Q&A with Karen Treiger

 

 

Karen Treiger is the author of the new book Standing on the Crack: The Legacy of Five Jewish Families From Seattle's Vibrant Gilded Age. She also has written the book My Soul Is Filled with Joy. Also a lawyer, she lives in Seattle. 

 

Q: Why did you decide to write Standing on the Crack, and how was the book’s title chosen?

 

A: I left my law practice in 2015 to research and write a book about my spouse’s parents history during and before the Holocaust.  After I completed that book I felt that I had given a gift to the Goldberg family and to the world – to know these stories of resilience and survival. 

 

I knew that my next project would be my family history. I want to leave this gift of history and legacy to my side of the family and the story of resilient Jewish immigrants to the world.

 

The first part of the book title, Standing on the Crack, was chosen as way to pique the reader’s interest. Hopefully they will ask, What does that mean? But as they read the book, they will discover that this phrase, intoned many a time by my maternal grandfather, is a metaphor for a family culture and ethic.

 

Standing on the Crack means working hard, welcoming customers and friends at the door, upright and honest business and community dealings, and a true commitment to all of life’s endeavors.  

 

The subtitle is an attempt to give a sense of the book: Five Jewish Families from Seattle’s Vibrant Gilded Age. The gilded age for these Jewish families extended from the 1880s until at least World War II and for some – into the 1980s. So a good 100-year span.  

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I researched the book by starting with my father’s “dusty old files.” From there I read a number of background books about Seattle’s history and the Jewish communities of Washington and Oregon.  

 

I used Ancestry, and a number of other on-line search engines, as well as archives (newspapers, university, museums, etc). I also did physical research throughout Seattle and Portland – going to places where my ancestors lived and worked. I interviewed my older relatives and some friends and looked through their photos for anything meaningful. 

 

What especially surprised me was my mom’s ancestors all came so young – ages 16-18! One was a (just) married couple, the rest were young men leaving home alone.  

 

Equally surprising was the realization that my dad’s family, both his mother’s side and father’s side, immigrated to the U.S. in their late 40s with five children. 

 

I really thought about both of these scenarios and what it might have been like to make such a bold move at these ages, knowing no – or very little – English, and with very little money to get started. How hard it must have been. 

 

I was also surprised at the antisemitism they encountered from 1900 though the 1970s: redlining policies that forced them to live in a specific part of Seattle; professional limitations because firms and companies wouldn’t hire Jews; social limitations because clubs wouldn’t allow Jewish members; sororities and fraternities at the University of Washington did not allow Jews, etc.  

 

But it was also surprising when I asked my mom about how the antisemitism affected their lives. She said it didn’t: “It’s just the way it was.” She said they all knew there was antisemitism, but they just didn’t let it bother them too much. I suppose this was a good coping mechanism. 

 

Finally, I was intrigued by the fact that though my mom’s families succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, they did not succeed in passing wealth onto future generations.

 

Q: The author Howard Droker said of the book, “Treiger herself is a character, tracing her explorations and research and providing a how-to illustration for doing family history.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love this description and am so happy that Howard articulated this.  I did this intentionally. I very much see myself as a character in this “play” of history, as living at this moment in time, with people and events that came before me and knowing there will be a future for those after I am dead. I wanted to insert myself into the storyline as a way of bringing the reader along with me.  

 

Mostly, I want the reader to enjoy the book and be inspired to delve more into their own family history. Every family has a story and I want to challenge readers to discover theirs. 

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write this family memoir, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: There are many impacts. To share a few:

 

If before I felt I was a link in a long chain of history, now I have a much stronger sense of my own place in that chain. Knowing so much about those that came before grounds me in my own sense of self.

 

Writing this book gives me a sense of fulfilment and joy. There are very few books about Seattle and the Pacific Northwest’s Jewish history, and I am proud to add this book to the small collection. 

 

Writing the book helped me with my grief over the loss of my father.  We were very close and his absence in my life is hard. However, with this book, I feel that I achieved something he wanted to do. Now I have so many different ways of accessing his presence in my life. It’s a sense of being with him even though he is gone.

 

I hope readers take away a sense of Seattle’s history and specifically, a picture of how the Jewish community in Seattle developed and grew in spite of the many obstacles in their path. 

 

I want the reader to take away a sense of awe when they think about themselves as a blip in time and to understand that we each have a story to tell.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now, I am working on the launch of Standing on the Crack.  The publication date is August 17, 2025, and my official book launch is August 17.  

 

I am working on a physical exhibit to complement the book. It will include family banners, a historical timeline and a video presentation. I am excited to make people’s experience with my book multi-dimensional.

 

When I am done with this book project, I hope to make myself available for hire to others who are interested in doing some family research and putting together something tangible for their families. Not necessarily a published book, but there are many ways this can be put together for a meaningful legacy.    

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Yes, I am really excited to bring this book to the world and am happy to travel to communities and cities to give book talks or give presentations on how to research a family history.  Zoom is also a good way to bring this to groups and communities. 

 

I invite readers to visit my website: Homepage - Karen Treiger - Author. It has lots of information about Standing on the Crack, but also about my first book – My Soul is Filled with Joy: A Holocaust Story. 

 

And here is a direct link to my upcoming events: News & Events - Karen Treiger - Author.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb