The lives of the Amish in the US | DW Documentary

They lead their

lives

almost the same way they did 300 years ago. The Amish are a religious community in the US that originated in Europe. Their rules are called odnom and include adult baptism and, sometimes, in strict communities, the rejection of the technological advances they use. trendy clothes and hats and the men have long beards spending time with the Amish is like delving into the past my name is Ena Sall I am married to Martha Miller Sall we now have seven children we are old order Amish and we live on a 94 Acre Farm we try to stay away from technology we try to stay away from it as much as we can, the more you stay away from it the more we like it, just too much technology just brings problems.

Enos, 40, is a farmer. and a blacksmith his children are between 5 and 15 years old the slave family

lives

in Middlefield Ohio in Joga County, home to one of the largest Amish communities in the world. The old Amish order is horse-oriented. You know, we don't use vehicles or trains. more just horses so yeah that's been a long time the tradition is using horses is our way of life the way we hide these horses together to work three of them the AB chest is all my dad got me , you know, I have since young, we did it, even though it's 5:30 a.m. m., the two oldest sons, Marcus, 12, and myON, 9, are helping their father at the tables before school to pick up and they Pi old seeds life according to the old N means no cars, television or computers, electricity comes only from batteries and generators.

Enus owns 21 horses that he lends for agricultural work and transportation, and he also lives from the sale of his harvest and from his work as a blacksmith. Whatever food he can get, then I don't do it. I have to buy it, it saves me $3,000 a month if I increase this. I got to thinking about this, well, 3,000 a month, yeah, it's worth it, it's 36,000 a year, you know, that's literally like making money, you know really? I mean if you save that's money you don't have to spend so you can get by cheaper so it's worth it Marcus and Myon are always there to help, they have to do their homework in the morning, they get up early in the morning and then feed all the animals and get ready to go to school and come home and do it all again school starts at 8:30 it's 3km away they are taught respect and behavior at a very young age they It will guide you for the rest of your life.

Teaching them when they are young is what stays with them throughout their lives. There are 350 private Amish schools throughout Ohio. The Amish pay school taxes that allow them to run private schools with their own teachers, either at home in places of worship or at school. The people of Middlefield like to sing together, but only religious songs, there is only one class that teaches children between 5 and 14 years old, the Bible takes up most of the lesson, explains teacher Kathleen Sall. Well, we usually do well in the morning, we sing first, we say the Lord's Prayer and then they sing, they usually write first and spelling and arithmetic vocabulary after lunch, we usually do geography in English and that from TS, the German is us, the first thing we we do in the morning also after the eth degree, when the children turn 14, their education ends, but what if? students want to keep learning I don't know, I've never heard of anyone who likes to be a doctor pilot or something like that, factories, carpenters, bricklayers, practically anything for Kathleen, the Bible has top priority, it's very important, that's it the main reason why we want. our school is because we are allowed to teach them the Bible and teach them about God.

Becoming an Amish teacher does not involve long studies in higher education. They start as teaching assistants and accompany lessons for 4 years. Beyond that, there are several private courses. are offered, as well as meetings where teachers can exchange experiences. Yes, like in any other school. Everyone loves recess after school. The children have homework waiting for them at home. Raymond Slay Ball, 12, is no different. We just go home and it's basically whatever. My moms and dads have us work or sometimes if we are FL, but no, we usually don't have homework. The Amish preserve a centuries-old tradition. John Gingerich is the son of an Amish father and a non-Amish mother.

He is very familiar with life in the community. He has been collecting interesting and notable artifacts from Amish history. Years ago he and several members of the Amish community founded this library and museum in Middlefield. It houses more than 300 books. We founded this library in 2014 for the purpose of collecting and preserving Amish history, uh, focusing on this community in Northeast Ohio and also Amish history in general, uh, we've been collecting old books, Bibles, prayer books, clothing, documents, letters, some dating back to the 16th century, all related to the history of the Amish, we have, for example, a Bible. which was printed in Zurich, Switzerland, by the fro shower printing press which was printed in 1534, making it a very early German printing.

