjanowka 4. Dezem-ber, 67Manner, Frauen und Kinder imnahestehenden Grab bestallat. SteinbachIKuzmizkoje 5. Dezember, 54 Manner,Frauen und Kinder im gewesenen DortbeSlallet. Anderswo in der WolOSl, 17Manner, Frauen und Kinder. DarumLasset uns dem nachstreben was zumFrieden dient, Romer 14, 19. 1m Geisteder Ver-sohnung von den Verwandten derOpfer und der InlernationaLenMennonitischen MemoriaL GeseLlschaftim Jahre 2002 errichtet.
In his opening remarks, Harvey Dyckgave a brief history of that violent time.He then stated that we were gathered tolament the violent deaths of the villagersand to ensure that these dead not beforgotten.
I spoke briefly since this was a very per-
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Borosenko Monument(cant 'd from p. J)
Mennonite Historian is published by theMennonite Heritage Centre of MennoniteChurch Canada and the Centre forMennonite Brethren Studies of theCanadian Conference of MennoniteBrethren Churches.Editors: Abe Dueck (CMBS
A1f Redekopp (MHC)All correspondence and unpublishedmanuscripts should be sent to the editorialoffices at:
Subscription rates: $9.00 per year, $16.00for two years, $22.00 for three years.Individual subscriptions may be orderedfrom these addresses.ISSB 07008066
Genealog~. and Family HistoryB~ .\If Redl'lwpp
Lepp - One of the men in this photo is my great grandfather Peter Lepp (b. 1853). He firstmarried Elizabeth Zacharias (b. 1856) then Helene Klassen (b. 1863), widow of Aron Lepp, andthird to Katharina Wiens (b. 1866), widow of a Mr. Isaak. Peter Lepp was a minister inFuerstenland colony, South Russia (villages: Georgstal, Olgafeld, A1exandertal, and Rosenbach).We have been unable to prove how my line fits into the Lepp line of the Lepp-Wallman Factory.One man in this picture resembles Herman Lepp from the factory. Are the men in this photo thefactory owners? 1 would be interested in any information about the factory or Lepp families.Contact: Charlotte R. McCrae, [email protected]
Recent Books
Reg Rempel, editor. Descendants oflohan Doell and Helena Rempel: AFamily History and Genealogy(Aberdeen, SK: Leonard Doell, 2(02) 144pp.
T his book focuses on the family historyof Johan Doell (1865-1947) and his
wife Helena Rempel (1867-1947) whowere born in Russia, came to Canadaduring the 1870s, married in Manitoba in1888, and died in Saskatchewan. Theirpioneer years in Manitoba were spent inthe village of Blumstein. In 1899 theymoved to Saskatchewan and farmed nearSchoenwiese. Johan was active in thecommunity in church and civic life. Heserved as a Vorsaenger (song leader) inthe church and was also on the Council ofthe Rural Municipality of Warman.Contact: Leonard Doell, Box 364,Aberdeen, SK SOK OAO.
Lynne (Kroeker) Ward. David HeinrichFriesen History (Winnipeg, MB: by theauthor, 2(02) 450 pp.
T his book focuses on the family historyof descendants of David Heimich
Friesen (1846-1915), who was flTstmarried to Barbara Klassen (1852-1888)and then Anna Janzen (1868-1929).Sixteen of 24 children from these twounions survived to adulthood. The booksincludes articles on Mennonite life andhistory, major biographies on each ofthese 16 children, genealogical data onover 1,800 descendants spanning 7generations, some ancestral lines tracedback as far as 1720, graphs, charts,anecdotes, over 1000 photographs, andmore. Contact: Lynne Ward, 3 FawnPlace, Winnipeg, MB R3R 2Y9 or 204885-3104.
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Queries
Dyck - I am looking for descendants oftwo daughters of Heimich Dyck (18321887) and Maria Epp (1833-1877). MariaDyck (1859-1831) married AbramFriesen (1859-1933). They had 12children and live near Rosthern, Sask.Gertruda Dyck (1863-1940) flTst marriedHeirrrich Wiebe (1859-1908) and thenCornelius Friesen (1860-1929). Theyhad 10 children and flTst lived on theManitoba East Reserve and in 1927moved to Menno Colony, Paraguay.Contact: Bill Schroeder, 434 Sutton Ave.,Winnipeg, MB R2G OT3 or e-mail:[email protected].
