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This is a rough draft for a presentation for JFS - which- in 1918- will be celebrating 100 years of helping people! If you want more info, to volunteer or donate, please click here
Then and Now
Today is Day # 1413! To look at the other 1412 titles - click here
first year - Feb. 13, 2014 - Feb. 12, 2015 second year - Feb. 13, 2015 - Feb. 12, 2016 third year - Feb. 13, 2016 - today!
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Monologue Mania Day # 1413 Then and Now by Janet S. Tiger (c) Dec. 27 , 2017
(Not) a monologue by Janet S. Tiger (c) all rights reserved 2017
tigerteam1@gmail.com
Photographs suggested for projection onto screen or wall- Photos will be seen throughout the presentation
– ranging from the original Jolly 16, telegraphs, immigrants, original JFS
locations, email, current location, staff and volunteers now.
At open – Photos of San Diego circa 1915-18
ANNOUNCER - Ladies and gentlemen, we
have a special treat this evening - lights down please....
(Lights will go down, first photos seen)
With the magic of theater, we can go
back 100 years and …….introduce you to one of the founders of JFS - Mrs. Rose
Neumann.......
Photo-
Rose
Please close your eyes for a
moment.....let your imagination fill in the spaces.....
Photos
-San Diego
it is 1918, San Diego has ....74,000
people....not a tiny port anymore... the railroad comes here! ...
there is the beginning of what will be one day be......Miramar Air Base
...we even have a chapter of the NAACP...
Photo
–Rose and Al
and we have Rose Neumann and her
husband Al have been here in San Diego for 6 years....- .and it is not night
anymore, but the end of the night, with the dawn breaking on the docks of San
Diego - the fisherman are bringing in their hauls and Rose is there - trying to
convince them to share in their bounty......I introduce you to the
amazing.......Rose Neumann.....
(Rose is in her 30s-40s, because it is 1918-1928.
Slight German accent.)
- very active, she comes through the audience greeting people)
- very active, she comes through the audience greeting people)
Rose -Hello....hello, good to see you!.......beautiful morning isn't it? Look at these wonderful
fish! What a lovely smell! And so fresh!
But what about tomorrow? If you don't sell them today......you know what
that means!
But I can help you with that....I want to
help you with that- ...it's very simple, with less fish, less smell,
right?
I mean, if you help me, I help you! I have some
families, and some men, they just came to this beautiful city of ours, and they
don't have jobs, or enough money for food, so if you give me the fish, you help
these people, and you help yourself! No extra fish to worry about!
No mess! I'm saving you time and energy......
(Listens)
ROSE - Yes, I have heard the
expression - give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man
to
fish, and you feed him for his life.
I agree! But there's another part to that saying -
'you can't feed a person who has starved to death!'
(She
smiles and nods)
ROSE - Thank you! I knew you
would help! You have a nice face.......and some beautiful fish!
You
are going to make some hungry people very happy!
(She
looks to the side, nods)
So, I am going to give you another chance
to help .......and it will help you and someone else - we do have
some strong young men, maybe if I have them come with me.....you could give
some of them jobs? (Listens) Okay, maybe just one man ...to
start...... and I would like you to meet him.....he's going to help me carry
the fish!
(She indicates a youngish man coming onstage)
ROSE - This is Reuben, he may be new
to San Diego, but he is not new to work! And you will
be
happy that you gave him a chance!
(Man in his 20s approaches, waves his hat)
REUBEN -
Thank you, Mrs. Neumann! I
appreciate all your kindness!
(As
Reuben approaches, Rose turns to the audience and waves)
ROSE - And all of you - remember, my name is
Rose....just like the flower...... start thinking
about
what YOU can do to help!.....
(She
exits, and the young man looks around)
REUBEN - I came here to San Diego in 1920...
(waves arms in a wide circle).... land of opportunity! (laughs)
An opportunity all right, an opportunity to starve! Of course, my family was used to starving –
we came from Russia!
In New York it was crowded, but at least, you knew people.
And New York was cold. I had enough of
cold in Russia to last me a life! Here, in San Diego, beautiful
weather! But in some ways, it was like a
desert....really, a desert. And no jobs for people like me. I
didn't come with much, but then, Mrs. Neumann there, she made sure I didn't
starve. I helped her out, carrying fish back to her kitchen. There
was always plenty of food there....and a lotta people, all needing help....and
her kids.....it was crazy!
But everybody knew Rose.....she was.... amazing! And
then she got me this job, on a fishing boat. The only other Jewish
fisherman in San Diego! (cont)
There's something about being new....being new, and
yet....when you don't eat enough, when you're not sure where your next meal is
coming from....where you're gonna sleep......it makes you feel a lot
older.......fast......
(Turns
to leave, stops, looks back)
REUBEN - If something happens to you, will anyone
care? Will someone tell your mother? Will there be a
telegraph
like this one…..