Antique dolls without faces or ornaments are intended to discourage children from pride and vanity according to the rules of the old Amish order, not every community interprets these strict rules the same, but certain values ​​have not changed. These include the connection with nature and horses, as well as the practice of traditional skilled trades. This workshop produces kitchen and bedroom furniture. Ray Slau employs 13 Amish workers since the Amish are not allowed to own a computer they receive their orders through a service contractor who delivers the orders on paper the countless machines run on generators and batteries the community allows electricity for the commercial operations the order books are full of chalk, shall we modernize a little more? that our parents, yes, I think every generation goes through that, but we try to keep it, you know, what's important to us is that horses and buggies are our means of transportation, but in our work in our business we also have drivers who drive for us. deliver our products uh to take us to measure jobs uh Etc King is a member of the old order each member of the Amish community must decide for themselves how much they want to adapt to the modern world, but one thing always remains: a certain church and family come Before business , every time or supposed to, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that Ry needs to be available for his clients.

That's why the old Amish order allows telephones and answering machines if it's for business purposes, but not at home. Too much technology disrupts the family. In life, many times we are having dinner and someone calls, we will let it sound like we are having dinner. To be in the house, you'd probably have to pick him up, you know? Ry and Mary have nine children between the ages of 6 and 6. 20 years old it is possible that we can accompany the eldest daughter also lives on the farm together with her husband and her son. I'm the one who knows, there's sure to be food here, there's sure to be clothes, and you know, keep the house clean and then the husband is usually there. the one who is, I guess you say that the winner is the one who goes out, has a job and brings in money to support the family.

Gender roles are accepted unconditionally according to their interpretation of the Bible. God comes first, followed by men and then women. then the kids among them speak Pennsylvania Dutch, but it's really more like a southern German dialect, we call it that's what we call it. I usually raise my own plants, but this year I don't have enough space in my garden, so yes, I'll just buy them. I guess it's usually time for me after the kids are in bed or that time I have in the morning when my older kids go to work and before the younger kids go to school, you know, I'm 6: 00 to 7:00 that's usually my time before lunch Mary quickly puts down the clothes. 14 people live here.

I get about six loads every time I wash, um cowels, and you know all that, and then the dark ones, which is that one, there's usually about five loads. every day um no, it's every other day I only do it on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, okay, we'll have a silence, traditionally the Amish pray together before each meal. Meat with mashed potatoes is a common dish. It is an esteemed virtue among the Amish to cultivate what the community does. needs with their own hands but only 7% of this community can live exclusively on what their crops produce enus is changing horses the other horses are tired of working under the sun uh in the heat oh oh in the heat they have to drinking a lot oh his his wife Mary and daughter Rachel take a taxi back home after shopping.

The shops are too far away for a horse and buggy. I'm here to take Enus or his family to the places they need to go if they want to. going somewhere this is farther than a horse and buggy would take them yes Jim Rudasill has been driving the Slay Ball family for 12 years no I would I wouldn't want to be omish I'm too used to the way of life that I have and you know I understand why they do what they do, it's part of how they feel they should live and you know that's okay. I have no problem with what I am doing with my daughter Rachel, 15, who finished school a year ago.

Now she helps out on the farm for the most part, she is responsible for washing clothes and taking care of the horses, what about the future? Well, I'll probably be a mom, Mar, you'll be a mom, you'll work with es, that's something I want to give. I like my life. that's right and I wouldn't want it any other way um, still yes, I like my life away Chester Curts a friend of enus comes to the farm on his horse granny well, I'm here because uh enus is my blacksmith, he puts something H put I put horseshoes on my horse to cut off his feet and boil him, so here I am.

Chester is not a farmer, he is a construction manager and a subcontractor who arranges jobs for tradesmen. He lives 7 miles away. He's not sorry, you can see she's not. Not even Flinch with 8,000 horses in and around Middlefield there is always plenty of work for blacksmiths, a profession that the Amish community keeps alive. There are almost no young English kids interested in non-Amish. I guess that would be the correct term for them. It is simply work and that is not on the agenda of the new generation that you are seeing, there are not that many people who do it, yes, in the last 5 years there have been quite a few Amish who started with Simon Ball and there is a good group of young Amish They are really doing it well, grandmother, everything is already done.