* * * * * * * * * * *
Henry E. Plett Award forMennonite Family HistoryResearch and Writing
Attention: High School Students
The Manitoba Mennonite HistoricalSociety invites you to enter an essaycontest presenting research in your familyhistory. Prizes consist of $250 (flTstprize) and $100 (second prize). For moredetails contact the MMHS GenealogyCommittee, 600 Shaftesbury Blvd.,Winnipeg, MB R3P OM4 or check theweb at www.mrnhs.org.
Winners of the Henry E. Plett MemorialAward for Family history research andwriting: Dustin Braun (on the left) firstplace prize winner, and Adam Braun (onthe right), second place prize winnerawarded in June 2002. Both winnersattended W.e. Miller Collegiate in Altonaat the time of the contest.
Send inquiries to Alf Redekopp, 600Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MBR3P OM4 or e-mail: [email protected]
The Jacob Johann Goossen family photo taken in the family garden on the Wintergruenestate. Back row: Maria (1889-1934), Aganetha (1885-1934), Katharina (1887-1904). Frontrow: Anna (1897-1922), Aganetha (Kaethler) Goossen (1861·1946), Johann (1899-1979),Jacob (1858·1920). Helena (1895-1985). Elise (1890·).
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~Mennonite Heritage Centre600 SI1.llj(~\llllry Blvd Winllipe(j Mil CJllildJ IUP OM4
Goossen Family Photos
The Mennonite Heritage Centrerecently acquired 31 high quality
photographs of the Jacob Johann Goossen(1858-1920) and Aganetha Kaethler(1861-1946) family. These were donatedby John Enns. The Goossens owned thelarge Wintergruen estate which was about30 verst away from Schoensee, Molotschna. Jacob and Aganetha had thirteenchildren, seven of which survived earlychildhood. In 1906 the family took a fIrstclass holiday to Europe and the USA toavoid difficulties in Russia immediatelyafter the Russo-Japanese War. Theyvisited family and friends in NorthAmerica and returned to Wintergruen inJune 1907. The family continued to live atthe estate until October 1918 when theyleft for their own safety. On December 10,1918 the estate was pillaged by Machnobandits. Jacob Goossen died in 1920 andthe situation in Russia continued tobecome more desperate. In 1922 daughterMaria left Russia to join her fIance A.A.
Friesen in Canada who was a prominentmember on the Canadian MennoniteBoard of Colonization. On June 21, 1924the family sold their last cow, the littlefurniture they had, and boarded a train inLichtenau, Molotschna immigrating toRabbit Lake, Saskatchewan. For moreinformation on this family see Daydreams& Nightmares; Life an the WintergruenEstate, by Helena Goossen Friesen.
Video Review
Women of Courage. An address byMarlene Epp on the occasion of the 50th
anniversary celebrations of the post WorldWar II Mennonite immigration to Canada,at the Mennonite Heritage Village,Steinbach, MB, in the summer of 1998 Ivideotaped, edited and produced by OttoKlassen.
Reviewed by Gerhard Ens a/Winnipeg.
We all know, of course, thatvideotaping a public address too
often simply results in yet another"speaking head" depiction, but somehowthis is the only way we Mennonites canpreserve and popularize events ofhistorical importance.
Marlene Epp is the daughter of thewell known late Mennonite historian, Dr.Frank H. Epp. As she says in this video:"I grew up in a home where we lived and
breathed Mennonite history." A fewyears ago she undertook a signifIcantresearch project on a subject in whichrelatively little was known objectively,namely of the fate of women without men- the women of the latest major wave ofimmigration to Canada during the decadeof 1948-1958.
A very large number of the women ofthis migration had lost husbands, brothersand sons in Stalin's infamous purgesduring the years of 1937 and 1938 and tothe armed forces of both the Soviet Unionand Germany who simply conscriptedthem into military service. In her researchMs. Epp has interviewed scores of thesewomen some forty years after they were"widowed" and has written a book titled"Courageous Women".
