Deja Views of an Aging Orphan

Rating:
Summary: A Benchmark for the Genre
Review: *Professor Roy Lachman reviews Deja Views of an Aging Orphan; Growing Up in the Hebrew National Orphan Home (Xlibris, Philadelphia) by Sam George Arcus.

For the first time in over 50 years, there is a resurgence of interest in a "faith-based" approach to social services, driven by the current administration in the White House. Sam George Arcus' book, a retrospective on his childhood and youth in a pre-WWII Hebrew orphan home, provides invaluable data and insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of the faith-based services delivered by these homes.

During the first half of the twentieth century, institutions dealt with several constituencies: orphans, criminals, and what were then called the "insane". The care of criminals and the insane was the province of government, except for a few private clinics serving the well to do mentally ill. The care of orphans, on the other hand, was almost exclusively the province of faith-based institutions such as the Hebrew National Orphan Home (chronicled by Arcus), Academies of the Sacred Heart, institutions sponsored by other denominations and the well-known Boys Town located in Nebraska.

Today, these roles are very different. The mentally ill are treated by private, for profit institutions providing they have insurance. Government handles the criminally insane. There are relatively few asylums for the uninsured mentally ill; these people make up a disproportionate number of what are now called "the homeless," who are served largely by faith-based, not-for-profit organizations. There are virtually no orphan homes any more; instead, orphaned children without family are usually assigned to foster homes under the auspices of the state. Criminals are still the province of government, with a prison population that has expanded beyond the wildest predictions that could have been made, say, in 1950. Into this milieu President Bush has declared his intention to invite faith-based institutions once again to deal with contemporary social problems. So how can a book like Deja Views of an Aging Orphan enlighten our approach to the social issues of today? Although the data presented are anecdotal, they are very rare. No controlled studies exist comparing the effectiveness of orphanages with that of foster care - there was limited temporal overlap, and the social contexts of the different historical periods in which they occurred rendered comparison futile. However, the anecdotal evidence, as well as some of the reflections offered by Arcus, suggests that group homes may well work better than foster care in terms of protecting the children from the type of abuse that contributes to the burgeoning prison population. If government funds are to be funneled to faith-based programs while foster care is still the primary method of serving orphaned or dependent children, and if some of these programs return to traditional group homes, a golden opportunity exists to equate many of the variables that affect outcomes, thus permitting a principled evaluation of foster care as opposed to congregate group care. Arcus' book provides a rich source of hypotheses for such work. In fact, it can be perceived as a benchmark for the genre labeled "Orphanology" by Dr. Stanley Friedland, co-author of an earlier work An Orphan Has Many parents (KTAV Publishers, NY) to which Arcus also contributed. Besides its value in support of research, Deja Views is an entertaining and often touching account of one man's journey to adulthood through a non-traditional path. Arcus has captured the flavor of the orphan homes in which he was placed, as well as their lasting influence on him as a person and the definition of himself as an "aging orphan." It is well worth reading.

*Dr. Roy Lachman, is Professor and Director of Graduate Training of the Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston TX,...

Rating:
Summary: Home Is Where The Heart Is!
Review: Growing up in a family consisting of two loving parents, a sister and doting grandparents, it is hard to fathom that there are others in this world not as fortunate as you are. But Sam George Arcus's book, Deja Views Of An Aging Orphan will prove to anyone who reads this most wonderful descriptive book, that there still can be love and devotion and a sense of family with children bonding together to form a "brotherhood" of long lasting and loving relationships. Intertwined with the trials and tribulations of being designated as "orphans" or "inmates", these children searching for love and acceptance do come to find their Home does have some heart.

To anyone not familiar with orphanage or institutional life, and most are not, one must first understand what is an orphan? Not all orphans had two deceased parents. Some have/had one and were called half-orphans, others might even have/had both, but abandoned because of ill health, poverty or other reasons. These children were placed in institutions through no fault of their own. Many carrying resentment of other relatives, i.e. aunts, uncles and cousins who refused to "save" them from this new and scary life. For those lucky few that still had some family, their Sunday and holiday visits meant the world to them. The caring women's auxiliaries and other organizations that went out of their way to donate their time and monies to make life as pleasant and normal as possible for these children were to be commended.

Throughout the pages of Deja Views Of An Aging Orphan, Sam Arcus brings to us 50 to 60 years of memories, stories, columns and thoughts of what life was like and how it was lived at the Hebrew National Orphan Home on Tuckahoe Road, in Yonkers, NY. Laughter and tears are contained in "all the parts" of this book that makes it "whole".

