By:Deena Feinstein
On Saturday, June 13th, young professionals showed that we will stand up for great causes despite the tough economic times. 325 people demonstrated their support at Comedy for a Cause, raising much-needed funds for The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. Orny Adams and Dan Naturman joked the night away, covering just about every subject from the general lack of knowledge about the Third Amendment, the evolution of women’s voting rights, dating, text messaging, and mezuzot being used as doorbells. I’m pretty sure Orny’s favorite part of his performance was being able to talk about sex on the bimah! The fun times continued at the afterparty at Muse Lounge, where we danced with Orny until we closed down the club.
On a personal note, helping with the preparation for the event as a member of the Comedy for a Cause Committee was a great pleasure. I loved strategizing ways to engage our peers, getting to know other committee members better, and giving back to my community in both a fiscal and social way. I even got to hearken back to my college days by flyering for the event at a busy morning metro spot to catch people during their commute.
Comedy for a Cause was a terrific experience for me and an awesome night for all– hilarious humor with great friends while supporting excellent organizations!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Moscow Connections: What Happens In Moscow, Stays in Moscow- At Least Initially
By: Avital Ingber and Irwin Raij
It’s hard to believe our mission is over. For seven days we explored Moscow and learned about the City, experienced the Jewish community and had the opportunity to interact and make new friends with members of Moscow’s e-club.
Upon arrival, we recall the general excitement and anxiousness of the mission participants. We were all tired from flying, but each and every one of the participants couldn’t wait to begin. We boarded our mini-bus for our transfer from the airport to the synagogue and World War II Memorial and along the way established our mission’s ground rules. Most were pretty standard things like please be on time, carry your passports at all times, establishing a buddy system so we wouldn’t leave anyone behind…you get the idea. However, one of the ground rules was “What happens in Moscow, stays in Moscow.” Yes, it was a blatant attempt at humor as we were just beginning our adventure, but we all enthusiastically embraced the rule knowing that we had arrived in what some joke is the wild, wild east. Being that one of us is a lawyer and the other works for Federation, we look back and wish we would have further clarified and limited the rule to just personal behavior because not to share our incredible experiences seems the opposite of our real goal. So we may be a little more detailed in this final mission blog, but we promise to protect the names of the innocent and yes the guilty.
And so the trip began. The cameras were buzzing as we drove through Moscow’s infamous traffic to our first destination. On the way, we went over the itinerary for what seemed to be the 80th time since leaving DC just 12 hours earlier. We were burning off some nervous energy while simultaneously checking to make sure we didn’t forget anything. The mission took more than a year to plan beginning with securing a grant from the Moscow Connections Committee to painstakingly developing an itinerary that we hoped would appropriately balance touring the City, interacting and learning about the Jewish community (past, present and future) and getting a taste of the famous Moscow nightlife. With all of the preparation and planning we hoped the impact of the mission would be real and significant for every participant.
Personally, I (Irwin) was caught off-guard at our initial stop. As we toured the synagogue and its Holocaust memorial Eva Davis called me over to look at a picture of someone that looked almost identical to me. It was eerie to see the same hair, eyes, and face and it rapidly took me from being an excited participant to examining my own past and setting the tone for my entire trip. The funny and yet unsettling part is that this happened on more than one occasion. The families of many participants are originally from this region and for years have read, studied and heard stories of relatives that fled Soviet anti-Semitism to survive. Standing in Moscow brought the stories to life and deepened our appreciation for how fortunate we are.
On numerous occasions we were reminded and in many instances taught about the challenges for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) but almost immediately afterward we would see hope, determination and the potential for an incredible future. It was a constant study in contrasts.
Witnessing Jews, young and old, singing Israeli songs, praying in synagogue, building a Jewish museum at a Jewish Day School, taking care of home-bound elderly and generally caring for each other was moving. After so many years without a community, it’s remarkable that there is now a sense of responsibility to build a vibrant Jewish life in Moscow. This responsibility is being built in various ways: children in Jewish schools teaching their families the traditions they were prohibited from learning earlier in life, community programs for youth and elderly supported by our Federation through JAFI and JDC, Chabad’s outreach programs, Hillel’s efforts with students and the e-club’s efforts with young professionals just to name a few.