Marlene Epp is a superb reporter. Wesense that the subject is very close to herheart and are therefore not surprised whenshe reveals that her own mother-in-law is,in fact, one of these women. Her matterof-fact reporting style, with only the oddcatch in her voice betraying the poignancyof the subject matter, makes the wholesubject stark and surrealistic. "We willnever fInd out how many of these womenwere raped", Ms Epp says. "They simplyrefuse to talk about that. Whenever oneopens up a little, we fInd that the womenendured this ultimate degradation of theirbodies as a act of protection for theirchildren or as the only means of survivalin a world gone absolutely mad." Whatadded insult to injury, Ms. Epp reportsfurther, was the lack of empathy andunderstanding when they came to meettheir unscathed relatives in Canada. "Andyet", Ms. Epp reports, "it is absolutelymarvelous how faith not only survived inthis climate, but was actually strengthenedand passed on to fatherless childrengrowing up under these conditions.
This video is an eye opener of endlessfascination. Otto Klassen has once againproduced a "simple" video withastonishing effect. He has skillfullywoven into the texture of Ms. Epp'sreport footage from his extensive fIlmlibrary depicting women in the Great Trekmanaging teams of horses and repairingvehicles while at the same time nursingtheir children, cooking for their families,bedding down the infrrmed and, mostheart breaking of all, burying the deadalong the endless trek.
The video is available at the MHC,600 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MBR3P OM4 for $15.00 plus postage andhandling.
Photograph ProjectProceeding
Peter Woelk joinedthe Centre staff ona half-time basisfor the current yearto work on aproject that wasinitiated two yearsago. The project,which was fundedfor the past two
years under the Control of Holdingsprogram of the Canadian Council ofArchives, consists of processing themassive collection of Mennonite BrethrenHerald photographs which have beencollected since the founding of theMennonite Brethren Herald in 1962.Approximately 3000 photographs wereprocessed each year by DonovanGiesbrecht, which leaves approximately10,000 or more photographs still to beprocessed. The photographs are ftrstappraised and selected, resulting in thediscarding of about 1/3. The remainderare arranged and described and enteredinto a searchable database. Finally, thephotographs are placed in standardarchival envelopes for storage.
Peter is working on this project on atemporary basis because of staff changesand budget adjustments in the CanadianMB Conference. The Centre is expectingto apply for a CCA grant again for thecoming year to continue processing ofphotographs.
Centre Placed underJurisdiction of New Boardof Discipleship Ministries
75th Anniversary ofConcordia Hospital
Abe Dueck, Director of the Centre, hasbeen commissioned by the Board of
Directors of Concordia Hospital to writethe 75th Anniversary book for ConcordiaHospital. The hospital was founded in1928 and will be celebrating its 75th
anniversary in 2003. Dueck authored the50th anniversary book in 1978. The newbook will include much of the material inthe previous edition, but will add asigniftcant section on the past 25 years.
Recent Accessions
1. Photo of the Maedchenschule (girl'sschool) in Tiege, Molotschna, 1910and a photo of the staff at one ofErdman Penner's and Otto Schultz'sstore on the West Reserve, ca. 1890.Donated by Bill Schroeder (SuttonAve).
2. Winkler Mennonite Brethren Churchminutes, reports, and SchwesternVerein materials.
3. Issues of the German languagenewspaper, Der Nordwesten, 19231953.
4. Cornerstone Community Church,Dartmouth, NS records, 1967-1993.
5. 4 photos of Maria Enns and NikitaSaloff-Astakoff, an evangelist inRussia and North America.
6. 7 books of Statutes and minutes ofthe Jugendverein of the MennoniteBrethren Church of Aberdeen,Saskatchewan, 1910-1956.
7. Photo album of photos from IsaacWiens (1867-1942) and KatharinaWarkentin (1869-1955). The photosare of the Wiens family and
descendants who lived in the Winkler,MB area.8. Correspondence to and from Linda
Bauman, missionary to Brazil, 19551986.
9. Borden MB Church records, 19061974.
Photo Identification byReader
T he September issue of the MennoniteHistorian (XXVrn, 3, 2002) carried a
photograph on p. 10 of the funeral ofWilliam (Wilhelm?) Klassen in theIgnatyevo Colony in southern Russia andasked readers to help identify otherindividuals in the photograph. Mr.Herman A. Neufeld of Tehachapi,California wrbte and indicated that theindividual in the front row, third from theleft, was Elder Hermann A. Neufeld andthat it was probably taken in 1923 orshortly prior to that. A search of thejournals of Elder Neufeld, which arehoused at the CMBS archives inWinnipeg and which have also beentranslated by the grandson, Herman A.Neufeld of California, may also yieldfurther information. Thank you to Mr.Neufeld, who has also sent the photo toDr. Abe Neufeld (Elder Neufeld's son) toseek to identify others in the photo.
