Going by the Moon and the Stars : Stories of Two Russian Mennonite Women

__So, it was January the 18 and it was the middle of the night. And it was very, very cold. Snow was — we went just about knee deep in snow — And we went on the road going toward Posen, capital of Wartegau. And so we said, “Let’s take that direction.” Just going by the moon and the stars.__ (Katja Enns) __Going by the Moon and the Stars__ tells the stories of two Russian Mennonite women who emigrated to Canada after fleeing from the Soviet Union during World War II. Based on ethnographic interviews with the author the women recount, in their own words, their memories of their wartime struggle and flight, their resettlement in Canada and their journey into old age. Above all, they tell of the overwhelming importance of religion in their lives. Through these remarkable stories Pamela Klassen challenges conventional understandings of religion. The women’s voices, intimate and powerful, testify to the importance of religion in the construction of personal history, as well as to its oppressive and liberating potential. __Going by the Moon and the Stars__ will be of great value to all those interested in the Mennonites and Mennonite history, religion, women’s studies, ethnic studies and life history. The stories of women's religious lives are essential to understanding religion. This thesis records and interprets two Russian Mennonite women's religious lives, using methods of feminist ethnography. The first chapter is a video which presents Agatha Janzen and Katja Enns talking about their childhoods in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s, their flight to Germany during World War II, and their subsequent emigration and life in Canada. Chapter 2 tells and interprets Agatha's and Katja's experiences of marriage during the war, and the effect of their status as widow (Agatha) and single mother (Katja) upon their entry into the Canadian Mennonite church. Chapter 3 discusses the structure and content of the women's stories about the war, and the ways they have integrated their war stories into their religious life. Chapter 4 considers the ways Agatha and Katja are Mennonite today, looking especially at the role of prayer, preaching, and personal relationships in their lives. The last chapter discusses the process of deciding what is religious about a life, the merits and tensions of feminist ethnography, and the implications of video for life history. Reflections on the effects of this work on Katja, Agatha, and me conclude the study "Going by the Moon and the Stars tells the stories of two Russian Mennonite women who emigrated to Canada after fleeing from the Soviet Union during World War II. Based on ethnographic interviews with the author the women recount, in their own words, their memories of their wartime struggle and flight, their resettlement in Canada, and their journey into old age. Above all, they tell of the overwhelming importance of religion in their lives." "Going by the Moon and the Stars will be of great value to all those interested in the Mennonites and Mennonite history, religion, women's studies, ethnic studies, and life history."--Jacket Pamela E. Klassen. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.