The e-club merits additional thoughts since it seems to mirror what we call Next Gen and this people-to-people connection was one of the most amazing parts of the trip. A week ago we were strangers, but today our mission has built lasting relationships that will hopefully allow our sister city relationship between Moscow and DC to flourish. In truth, the e-club members accepted and treated us as family, one big Jewish family. It’s amazing that across the world, we are connected as Jews because of our Jewish peoplehood and sense of responsibility to take care of one another. The hospitality the e-Club members provided us was remarkable. The e-club helped plan our itinerary, scheduled meetings, showed us around the city and opened up their hearts and minds to share their lives with us. Our interactions with them were not just limited to day time activities. They hosted a Shabbat dinner, took us around town, helped us explore the nightlife, taught us how to drink vodka (at every opportunity) and probably unknowingly created a mosaic in each of our minds of the Jewish community. Our new family members will be joining us in DC this fall and it won’t be easy to live up to the standards they have established, but we are up for the challenge!
There was not a person on the trip who had not heard from Misha (our Federation’s CEO) and others of the nightmare of 70 years of Soviet oppression of its Jews. And perhaps because each of us carried this knowledge in our baggage it was incredible to see people celebrating their Judaism freely in Moscow. In contrast, the level of poverty at which some people live is astonishing. We had the privilege on Thursday evening to go to the famous Moscow circus. But it wasn’t just an ordinary tourist trip to the circus. We took six children with us from underprivileged families who are benefiting from the social services of Chesed Hama. Before the circus, we went to visit these children and their families in their respective homes. When we came into the home, the children were shy and withdrawn. They wouldn't smile or speak. While the children shied away, we had an opportunity to get to know a little about their families and the challenges they face while we sat in rooms that were the size of efficiencies in the US, but in Moscow slept 3 or 4 people. One family was in such need that the youngest child had to attend a school that housed and fed him during the week in order for the family to have enough money to pay bills. Each family described a deep sense of gratitude for the support they receive from us and The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Fast forward a few hours to the circus, and you would never know that you were with the same children. They were smiling and having a great time! It was a complete transformation and amazing to watch the difference we could make in their lives for just a few hours that evening.
There was one incident at the circus that really made us think and reflect. Through our common language for thousands of years, Hebrew, I (Avital) was able to connect with Veronika, a 13-year-old girl who attends Etz Chayim, a Jewish Day School in Moscow. It was incredible to watch Veronika come out of her shell and become comfortable with us. About halfway through the circus, there was a scene where clowns and monkeys were dressed as Chasidim and pretended to be at a Jewish wedding of two monkeys. Veronika turned to me and asked in Hebrew, “Lama heym yehudim?” – Why are they Jews? I gave her a general answer and explained that some people might think it was funny. The scene went on and our entire group became more and more uncomfortable. We couldn’t decide if it was really a joke and something we should join the crowd in laughter or if we were being too sensitive as Americans? But then it hit, Veronika turned to me and asked if I knew what anti-Semitism was? We had spent four days watching Jews, young and old, express themselves freely. And this one question from a 13-year-old girl put it all together. Just one generation ago this kind of circus humor would not have been questioned as anything other than humor. In actuality, at least one of the Jewish Muscovites attending the circus with us found the scene funny. But today there was a group of young people, joined from DC and Moscow, in attendance and able to challenge what they were seeing freely and with impunity. We may never be able to eradicate anti-Semitism from this world but if we educate our young Jews and give them the beauty of their identity we will persevere as we have for generation after generation.
It’s hard to process this week full of emotions and moving experiences. But everything was put into perspective upon our return when we heard the news of the shooting at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. We are lucky to have been born in the United States but it is nothing more than luck. It could have been any one of us whose family didn’t leave and today was rebuilding the Jewish community of Moscow. But just because we are fortunate to live in the US, does not mean we can ignore the hatred and violence that exists throughout the World, even in our own backyard. We have to continue to stick together as a Jewish people throughout the World and combat the intolerance that continues to exist. We must continue to stand up for our Jewish people and as Avital is named for Avital Sharanksy she continues on the tradition of the name and standing up as a proud Jewish woman for our Jewish people. We are more proud than ever to call ourselves Jews and to be a part of the amazing work that The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is doing around the globe!
еврейский народ живет навсегда – The Jewish People Lives Forever
It’s hard to believe our mission is over. For seven days we explored Moscow and learned about the City, experienced the Jewish community and had the opportunity to interact and make new friends with members of Moscow’s e-club.
Upon arrival, we recall the general excitement and anxiousness of the mission participants. We were all tired from flying, but each and every one of the participants couldn’t wait to begin. We boarded our mini-bus for our transfer from the airport to the synagogue and World War II Memorial and along the way established our mission’s ground rules. Most were pretty standard things like please be on time, carry your passports at all times, establishing a buddy system so we wouldn’t leave anyone behind…you get the idea. However, one of the ground rules was “What happens in Moscow, stays in Moscow.” Yes, it was a blatant attempt at humor as we were just beginning our adventure, but we all enthusiastically embraced the rule knowing that we had arrived in what some joke is the wild, wild east. Being that one of us is a lawyer and the other works for Federation, we look back and wish we would have further clarified and limited the rule to just personal behavior because not to share our incredible experiences seems the opposite of our real goal. So we may be a little more detailed in this final mission blog, but we promise to protect the names of the innocent and yes the guilty.
