By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent
Two Jewish entrepreneurs around Seattle have recently started their own businesses to put life histories on paper.
Written memories
Cynthia Lachman publishes books for families, complete with photographs and stories told from each family member’s perspective.
After working in the publishing industry for 20 years, Lachman decided to enroll full-time at the University of Washington. She attended class for eight years doing mostly independent research on English and French royal families. Her initial goal was to translate this research into books about family relationships of the powerful and privileged. In 2002, she earned her degrees in history and English and started writing about her own family’s history with the idea of leaving a record for her grandchildren Jordan, 15 and Kaya, 12.
“I especially wanted for them to understand their Jewish heritage,” says Lachman.
As a child, Lachman’s parents raised her with two religions. She was a member of Temple De Hirsch Sinai and of St. Stephens Episcopal Church.
“We were accepted in the Jewish community in the same way that we were outsiders to the Christian one,” says Lachman. “Because of this I was always drawn to and identified with my Jewish heritage.”
Lachman grew up a fourth-generation Seattleite. Her paternal great-grandparents fled the czar’s pogroms in the late 1800s. Her other set of Jewish great-grandparents had also been in America for several generations. During the Civil War, her great-great-grandfather was a rabbi in the Confederate Army.
Lachman was writing about her own family history when her brother Donald Lachman introduced her to retired Seattle Jewish businessman Abie Label and his wife Sue. Like Lachman, the couple wanted to have a personal family history for their descendants. They hired Lachman to record their family stories and edit them into a book. It took her about 180 hours to complete.
“As I worked on this project it became increasingly clear to me that preserving the history of individual Jewish families is a gift of immeasurable value to our children and grandchildren,” says Lachman. “This is especially important in today’s world.”
The Labels inspired her to delve deeper into her own Jewish heritage. Lachman rejoined Temple De Hirsch Sinai after 30 years away and decided to make a career of telling the stories of Jewish families.
“Each person has a story and I think it has something of value,” says Lachman. “Every family is so unique.”
Before starting each project, Lachman meets with her potential clients to learn about their needs and work out a rough estimate of the cost. Projects range anywhere from $625 to $5,000 for her work. Most run between $800-$1,500.
“I usually end up donating a substantial portion of my time as a sort of mitzvah,” says Lachman. “The preservation of the history of individual Jewish family’s is in large part a labor of love, not just a business. I look at my work as creating a piece of artwork. It is something that is of lasting beauty and value to be handed down through generations.”
Voiced memories
Voices of loved ones are recorded on cassette tape and transferred onto a CD, by Sundance Life Histories’ Eileen Putter.
Putter worked in New York for the Red Cross after the Sept. 11 attacks, and it struck her that many of the families of those who perished in the terrorist attack had nothing left of their loved ones. This inspired her to start her business.
“A window to someone’s soul is through their voice,” says Putter. “There is something very special about the human voice that often brings a person back to memory more strongly than a photograph or the written word.”
A licensed mental health counselor, Putter says she is more tuned in and sensitive to hearing people’s stories. She is also a member of the Association of Personal Life Historians, a national organization. Putter visits with her potential clients for an hour or two to introduce herself.
Clients, in turn, fill out a questionnaire about their genealogy. Then she interviews them, typically from one to four hours. Questions are drawn from every aspect of life, such as school, love, parenting, working and religion.
“We should all be thinking about it,” says Putter. “You’re never to young to do it.”
Putter suggests that the recording would make a nice lasting gift for a special occasion, such as someone’s birthday, bar mitzvah or wedding — or Mother’s Day, which falls on May 9 this year.
“There is something incredibly powerful in hearing a loved one’s voice as they share their thoughts on everything from the first time they fell in love to the most important thing that they have learned in their lifetime,” says Putter. “Once complete, the person’s story and voice are preserved to live on and be shared with generations to come.”
Putter says she is also proud to be restarting the old Jewish tradition of passing on life lessons and values through these “ethical wills.”
“My own father died at age 62; I was only 22. Having a record of my father’s voice sharing his life story would have more value to me now than any possession,” says Putter.
Her service, usually $500, is offered at a sliding scale for those who cannot afford the regular price.
“I just love meeting new people and hear-ing their stories,” says Putter. “It’s really heart and soul work as far as I’m concerned.”
For more information about Cynthia Lachman’s business, call her at 206-362-8158.