A.D.
As a result of a major restructuring ofthe Canadian MB Conference ratifted
at the convention in Abbotsford, BC inJuly, 2002, the Centre has been placedunder the mandate of the newly createdBoard of Discipleship Ministries. Asearch for an Executive Director is currently underway. The Board of Communications, which was previously responsible for the Centre, has been discontinued, as has the Board of ChristianEducation. The more immediate supervision of the work of the Centre will continue under the Historical Committee.The Director of the Centre, Abe Dueck, iscurrently working on a half-time basis andexpects to retire fully at the end of May.
", • ~."',: J
"; ., ....~.: "" .t.'.'~,
Dr. Helmut Huebert, Chair of the Historical Committee of CMBS and co-editor (withWilliam Schroeder) of the Mennonite Historical Atlas, presenting the SOOOth copy of theatlas to Paul Friesen, librarian at Canadian Mennonite University. (photo: Courtesy ofConrad Stoesz)
The Sharon Mennonite Collegiate Institute on Wilson Road, North in Yarrow, BC·- oneof the sites visited by the Historical Society tour on December 6, 2002. Photo credit:Agatha E. Klassen, Yarrow: A Portrait in Mosaic,p. 104.
Mennonite Historical Society of Canada Meets inAbbotsford
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Canadian MennoniteEncyclopedia Online
T he Canadian Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (CMEO) editorial
committee met at Columbia Bible Collegeon 5-6 December 2002. It was reportedthat the web site for the encyclopedia(www.mhsc.ca) has averaged 734 uniquevisitors per day since the site was fIrsttracked in April 2000. The total numberof unique visitors during this time hastopped the 300,000 mark. The encyclopedia currently has over 2,300 articles,with 65 having been added this year andmany more anticipated for 2003. Many ofthe articles were originally published inthe Mennonite Encyclopedia but morerecently new articles have been commissioned for the encyclopedia, and manyothers are or have been revised.
The committee has focused on newarticles for educational institutions andsignifIcant individuals during the last fewyears, and is now beginning to turn itsattention to major revisions of congregational entries. There is hope that localwriters from the various congregationswill be willing to contribute articles forthe next stage of the encyclopedia'sdevelopment.
Richard D. Thiessen, Abbotsford.
Reflections on 'The PacifistWho Went To War'
by Lawrence Klippenstein
I t was my privilege to see the Winnipegpremiere of the National Film Board of
Canada production "The PacifIst WhoWent to War" at the Canadian MennoniteUniversity in Winnipeg on November 7th
•
The viewing and panel discussion thatfollowed became a "moment" to reflecton issues raised by Remembrance Dayand the call to go to war repeated everyyear.
This documentary, directed byManitoba fIlmmaker David Neufeld,portrays the experiences of Mennonites ofsouthern Manitoba trying to come toterms with responding to the servicechallenges, military and otherwise, thatarose during the years of World War II(1939-1945). When Canada joined WorldWar II, thousands of young Mennonitemen were forced to decide -- should theyjoin the military machine and kill where"necessary", or should they take the
For the fIrst time in its history, theMennonite Historical Society of
Canada met in a location other thanWinnipeg, Manitoba or Waterloo, Ontario, for its annual meeting. The annualmeeting, which usually convenes in thefIrst week of December, met at theColumbia Bible College in Abbotsford on7 December, 2002. This change oflocation was in recognition of the fact thatan increasing percentage of Mennonites inCanada reside in BC and that theMennonite Historical Society of BC isone of the most active in Canada. It wasreported that it has a membership of over700. In the future it is anticipated that themeeting will convene in other provincesas well.
The Board received reports from eachof the provincial societies, from archivalcentres, and from other related agenciessuch as the Chair of Mennonite Studies.There appears to be increased activity
peace stance that Mennonites traditionallyhad taken in situations like this. The fIlmsets out very deliberately to present "bothsides".In a rather unique way the film builds theportrait around brothers Ted and JohnFriesen, sons of the late D.W. Friesen ofof Friesen Printers founding fame, whochose very different paths. Ted became aconscientious objector, while his brotherwent into military service.