And so the trip began. The cameras were buzzing as we drove through Moscow’s infamous traffic to our first destination. On the way, we went over the itinerary for what seemed to be the 80th time since leaving DC just 12 hours earlier. We were burning off some nervous energy while simultaneously checking to make sure we didn’t forget anything. The mission took more than a year to plan beginning with securing a grant from the Moscow Connections Committee to painstakingly developing an itinerary that we hoped would appropriately balance touring the City, interacting and learning about the Jewish community (past, present and future) and getting a taste of the famous Moscow nightlife. With all of the preparation and planning we hoped the impact of the mission would be real and significant for every participant.
Personally, I (Irwin) was caught off-guard at our initial stop. As we toured the synagogue and its Holocaust memorial Eva Davis called me over to look at a picture of someone that looked almost identical to me. It was eerie to see the same hair, eyes, and face and it rapidly took me from being an excited participant to examining my own past and setting the tone for my entire trip. The funny and yet unsettling part is that this happened on more than one occasion. The families of many participants are originally from this region and for years have read, studied and heard stories of relatives that fled Soviet anti-Semitism to survive. Standing in Moscow brought the stories to life and deepened our appreciation for how fortunate we are.
On numerous occasions we were reminded and in many instances taught about the challenges for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) but almost immediately afterward we would see hope, determination and the potential for an incredible future. It was a constant study in contrasts.
Witnessing Jews, young and old, singing Israeli songs, praying in synagogue, building a Jewish museum at a Jewish Day School, taking care of home-bound elderly and generally caring for each other was moving. After so many years without a community, it’s remarkable that there is now a sense of responsibility to build a vibrant Jewish life in Moscow. This responsibility is being built in various ways: children in Jewish schools teaching their families the traditions they were prohibited from learning earlier in life, community programs for youth and elderly supported by our Federation through JAFI and JDC, Chabad’s outreach programs, Hillel’s efforts with students and the e-club’s efforts with young professionals just to name a few.
The e-club merits additional thoughts since it seems to mirror what we call Next Gen and this people-to-people connection was one of the most amazing parts of the trip. A week ago we were strangers, but today our mission has built lasting relationships that will hopefully allow our sister city relationship between Moscow and DC to flourish. In truth, the e-club members accepted and treated us as family, one big Jewish family. It’s amazing that across the world, we are connected as Jews because of our Jewish peoplehood and sense of responsibility to take care of one another. The hospitality the e-Club members provided us was remarkable. The e-club helped plan our itinerary, scheduled meetings, showed us around the city and opened up their hearts and minds to share their lives with us. Our interactions with them were not just limited to day time activities. They hosted a Shabbat dinner, took us around town, helped us explore the nightlife, taught us how to drink vodka (at every opportunity) and probably unknowingly created a mosaic in each of our minds of the Jewish community. Our new family members will be joining us in DC this fall and it won’t be easy to live up to the standards they have established, but we are up for the challenge!
There was not a person on the trip who had not heard from Misha (our Federation’s CEO) and others of the nightmare of 70 years of Soviet oppression of its Jews. And perhaps because each of us carried this knowledge in our baggage it was incredible to see people celebrating their Judaism freely in Moscow. In contrast, the level of poverty at which some people live is astonishing. We had the privilege on Thursday evening to go to the famous Moscow circus. But it wasn’t just an ordinary tourist trip to the circus. We took six children with us from underprivileged families who are benefiting from the social services of Chesed Hama. Before the circus, we went to visit these children and their families in their respective homes. When we came into the home, the children were shy and withdrawn. They wouldn't smile or speak. While the children shied away, we had an opportunity to get to know a little about their families and the challenges they face while we sat in rooms that were the size of efficiencies in the US, but in Moscow slept 3 or 4 people. One family was in such need that the youngest child had to attend a school that housed and fed him during the week in order for the family to have enough money to pay bills. Each family described a deep sense of gratitude for the support they receive from us and The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Fast forward a few hours to the circus, and you would never know that you were with the same children. They were smiling and having a great time! It was a complete transformation and amazing to watch the difference we could make in their lives for just a few hours that evening.