A complete set of horseshoes costs $400 per horse. Chester is on his way to his next errand. His buggy needs new wheels. An estimated 370,000 Amish live in the US, most in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio, these states have several thousand. buggies that means a lot of jobs for a buggy Builder like Al Yoda Al's grandfather used to own this shop the wheels for Chester's buggy expire today is that what you were finding Lo this later yes, I have the tire ready to go everything what do I have to do What can be done is not to heat it, in the past only wooden wheels were allowed with steel, now most Amish buggies have rubber wheels so I see there is a lot of slack there, yes it is changing , yes, the rules changed on that in recent years. and not only with buggies, but our entire culture is capable of adapting.

You know, if we had strict, rigid rules and we were still living or trying to make a living like we did in the 19th century, we couldn't, we couldn't compete. in our businesses we couldn't, so I think the reason we as a culture still survive is because we've been able to adapt to the economy and the social pressures that we've been able to regulate. amount of technology we allow and still try to maintain a balance in our family and business values ​​Chester's wheels are ready $1,600 for a game of four times to beat it 2 km away Chester and his family live on a small farm he and his wife Martha has seven children, they too follow the old Amish UNG at home with little technology, electricity restricted to batteries and generators, old-fashioned washing machines and heating with firewood from the nearby forest, even during Co and and all this turmoil about you know, that was In We have all been able to maintain a way of life that promotes inner peace and I don't think that is possible if you are always on 247, if you are completely connected to social networks and the outside world and even companies. fully executed, you know, programs for Plat, instant communication, great, it's great for a business.

I'm so happy to get away from him and that's the way I keep my sanity early in the morning, he's heading to his construction business, it's 20 M. it's too far to go by horse and buggy, take a taxi private and instead says that he does not consider the Amish lifestyle hypocritical for allowing modern technology in businesses and offices, it is allowed to do business if I do not own it, so not at home, Mr. Berer and To be successful and make a living and support our family, we cannot compete. If we're here trying to build houseswith hand saws, hammers and nails, we wouldn't have a job because it would take too long and no one could contact us, you know, Chester used to be a carpenter or bricklayer, according to a study by Elizabeth Town College in Pennsylvania, more than 80% of companies Amish are very successful.

I don't have a university education. I don't even have a high school diploma, um, but the education that I have is on the job and I learn from my teachers and teachers, I think it's just because of our work ethic, we tend to start small, and you know, we offer our services or we work with our hands, there is always a demand for that, so it is very possible that even with eight degrees of education an Amish entrepreneur will be successful. Chester oversees several projects in the area surrounding Middlefield. One of them is the construction of this 2 million villa for an American businessman.

Wayne is just getting started here. He outside of school he is Chester's cousin's 14 year old son. I have to make it smaller the smaller and stop supply with stop interruption and keep them supplied sometimes I have to cut yeah I like it yeah so they pay you about $15 an hour and that's where it starts and then a As you get more experience, like my top foremen, they manage the top managers at our company are paid about $32 an hour right now, but that's constantly changing as well. Amish teenagers are only allowed to keep a small portion of their earnings before they turn 20, until then their parents receive their income.

They continue to live at home but now pay rent for their room and B Bo another important difference within the Amish community is their health care system. They use the same services as the general public but do not have health insurance. The community pays privately. Chester. and his non-Amish friend, John Gingerich, are attending an auction. Events like these are critical to your health care. This is a benefit auction and it's something that happens pretty regularly in our community, but it's to raise funds, raise money for medical expenses, um, but what? It's just that people simply donate items to sell at auctions as a culture.

We don't like to depend on government healing, so we don't want to accept any handouts. We don't pay Social Security. We also do not receive the benefits. We do not receive Medicaid or Medicare, but we do within the community. We have some church or community funded programs where everything is nonprofit, so I pay about $200 each month and that gives me basic coverage of up to $100,000 a year. Um, that's just for my family, today they are raising money for a 10 year old Amish boy who needs surgery, the treatment costs $50,000. More than 250 Amish people have arrived within our culture, there are many uh, we call it. gassen height is fine and it means for the good of all it is fine, it means putting your individual desires, your selfish desires aside and doing what is good for the community, treatments in hospitals and doctors' offices are covered through the called the Amish fund and auctions like these 22 the bidding was a success they even managed to raise more money than needed for the operation $80,000 in total the Amish do not have a governing body that dictates what the church districts of a state should and should not do no There is an official head of the church, such as the Pope, for the Catholic Church, however, there are bishops who are the spiritual leaders and heads of individual districts of the Church.