I want to thank NFB warmly for this attempt to analyze what was involved in theMennonite response to the call to arms.There have been very few portraits of this
across Canada. Of particular note is theestablishment of an archive at theMennonite Central Committee ThriftStore in Calgary and at the BethanyManor in Saskatoon.
Major activities of the Canadian societyinclude the CMEO project (see report onthis page), the ongoing work of the"Divergent Voices of CanadianMennonites" project, and an overarchingvolume on Mennonites in Canada.
In addition to the meetings, members ofthe society were taken on a tour of FraserValley Mennonite settlements. AgathaKlassen provided an interesting commentary on the emergence and growth of thesesettlements.
On Friday evening the society memberswere hosted by the BC society at a dinnerand a program which featured aninteresting talk by Hulda (Reimer) FastRedekopp about growing up Mennonite inthe Fraser Valley.
AD
issue that have brought the two verydifferent and opposite responses together.Reunions of COs, and more lately ofveterans from Mennonite background,have been held many times. But it hasbeen more difficult and perhaps there hasbeen more reluctance to put both sides"on the screen" simultaneously, for us allto see what the larger picture actuallylooked like.
So what did I see and hear in the fIlm? Iheard a narrative text that gave a ratherclear statement of the dilemma as itappeared in the Canadian Mennonitecommunities of the time . certainly clear
enough to highlight the issues and becomea good discussion starter. It was good thata panel could pick up the material and getto work on it right away.
I saw a fairly clear, if not particularlyforceful, presentation of the CO side ofthe matter with statements from TedFriesen, David Derksen, Anton Dyck andothers commenting about why they tooktheir stand. Perhaps presenting a peaceposition does not call for a "forceful"presentation by the very nature of what itis-- a quiet statement though fIrmly held.But the statements of the "pacifIst whowent to war" (John Friesen on the fIlmand in the panel discussion) suggestedthat a far stronger case can and should bemade for fInding other solutions thanmilitary ones--opposing war at all costs.
One veteran who saw the fIlm felt thepro-war service case had not been madestrongly enough and too much of the COside had come through on the fIlm. Iviewed the veteran side as quite forcefulenough. I realize clearly enough that theveterans felt very strongly that they hadthis coming and, as they saw it, as beinglong overdue. I have wondered if moremonuments for conscientious objectorsmight be overdue as well.
Still, the comparison in the ratherlengthy footage of the local veterancelebration dancing and a somewhatattenuated scene of the quiet worshipservice of COs elsewhere in thecommunity when the big monument wasunveiled was interesting to see, but whatwas it trying to tell us? I was looking forthe "Mennonite" part in all of this andwas somewhat confused. I was watchingfor a strong statement of peace-makingfrom the church somewhere but it wasdifficult to fInd. That may show exactlythe situation we are in today. That toomakes me wonder, and even moreconfused.Now that the war drums are beating againas Canada is getting ready for the socalled "war against terrorism", the fIlm isa timely project. I am hoping it will beseen by many more people, and be widelydiscussed. The problem we are dealingwith here may be much bigger than wethink. It is time to work hard on it..
Friesen Lectures(cont'd from p. 1)the University of California, SantaBarbara where he is Professor of History.He has published numerous books andarticles, the most recent of which is
entitled, Erasmus, the Anabaptists and theGreat Commission (Eerdmans, 1998).
The fIrst lecture was a survey ofAnabaptistlMennonite history and theirreligious self-understanding. The sixteenth century was characterized by theAnabaptist's zeal for being true followersof Jesus. This prompted a severe responsefrom both civil and religious authorities ofthe day. The authorities saw Anabaptismas a threat to their power and thereforestrove to stamp them out. This persecutionscattered the Anabaptists over most ofEurope as they gradually fled eastward.One hundred years later, in theseventeenth century, the Dutch Anabaptists promised the East Frisianauthorities that they would not proselytizeamong the local population and wouldlive quietly in the land. By the beginningof the nineteenth century they had becomethe quiet in the land and the Mennonitesmigrating to Russia were not intent onevangelizing their neighbors. Even thoughthe privilegium of Czar Paul I did notexplicitly forbid proselytizing, theprohibition was taken for granted. Friesenmaintained that the sixteenth centuryAnabaptists would never have agreed tothis-- indeed they would rather have diedthan agree.