(Photos – telegraphs from the
1920s-30s)
(A woman comes onstage, dressed from that era, holding the telegram
in her hand)
VOLUNTEER - Mr. Samuel Weinstein left Chicago Jan. 22, 1934. Age 27. Stop. Believe arrived
VOLUNTEER - Mr. Samuel Weinstein left Chicago Jan. 22, 1934. Age 27. Stop. Believe arrived
San
Diego Jan. 24, 1934. Please confirm address and whereabouts of Mr.
Weinstein.
(She holds up a stack of telegrams tied with string)
VOLUNTEER - Every week we get these. Someone looking for a relative that has....how do I
(She holds up a stack of telegrams tied with string)
VOLUNTEER - Every week we get these. Someone looking for a relative that has....how do I
say it? Disappeared.
Some of the people have moved, others have ...changed their name.....from marriage or because many people are looking for them and they don't want to be found....but most of them who are missing, well, no one knows what happened to them, and that's where JFS comes in.....we are like detectives! Only instead of Dick Tracy.....we have the Jolly Sixteen! Led by our own Rose Neumann, they can find anyone, anywhere!
Faster than a steaming kishke, able to leap not so tall buildings with a leather bound prayer book! these amazing women will help you find your loved one....downtown, on the edges of San Diego....even in Tijuana! And when we do, we will help them get on their feet, and let you know where they are.....because we are the Jolly Sixteen!
(She looks at the telegram, folds it carefully)
But sometimes, what we find is not so happy. The person has gotten sick, maybe even died. And even though we're not related, we all know what it feels like to lose a family member.....and even though we are just ordinary people, volunteering our time to help others.....well, sometimes we spell volunteers....with an emphasis on the....tears.....
(Lights down on this volunteer)
Some of the people have moved, others have ...changed their name.....from marriage or because many people are looking for them and they don't want to be found....but most of them who are missing, well, no one knows what happened to them, and that's where JFS comes in.....we are like detectives! Only instead of Dick Tracy.....we have the Jolly Sixteen! Led by our own Rose Neumann, they can find anyone, anywhere!
Faster than a steaming kishke, able to leap not so tall buildings with a leather bound prayer book! these amazing women will help you find your loved one....downtown, on the edges of San Diego....even in Tijuana! And when we do, we will help them get on their feet, and let you know where they are.....because we are the Jolly Sixteen!
(She looks at the telegram, folds it carefully)
But sometimes, what we find is not so happy. The person has gotten sick, maybe even died. And even though we're not related, we all know what it feels like to lose a family member.....and even though we are just ordinary people, volunteering our time to help others.....well, sometimes we spell volunteers....with an emphasis on the....tears.....
(Lights down on this volunteer)
(Rose enters)
ROSE - People ask me how I do it. I was an immigrant myself, from Austria to New York....
There is the first
Jewish newspaper in San Diego, I helped found it. The Junior Charity
League, the Hebrew Sisterhood, the Jolly Sewing Circle and the Ladies Hebrew
Aid Society - all leading to the Federated Jewish Charities....and I had
children and a family and helped with my husband's business and some people
have asked- how do I do this?
The answer is simple - Modern Technology!
The answer is simple - Modern Technology!
Photo
– Old typewriter
ROSE - You heard me, modern technology.....streetlights-
so I can go anywhere in the city to
look for missing people – even after dark! And there are telegraphs! And…..(very happy) I have a typewriter, what
an incredible invention!.....and I can type 50 words a minute...... And I have
a …..telephone, right in my own home! Not down the street, or down
the hall, but attached to my own wall! And without this modern technology, I
could never accomplish all that I do......
(Looks at the audience, moves finger throughout the crowd)
(Looks at the audience, moves finger throughout the crowd)
ROSE - But most of all......I could
never have done this.....without all my volunteers
.......volunteers of time ….of money......of support in all
the ways possible.......thank you all!
They say one day, perhaps, there will be no one who needs help with a job, or with food, or with a place to live......who knows? I hope that will come true.......and maybe with your help....it will!
They also say someday...... a typewriter could be attached....to a telephone......now that is......meshugah!
(Turns to leave, stops, looks back)
They say one day, perhaps, there will be no one who needs help with a job, or with food, or with a place to live......who knows? I hope that will come true.......and maybe with your help....it will!
They also say someday...... a typewriter could be attached....to a telephone......now that is......meshugah!
(Turns to leave, stops, looks back)
ROSE
- But our volunteers – that is one thing
we know will never change – here’s one now –
Her name…….
Photo – Jolly 16
VOLUNTEER- My name is……
(Indicates
the photo)
VOLUNTEER - Every woman who volunteered – Rose was our
first volunteer coordinator –
thank you Rose!
ROSE - It was my pleasure!
VOLUNTEER - But…although the help is the same, some of
the people we helped…well, it
was different after World War
II………………………………
Photos
– WW II camps, refugees
VOLUNTEER - Not immigrants anymore, these were
refugees. We were asked to help more
people…..it was a major task, but we did it, because these
people often had no one else to help them…….welcome, Mr. ….