They decide how to interpret the ancient Ordon. I think their language, their style of clothing, their way of traveling. uh the way they live their lives at home uh without being connected to the public grid without depending on the government uh for their safety uh I think they will keep it up even for the next 100 years once a year as founding members of the library and The museum meets here, including Chester Tom Berer, he is the leader of the team, he is also a minister and a businessman from Coach Ranton, Pennsylvania, not far from here. Museum here, let's come, we have a museum here, we get together, we have fun and we learn new things and we try. to help in our communities, young people learn about our heritage, our history, where we are from, from Germany and Switzerland, this is Coach Ranon, where Tom lives now.

He was 18 years old when he left his Amish family and joined the US Army where he was stationed. at the Ramin air base in Germany for 2 years at 22 he returned home he was baptized and married today he has five children he is a volunteer minister and owns an antique store well I have always been excited about old things since I was a child I like history but I like old quality handmade things, there are so many things that are unique, they are handmade and it's amazing how the older generations invented something, there was no technology. One thing that's interesting here is that, as I went along, I like glass too.

Old Glass I love old, rare glass and collect some myself. I came up with this case here and found this old glass figurine of baby Jesus and Mary on the donkey. I put it here and started thinking and wrote take. take a good look at this baby, we are here because of him, so he is like a witness for the people near his antique store. Tom just opened a bakery, we don't have a lot of agriculture, you know, in our community. Because of the way things are in the agricultural industry, you know, agriculture is not like it used to be and the Amish are very business-oriented small businesses, you know, small family businesses that, uh, you know, are run by families or friends and we work. together as a team and stuff, so yeah, this is our Linda's Bakery and I like our motto that says: how can we make your day sweeter?

Hi mvin, this is it for yes, okay, we had a lot more this morning, but I bet you did it with Tom. friends and family help in the bakery. American customers especially like cream-filled pastries. Tom and his family live off the profits from the business. His work as a minister is voluntary every Sunday. Amish communities attend 3-hour long religious services in simple parish halls. within the city Tom has been a minister here for 34 years we believe in total commitment when we get married we do not believe in divorce you cannot be a member of our church and in reality divorce we consider marriage as a man and a woman for life It was commanded in the Bible, yes, we ask you to stay together for life, yes, and it is quite rare among our people to find any divorce.

It can happen, but it's pretty rare that Amish families have an average of six children, each of whom is seen as a gift from God, you know? Can they stop having children? You know, I can stop having children and for medical reasons, yes, we think it's okay, but we don't believe in abortion. Do not abort. They sing Asun songs. A book in German that is the oldest of the Anabaptist movement. first printed in 1564 it has been used continuously to this day baptized members who leave the community are excommunicated thereafter allowed to remain in contact but not share a table with their own family 90M away Lloyd and Edna Miller live with their six children run their farm on solar energy have wall plugs for electricity a cell phone and ride electric bikes and quads live off their 50 dairy cows and the produce from their 40 farms Hector Edna has all the modern appliances from cooking The Amish community allows most Amish.

I would say they have some kind of mixer. Some people who don't have electricity have mixers like this, but they would run on a battery. They have a battery that is attached back here. but yes, for us we have electricity, so we just see electricity. Edna sees things pragmatically and is open to talking about taboo topics such as sex and contraception. I think especially in our case, our first two children were by C-section. He was born by C-section, so the other four were born naturally, but the doctor told us that it's a risk to have too many more children, so I think for us it was just that we decided it was enough and took steps not to prevent it. so I think if ladies if a woman's health is at risk, I don't think it's wrong to do that if a woman's health is at risk, but to do it just for a selfish reason like that I just don't want to bother with more children. .