A wonderful read! "You Are There!"....just as Edward R. Murrow used to say.

Rating:
Summary: Home Is Where The Heart Is!
Review: Growing up in a family consisting of two loving parents, a sister and doting grandparents, it is hard to fathom that there are others in this world not as fortunate as you are. But Sam George Arcus's book, Deja Views Of An Aging Orphan will prove to anyone who reads this most wonderful descriptive book, that there still can be love and devotion and a sense of family with children bonding together to form a "brotherhood" of long lasting and loving relationships. Intertwined with the trials and tribulations of being designated as "orphans" or "inmates", these children searching for love and acceptance do come to find their Home does have some heart.

To anyone not familiar with orphanage or institutional life, and most are not, one must first understand what is an orphan? Not all orphans had two deceased parents. Some have/had one and were called half-orphans, others might even have/had both, but abandoned because of ill health, poverty or other reasons. These children were placed in institutions through no fault of their own. Many carrying resentment of other relatives, i.e. aunts, uncles and cousins who refused to "save" them from this new and scary life. For those lucky few that still had some family, their Sunday and holiday visits meant the world to them. The caring women's auxiliaries and other organizations that went out of their way to donate their time and monies to make life as pleasant and normal as possible for these children were to be commended.

Throughout the pages of Deja Views Of An Aging Orphan, Sam Arcus brings to us 50 to 60 years of memories, stories, columns and thoughts of what life was like and how it was lived at the Hebrew National Orphan Home on Tuckahoe Road, in Yonkers, NY. Laughter and tears are contained in "all the parts" of this book that makes it "whole".

A wonderful read! "You Are There!"....just as Edward R. Murrow used to say.

Rating:
Summary: "Orphanology" Has a New Gem!"
Review: In the genre of books by orphans about their respective orphanages, a new gem has just hit the market. "Deja Views" enables the reader to walk in the shoes of a fascinating man and re-live his development from an orphan in dire straits to that of an impact individual who has made strong contributions to our society. The author, Sam Arcus, details his childhood experiences of his life in the Hebrew National Orphans' Home and of its impact and influence on his entire life. His narrative is colorful, richly detailed and viewed from all sides. The reader is able to "feel" each experience, which gives rise to that enjoyable reading sensation of, "What's next?" The"Aging Orphan" in the title refers to the sequencing of the author's life. After leaving his own orphanage, he became a beloved supervisor in another one and then started a long and illustrious career in Jewish Community Centers where he developed a national reputation for creating some of the best Centers in the country. So, in a manner of speaking, he remained in related institutions all of his life and retained a good humored self concept as an "aging orphan." Given the width and breath of his total experiences, which are richly detailed in the book, the author is uniquely well qualified to add some new and valuable insights and observations to the emerging field of "orphanology".And he does so, eloquently, informatively and interestingly. Whether you are a scholar in this field, or just looking for a good read, I would recommend this book to you with great enthusiasm. It is, indeed, a gem!

Stan Friedland Syosset, N.Y.

Rating:
Summary: "Orphanology" Has a New Gem!"
Review: In the genre of books by orphans about their respective orphanages, a new gem has just hit the market. "Deja Views" enables the reader to walk in the shoes of a fascinating man and re-live his development from an orphan in dire straits to that of an impact individual who has made strong contributions to our society. The author, Sam Arcus, details his childhood experiences of his life in the Hebrew National Orphans' Home and of its impact and influence on his entire life. His narrative is colorful, richly detailed and viewed from all sides. The reader is able to "feel" each experience, which gives rise to that enjoyable reading sensation of, "What's next?" The"Aging Orphan" in the title refers to the sequencing of the author's life. After leaving his own orphanage, he became a beloved supervisor in another one and then started a long and illustrious career in Jewish Community Centers where he developed a national reputation for creating some of the best Centers in the country. So, in a manner of speaking, he remained in related institutions all of his life and retained a good humored self concept as an "aging orphan." Given the width and breath of his total experiences, which are richly detailed in the book, the author is uniquely well qualified to add some new and valuable insights and observations to the emerging field of "orphanology".And he does so, eloquently, informatively and interestingly. Whether you are a scholar in this field, or just looking for a good read, I would recommend this book to you with great enthusiasm. It is, indeed, a gem!

Stan Friedland Syosset, N.Y.