(A
refugee enters, he is in his 40s, nods to the volunteer)
REFUGEE –(Slight European accent) Thank you…..the
place you have for me is very
nice…..and there is room for more……perhaps, if some of my
family is still alive (sighs) they will find me……
VOLUNTEER - If you need anything, please, call…..
(The
volunteer exits, as the refugee looks around)
REFUGEE - Refugee.
Immigrant…….What's the difference? Big. Big difference.
It may be a tough road, a difficult choice, but.......An
immigrant chooses to come. A refugee......is forced to make a
choice.
After World War II, there was not a
lot of choice for us survivors.
Israel - some of the people I knew in the camps, they went
to Israel. Me -I wanted to get as far away from Germany and Poland as I
could. I looked at a map - San Diego. On the ocean -the Pacific,
for peace. Maybe a change that large could help me bring peace to my heart.
My story?
(Sighs) You have heard my story
many times. My life between 1939 and
1945 was…..not easy. You can fill in the
blanks……
Photos
–fast montage of refugees
REFUGEE - When I came, the community
was wonderful, JFS helped me with many things….
As an engineer, I could get work here in San Diego, a big
military town, and with a place to stay and food to help my family until the
paychecks came......but for my heart, it was the counseling that made the
difference......how do you go through the pain of losing everything? A
body needs nourishment, a roof, but a soul.....a broken soul needs
more........someone to talk to, it made a big difference.....just another
person who you knew would be there tomorrow......
Photos
– counseling
And ……over the years…..I was able to ..volunteer to help
others who came…..by the 1970s, …..it was like the ocean brought in new waves!
from Russia! Through the JFS, I
sponsored a family escaping from a country that would not allow religious
freedom…..
Photos
– Russian refugees
and together we shared a common thread – we were strangers
in a strange land….this continues today, as we have refugees from countries all
over the world!
Photos
– Russian refugees
And I just realized….here’s a way to separate the refugees
from the immigrants – the refugees….never volunteer to be refugees!
(The
volunteer comes forward again, this time dressed in modern clothing, she smiles
at
the refugee)
Photo
– Emails, computers
VOLUNTEER - Thank you for becoming a volunteer, Mr.
Rubin….In my family, well, my
family always volunteered to help!
My mother, my grandmother, I am just one of a long line of
volunteers. I would go with my grandmother when she took food to new
immigrants....and she told me HER grandmother was a volunteer with Moses!
And when he brought down the 10 Commandments, she typed them up........
Me, I loved computers from when my children first got them, JFS
came into the modern era….. I wanted to use computers to help - especially email!
We get thousands of emails a year - for assistance in so
many ways....from so many different types of people...here's one.....
(Holds up her phone)
Photos
– emails asking for help
VOLUNTEER - ....Our family needs a
place to stay, can you help us?
or.... 'we are having trouble
with my uncle who lives with us, he forgets to
take his medication, and we are
worried......'
or....this is my favorite....
What can I do to help? ,
I'm only 15......I'm only one person…..One……
That’s my favorite because - our whole organization started
with one person......at a time......the jolly 16 was 16 women, added one at a
time...
Each person, each volunteer, each donor, each recipient of
our help - is one person. And when you help one person…….it's like saving
the whole world. Rose – you’re a good
example!
(Rose
is seen again)
ROSE - Here I am again - do you remember me? I'm the same Rose
Neumann, but
with more theater magic, it’s 1981, I am 97
and I lived at Seacrest Village - one of my last major accomplishments.
Photos-
San Diego 1981.. Seacrest Village
ROSE - A lot has changed - San Diego
County has almost 2 million residents in 1981 –
Photos-
San Diego now
VOLUNTEER - and
in 2018 – almost 4 million! but as you
can see, some things are the
same… some people need help – we
help over 35,000 people a year, babies, seniors –
every age in between……with much the same help as one hundred
years ago - jobs, food, a safe place to stay.....
Photos- parking lot
REFUGEE-……outside our doors today in
2018, we have our fellow residents who live in their
vehicles – our (name of)
program gives them a place that is safe to park, food, and a chance to
get help to break the cycle and return to a home that is not on four wheels.
ROSE
- And we still do not ask whether
a person is Jewish ……..
REFUGEE - or Catholic ……
VOLUNTEER - or Buddhist or Muslim ……..
ROSE/REFUGEE/VOLUNTEER (Together) - ….because hunger has no religion.
VOLUNTEER - In the next 100 years - JFS will
continue to help refugees, immigrants, seniors,
those with problems that make life difficult - and we thank
you again for your help in helping us do this!
ROSE - I may be part of the past, but you are part
of the present - and...the future is now!
REFUGEE/ROSE/VOLUNTEER - Thank you!
(Applause-
and hopefully people donating more to help JFS)
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* Note: A few words about 'free' - all these monologues are protected under copyright law and are free to read, free to perform and video as long as no money is charged. Once you charge admission or a donation, or include my work in an anthology, you need to contact me for royalty
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Janet S. Tiger 858-736-6315 CaregiversAnon.org
Member Dramatists Guild since 1983
Playwright-in-Residence
Swedenborg Hall 2006-8
Swedenborg Hall 2006-8
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