I don't think that's really right, but Edna is also critical of the Amish world. I don't want to paint a picture that these Amish are just these perfect, pious little people who aren't. Always because there are cases among the Amish and it's very sad because and that's what I was saying when there are people who don't have a personal relationship with God and then those things happen, but there are cases. with and even parents sexually abusing their children, that has happened among the Amish and it is so sad, it is very sad and it is a shame that her husband Lloyd enjoys the self-dependence of the Amish lifestyle when Co came, many people panicked and and they were so people aren't even sure where their food comes from today, uh, and those are real life problems, real life problems and I think you know, yeah, we're not completely unreliable about things since the beginning, you know, we bought some fuel, we bought ourselves, um, but for the most part we could be self-sustainable for quite a long time, especially within the group within the group of people that we know personally, uh, we could survive for quite a long time without no type of fuel.

External entry, the pacifist Amish refuse to go to war for their country and the president, but they respect God-ordained political leadership. I've never voted, I've never voted for anyone, um, and that's a little controversial among the Amish, we follow what Jesus taught. when he said that he who takes the sword and defends himself or will be killed by The Sword and also said that we must turn the other cheek to show someone who does not resist if I vote and put the commander in chief he is the president he is the commander in chief and says that he is the head of the army that he gives the orders um I would be representing that and although I have great respect for authority I respect our president I respect our leaders God ordered those people and I respect that here too family prays before each meal as is tradition we thank you for our F Saints we all give each other Lord Our Daily Bread amen two of the six children still live on the farm daughter Julie and son Jason Edna rides her electric bike to go shopping.

She says it's faster and more comfortable than taking a buggy, and the 12 miles round trip through the mountainous landscape would be too strenuous for a horse anyway. She only buys what she doesn't grow. In her own garden and fields I needed some foods like things to bake my own bread, like flour and sugar, these fruits and vegetables here look so attractive and nice, but no, I don't need to buy them because I grow. them in my own garden I think it's a good feeling to grow your own and they're not. I don't know if these vegetables are sprayed or everything you know at home is organic and I know where it comes from. so it's a good feeling Edna only visits the supermarket once a week Miller's day starts early at 4:30 a.m. m.

Every day they milk their 50 cows for organic milk and meet the supply of cows. They are in high demand. The millers are doing well financially. Milk prices are high and the family can live comfortably off their profits. The youngest daughter, Julie, still works at the farm. I know what my duties are here at home, so I can make my own schedule work harder one day and then take the day. off the next day once they complete school, Amish teenagers have the opportunity to take a year off known as ringing, we don't, I don't really know Ro Spring, but I've been to Florida, but I don't really call that Ro Springy.

I wouldn't do anything down there that I don't do at home or like it's not that I go there and do unpleasant or unpleasant things or not too far from here a group of between 16 and 20 years old have arranged to meet now it's It's time to experiment with things that would otherwise be prohibited, such as drinking, smoking and driving. At the end of this time, the young people must decide between modern life or Amish life, so they are not necessarily under oing, not really under oing or ordination. At that point, I mean, your parents will admonish you and make sure you know that you're going down the right path, but you know, when we're little kids, sometimes we tend to get a little sidetracked when your room jumps, that's when you're the old enough. date a girl or a girl date a boy uh, that's when you basically leave your parents on the weekends and go out with your friends, the members of this group drink alcohol and smoke, but most of the time they don't, it's just a chance to, you know, spend the weekend and get to know you, you know, and that's when we start dating, so you're looking for a partner that's going to be a life-long, I guess, but it basically stops for you after become a member of the church after obtaining the views of theThose baptized into this group are so solidified that none of them is quick to take advantage of anything new the world has to offer.

Yes, every day we need God to guide us and we absolutely depend on our faith to get us through. I think that if we try to follow his teachings and everything that he will help us overcome difficult times, surely we will always seek to improve the future and the more we teach our children respect, we will discipline them to make them obey and everything will turn out well. make the Amish a better future. The Amish lifestyle is no longer as isolated as it once was. The modern world has found its way, but nevertheless the majority of the Amish still cling to their centuries-old principles and values.