There was one incident at the circus that really made us think and reflect. Through our common language for thousands of years, Hebrew, I (Avital) was able to connect with Veronika, a 13-year-old girl who attends Etz Chayim, a Jewish Day School in Moscow. It was incredible to watch Veronika come out of her shell and become comfortable with us. About halfway through the circus, there was a scene where clowns and monkeys were dressed as Chasidim and pretended to be at a Jewish wedding of two monkeys. Veronika turned to me and asked in Hebrew, “Lama heym yehudim?” – Why are they Jews? I gave her a general answer and explained that some people might think it was funny. The scene went on and our entire group became more and more uncomfortable. We couldn’t decide if it was really a joke and something we should join the crowd in laughter or if we were being too sensitive as Americans? But then it hit, Veronika turned to me and asked if I knew what anti-Semitism was? We had spent four days watching Jews, young and old, express themselves freely. And this one question from a 13-year-old girl put it all together. Just one generation ago this kind of circus humor would not have been questioned as anything other than humor. In actuality, at least one of the Jewish Muscovites attending the circus with us found the scene funny. But today there was a group of young people, joined from DC and Moscow, in attendance and able to challenge what they were seeing freely and with impunity. We may never be able to eradicate anti-Semitism from this world but if we educate our young Jews and give them the beauty of their identity we will persevere as we have for generation after generation.
It’s hard to process this week full of emotions and moving experiences. But everything was put into perspective upon our return when we heard the news of the shooting at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. We are lucky to have been born in the United States but it is nothing more than luck. It could have been any one of us whose family didn’t leave and today was rebuilding the Jewish community of Moscow. But just because we are fortunate to live in the US, does not mean we can ignore the hatred and violence that exists throughout the World, even in our own backyard. We have to continue to stick together as a Jewish people throughout the World and combat the intolerance that continues to exist. We must continue to stand up for our Jewish people and as Avital is named for Avital Sharanksy she continues on the tradition of the name and standing up as a proud Jewish woman for our Jewish people. We are more proud than ever to call ourselves Jews and to be a part of the amazing work that The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is doing around the globe!
еврейский народ живет навсегда – The Jewish People Lives Forever
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Moscow Connections: Thursday
Written by Phyllis Liebman
Today was a productive day. The day officially began at 730 am and ended around 10:15 pm when we were returned to the hotel to change for dinner. We were given autonomy by our fearless leaders to do what we wanted after that – well deserved. To summarize, we first went to the Lipmann School, one of 7 Jewish Day Schools in Moscow. The school receives funding from both JAFI and JDC to run various programs. It was great seeing the kids from the Lipmann School who had recently visited DC. Similar to our meeting with them in DC, we were divided into small groups of Muscovites and DC-ites to learn about one another. We started with the basic questions, what’s your name and what to do you do, or in case of the students, what are your hobbies and worked up to discussions on the Holocaust and Jewish life in our prospective countries. It was interesting to note that the 10th graders we spoke to were not aware that the previous generation in Russia had not been taught about the Holocaust in school. We were curious about their knowledge of Soviet Russia and were told they would be studying Russian history next year. A couple of students then led us on a tour of the Jewish Historical Museum in the downstairs part of the school. The space was divided into many smaller rooms. The first one we entered celebrated Jewish marriages. There were black and white photos on the wall of numerous wedding couples on their wedding day. And, a couple of pictures were of some students parents. Another room housed artwork made by the students representing the Jewish calendar. The pictures they made of the Jewish Holidays were hung as lanyards throughout the small area. Other rooms depicted what life was like for the Jews living in shtetls and during the pogroms. Several additional rooms were devoted to the Holocaust. The most memorable was the full length broken mirror on the right wall and the black and white mural of the concentration camp on the opposing wall with the cobblestone flooring beneath us and the student’s remarks: We stand before the broken mirror and can see our reflection with the image of the concentration camp behind us. Any one of us could have been there. Black and white photos hung in another area showing what life was like for the Jews right before the Holocaust and opposite them were photos of the Holocaust. Another interesting area was the room exhibiting the four “definitions” of a Jew. The first was the Russian passport. Jewish people were identified as Jews in their passport. The government didn’t recognize their nationality as Russians, but as Jews. The second was the definition according to the Germans during the Holocaust, the third was Israel’s recognition of who is defined as a Jew, and the last was Halachic law.