After over 100 years in Russia, muchhad changed. A revolution in 1905changed circumstances and the Czar, afterlosing the war to Japan, was forced togive up some of his power to the newlycreated Duma. The reforms, however, didnot last and for the next decade the Czarslowly sought to limit the religiousfreedoms. In this process the Mennoniteswere threatened with losing some of theirprivileges such as exemption frommilitary service. The issue revolvedaround whether they were classifIed as a"sect" or "confession" by the government.This hinged, to a large extent, on whetherthey had broken the regulations regardingproselytizing. Many in the MennoniteChurch (Kirchliche) believed that theMennonite Brethren had violated theregulations and were therefore putting allMennonites in danger of losing theirprivileges. The issue had not beenresolved when World War I broke out.
The second lecture addressed the landliquidation measures that the RussianMennonites had to face in the twentiethcentury. Land became an important issuefor Mennonites, especially from theseventeenth century. The Mennoniteswho settled in Poland (later Prussia),slowly gained the right to lease and then
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own land. With this right, however, cameobligations to pay taxes and rendermilitary service. When the Mennonitesmigrated to Russia they wanted to ensurethat they would be exempt from militaryservice and that they would have otherprivileges, such as freedom to worship.
In twentieth-century Russia, land ownership became a serious problem andaffected Germans in particular because ofthe circumstances leading to World War 1.Slowly new laws and regulations were putin place. In order to get around theseobstacles, the Mennonites attempted todefIne themselves ethnically as Dutchinstead of as Germans, against whomthese regulations were directed. In theirappeals they were largely unsuccessful.Their third appeal to the Czar in 1917resulted in a halt to the land expropriationbut then the revolution intervened and theissue of ancestry remained unresolved.
The third lecture dealt with the unresolved question of whether RussianMennonites were ethnic Germans orDutch. From about 1910 until 1917 theirefforts were directed at showing that theywere of ethnic Dutch ancestry. Then, in1918 when the Germans occupied theMennonite areas of Ukraine, they arguedthat they were ethnic Germans. When theGermans retreated, the Mennonites'credibility with the new Soviet regimewas destroyed. In the early 1920s theyreverted to the Dutch ancestry argument,but by this time the Mennonitesthemselves were deeply divided on theissue. It proved to be an ongoing issue,even after the migration to the Americasin the 1920s, for some Mennonites. Theissue is stilI not resolved today, althoughFriesen is determined to attempt adefInitive answer in his next publication.
These lectures marked an importantinauguration for this series. They focusedon an era of Mennonite history thatcontinues to raise important issues aboutour understanding of who we are.
Book Notes(cont'dfrom p. 8)of that book now in print, it must rival theMore With Less Cookbook in popularityin modem books of Mennonite origin.The well-known poet and writer JuliaKasdorf has fInally produced a biographyof this versatile musician, athleticdirector, and late-blooming author. FixingTradition: Joseph W Yoder, AmishAmerican (Telford, PA: Pandora PressUS, 2002; pb. 280 pp, $22.95US) is No.4in the C. Henry Smith series.
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Lawrence Klippenstein and Jacob Dick,Mennonite Alternative Service in Russia.(Kitehener ON, Pandora Press, 2(02) 163pp.
Reviewed by John 1. Bergen, ProfessorEmeritus, University ofAlberta
This book gives a brief butcomprehensive overview of Menno
nites in Russia in relation to World War I.It includes a detailed diary of JohnMathies and numerous photographs byAbram Dueck, illustrating theirexperiences. Both men had volunteeredto serve as Sanitaeter with the Red Crosswhen war broke out in 1914.
Mennonites had settled in the Chortitzaarea in 1789 when pressure to assist thewar effort was placed upon them inPrussia. When similar demands weremade in Russia in 1874, about one-thirdof all Mennonites emigrated to NorthAmerica, less than half settling in Canada.
During the Crimean War of 1854-1856,and again during the war with Japan,1904-1905, Mennonites were obliged toprovide transports for supplies andwounded soldiers, and also to collectmoney for the war effort. Horses wererequisitioned for army use. Some leadersfeared that such assistance would be a"breach of their non-resistant faith."
Forestry camps were organized andMennonites were expected to [mance thecosts of operating them. Some menserved on hospital trains, and some evenjoined active military service.
