metro >> that' life

Vera Johnson, right,
wearing her late

mother's Jewish
star pin, with friend
Amy Awerbuch

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New' Jew At 70

Christian woman discovers her Jewish heritage late in life.

Sue Pearl

Special to the Jewish News

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fter living her life as a Christian
in the Serbian Orthodox faith
for the past 70 years, Vera
Dukanac Johnson just recently found out
that her mother was Jewish.
Upon receiving this surprising news
from her good friend Amy Awerbuch,
Johnson's initial reaction was one of con-
fusion, immediately followed by a feeling
of excitement.
"I am looking forward to learning
about being Jewish because I believe that
respecting your parents' background is a
part of who you are as a person," she said.
Awerbuch was so relieved to see
Johnson's reaction. "Not knowing how
Vera was going to respond, I was just so
glad that she wasn't angry with me."
Johnson was born on Aug. 16, 1942,
in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia).
Growing up in a prominent family where
her father was an attorney, Johnson and
her younger sister, Mira, had a childhood
filled with great memories of going to the
zoo and the theater.
"I was definitely Dad's girl, and Mira
was Mom's girl," said Johnson. "Perhaps
that is why my mother told my sister that
she was Jewish, but she never confided in
me. Maybe she would have told me as I
grew older, but I will never know because
she died of cancer when I was 11.

16 January 24 • 2013

"My father was a wonderful man who
helped save Jewish women from the
hands of Hitler by marrying them off
to Serbian men," said Johnson. "I didn't
learn until recently that my father saved
my own mother's life by marrying her.
"When a Jewish woman married a
Serbian man, she would then take his
religion. This way she would be protected
from anyone ever knowing that she was
Jewish. I do remember that my dad
always raised us to respect all religions."
Johnson has limited information
regarding her mother's childhood. She
learned that her mother was born an
Italian Jew in southern Italy in 1909 and
that her grandmother died during child-
birth. Her mother was 2 years old when
she was adopted by a Yugoslavian couple.
At the age of 17, Johnson moved to
Paris and studied French at Sorbonne
University. After her marriage in 1966,
she moved to the United States.
Johnson has lived in Michigan for the
last 35 years. She is very close with her
family: a son, a daughter and a grandson
who live about an hour's drive from her.
"I love to read and watch the History
Channel," said Johnson, who was a
French teacher in the Clarkston schools
for 10 years. "I like to be informed about
things that enrich my mind, so I know
that studying Judaism will be very inter-
esting for me."
More than 15 years ago, when Johnson

became friends with Amy Awerbuch, she
had no way of knowing what a fortuitous
relationship it would become. She never
would have imagined that her new Jewish
friend would someday reveal to her the
news of her own Jewish heritage.
"I became friends with Amy through a
friend of mine," said Johnson. "I worked
at Meijer in the customer service depart-
ment. Amy would come by to visit me,
and, before I knew it, she was inviting me
to family dinners at her house.
"After a while, Amy was including me
in Chanukah celebrations, and I even
went to services at Temple Israel. At the
time, of course, I didn't know that I was
Jewish, but I do remember feeling a sense
of peace whenever I was included in any
rituals."
This past summer, Johnson's sister,
Mira, came for a visit from Serbia, and
Awerbuch invited her and Johnson over
for dinner.
"At one point during the evening, Mira
took me aside and showed me a beauti-
ful pin in the shape of a Jewish star that
had been her mother's," said a surprised
Awerbuch. "Mira confided in me that
their mother had been Jewish. Since Vera
and I had become so close, Mira felt I
would be the perfect person to give Vera
the news.
"Apparently, Mira had tried to tell her
sister in the past, but for some reason had
felt that Vera wouldn't be receptive to the

idea. I felt that I should wait until just the
right time to tell Vera."
Several weeks later, the opportunity
presented itself for Awerbuch to reveal
to Johnson the news of her Jewish back-
ground.
"We were at a dog park with a friend of
mine, and he happened to ask Vera if she
was Jewish," said Awerbuch. "Vera started
to say, 'No, I am not: and I blurted out,
`Yes, you are Jewish!' Vera looked shocked
at first, but then, just as suddenly, it was
as if she almost had an ethereal look on
her face."
Johnson said: "It seemed like, for a
moment, that I wasn't really there. I felt
as though I was watching myself as a
character in a movie."
She remembered through the years her
sister hinting at the subject, but for some
reason she had always brushed the idea
from her mind.
Johnson now wants to learn all she can
about Judaism, and Awerbuch is more
than willing to help her. Johnson plans to
take religion courses at Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield and is also planning on
learning Hebrew.
"I will always be a Christian because
that is how I was raised, but now I want
to celebrate the Jewish holidays, too," she
said. "I feel very privileged and honored
to have the opportunity to learn all about
Jewish customs. It will definitely enrich
my life."

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