The issues that troubled the Mennoniteleaders in Prussia and Russia, alsosurfaced in Canada during World War II.Whether donating blood could also beseen as saving lives, rather than assistingthe war effort, became a contentiousissue, but left for congregations andindividuals to decide. (David P. Reimer.Eifahrungen der Mennoniten in Canadawaehrend des zweiten Weltkrieges,Derksen Printers, Steinbach, n.d.)
Delegations to Ottawa were not of onemind. Those representing mainly theimmigrants of the 1870s (who hadopposed the changes introduced by thetsarist government) promoted work inforestry, farming and hospitals. Those ofthe 1920s (who had accepted Sanitaeterservice) also requested that provision bemade for service in the medical and dentalcorps, which was initiated in October
1943. This reviewer (a1920s immigrant)found it to be acceptable to join suchservice when it became available, thoughhe had lost his teaching license due to hispacifist position.
A.J. Klassen's Alternative Service forPeace in Canada during World War II,1998) includes the stories of many whoserved in the forestry camps, in hospitals,and farms, but does not adequately coverthose who had elected to serve in themedical corps. Reimer covers debatesconcerning the medical corps issue, butincludes no account of individuals whomade that choice.
What we find in the three volumesreferred to here, is that the questionswhich concerned the Mennonites inPrussia, in Russia, and in Canada, weresimilar but had not been resolved byearlier generations. When this writer wasasked to report to a forestry camp, butasked for permission to help his father onthe farm, he was granted his request withthe words, "Go help the war effort withfarm production!"
We may place ourselves in a positionwhere we are not directly connected to thewar activity. But indirectly we cannotavoid it. Our tax dollars also support themilitary, and the making of bombs. Thefood we produce and the clothing wemake also feed and clothe the military.When our people were severely tested asMakhno's band raged across the land,some felt justified in organizing theSelbstschutz for defence of their families.What actions would we find justified insuch times of crisis? What principles offaith must we internalize ..in order to guideus, should we face such eventualities?
Norman Unrall, Those Were The Days(And Those Were My People ...)(Nelson, BC: Private publications, 2002)207 pages, pb. $20.00.
Reviewed by Edward Enns, Winnipeg,Manitoba.
Norman Uurau may be familiar tothose people who lived in the
Steinfeld and Rosenheim communitiesnear Lowe Farm, Manitoba, in the early1930s, and others who lived in theSpencer/Grunthal communities after that.He is the son of Peter Unrau, schoolteacher at Rosenheim and other placesand later teacher and farmer at ListerWest School near Spencer.
Unrau describes his growing up yearsby means of scores of short descriptionsof life and experiences from going toschool, to gopher and deer hunting, tofarm work and practices, to relatives andneighbors, to celebrations, to churchevents, to boyish escapades, etc.
By means of old photos and briefdescriptions, he introduces his family, hisrelatives (including his cousins the sons of"Big Bill") and neighbors he remembersfrom days gone by.
Some 60 or more 1-3 page vignettes,plus introductions to several dozenrelatives and neighbors and a tribute to hisparents, make for entertaining reading andpossibly allows some readers to do theirown reminiscing about similar "good olddays"!
Book Notesby AdolfEns
T he third Jahrbuch flir Geschichte undKultur der Mennoniten in Paraguay
appeared in September. This volumefocuses on the "Canadian" Mennonites inParaguay. The bulk of the historicalsection consists of papers given at asymposium in Lorna Plata in June on theoccasion of the 75th anniversary ofMenno Colony. Published by theMennonite Historical and Cultural Societyof Paraguay, the yearbook is available for$8 US. Contact [email protected].[Is it a sign of the digital age that nopostal address is given?]
Ritas Leute: Eine deutsch-russischeFamiliengeschichte (Reinbek beiHamburg: RowoWt Verlag GmbH, 2(02)tells the story of singer Rita Pauls, now ofMannheim, Germany, via Karagnada,Kaskhstan. Descended from the Pauls andJanzen families of LysanderhOh, in theMennonite Am Trakt Colony near theVolga, Rita grew up in Karaganda andmoved to Germany with her family in1989. The story, engagingly told by theGerman filmmaker and historian UllaLachauer, brings a liveliness to thenarrative that is missing in some moreprosaic autobiographies written by modestMennonites. Pauls has relatives inWinnipeg.
Most Canadian Mennonites who haveheard of Joseph W. Yoder will have cometo "know" him through his "autoethnography," Rosanna of the Amish, first published in 1940 when the author was already 68. With almost half a million copies