Following the tour, we heard a little bit about the JDC-JAFI Integration Program for Children with Special Needs at the Lipmann School and had the opportunity to meet some of the children. We played a game with them called Kippah, Torah, Menorah. We all stood in a circle with one person in the middle. That person closed his eyes and spun around, when he stopped and pointed he had to say one of three things – Kippah, Torah or Menorah. If he said Kippah, the two people on either side of the person who was picked had to take their hands and cover that person’s head like a Kippah. For Torah, the two people on either side of the person picked had to spin around like a torah scroll and for Menorah, the two people on either side had to bend their arms to form the shape of a menorah. In any case, the person from the middle would then take the person’s place that he had picked and that person would then spin around and pick someone else. It was a lot of fun playing with the kids. They really seemed to enjoy it.
After our visit to the Lipman School we continued on to one of the five JDC-funded Hesed programs that provide social services to low income families with children with special needs and to low income elderly people in need. For those of us who do not know Hebrew, we learned that Hesed means kindness. The agency we visited is called Hesed Chama, (Chama they explained means “help to many”). Hesed Chama was created to serve the Jewish Community in Moscow in three ways: Supporting children and families at risk, Supporting the elderly in need and to help and support the Jewish Community, working with all of the different Jewish organizations. The Center houses the welfare center and the daycare center. We learned that this agency currently has 600 elderly clients. 62% live alone and have no family. 23% are couples, 8% are single with a child living far away and 8% are couples with a child who lives far away. Hesed Chama provides these people with various services. Some need help bathing or cleaning their apartment, others need someone to cook for them, or to help them manage their bills. Many are sick and need help during their recuperation. The agency loans medical equipment and provides food and medicine. They have 140 home care workers who are paid 97 rubles an hour (about $3). For some services there are waiting lists because there are so many more people who need help then the agency has money to support.
We broke into three groups later in the day and visited three different clients. Anna, the woman my group visited was 84 years old and had been an Ears, Nose and Throat doctor for over 50 years. She recently became ill and has clearly benefited by Hesed Chama’s services. With tears in her eyes, she named various people at the agency who have helped her and was very emotional as she thought about them. In her case, she lives alone and is bed ridden. A nurse visits her daily to help her. She was very grateful for our visit and it felt good knowing we were able to brighten up her day. As we left, the social worker told us that our visit would make Anna happy for several weeks as her memories are really all that she has left.
As mentioned, Hesed Chama also provides services to families in need. The family my group visited consisted of a mother with three children ages 19, 13 and 6. We did not meet the 19 year old but spent some time with the others. Both children were very shy. The mother had been divorced twice and was diagnosed with depression. They lived in a 2 room apartment that was unbelievably small. The foyer was so tight we could barely get into the apartment. We were led into the kitchen for our meeting. The space was probably no more than 8’x10’ and served as a cooking area, laundry area, dining area and relaxation area – the appliances and furniture took up the entire space so that it was difficult to get from one end of the room to the other. In the bedroom were three beds pushed together on one side of the room, a piano opposite the beds and two desks along the window wall opposite the door. Again, there was only room for one person to walk through the room at a time. The mother explained that the services she receives are for Jewish Culture – the family attends educational and entertainment activities once a month through the Family Room project.
We ended our day at the circus with some of the children.
As you can tell from reading the earlier blogs our days our filled with programming, leaving little free time to blog. I therefore plan to write a more substantive blog next week to better describe the astounding appreciation of al recipients of Federation funding.
Today was a productive day. The day officially began at 730 am and ended around 10:15 pm when we were returned to the hotel to change for dinner. We were given autonomy by our fearless leaders to do what we wanted after that – well deserved. To summarize, we first went to the Lipmann School, one of 7 Jewish Day Schools in Moscow. The school receives funding from both JAFI and JDC to run various programs. It was great seeing the kids from the Lipmann School who had recently visited DC. Similar to our meeting with them in DC, we were divided into small groups of Muscovites and DC-ites to learn about one another. We started with the basic questions, what’s your name and what to do you do, or in case of the students, what are your hobbies and worked up to discussions on the Holocaust and Jewish life in our prospective countries. It was interesting to note that the 10th graders we spoke to were not aware that the previous generation in Russia had not been taught about the Holocaust in school. We were curious about their knowledge of Soviet Russia and were told they would be studying Russian history next year. A couple of students then led us on a tour of the Jewish Historical Museum in the downstairs part of the school. The space was divided into many smaller rooms. The first one we entered celebrated Jewish marriages. There were black and white photos on the wall of numerous wedding couples on their wedding day. And, a couple of pictures were of some students parents. Another room housed artwork made by the students representing the Jewish calendar. The pictures they made of the Jewish Holidays were hung as lanyards throughout the small area. Other rooms depicted what life was like for the Jews living in shtetls and during the pogroms. Several additional rooms were devoted to the Holocaust. The most memorable was the full length broken mirror on the right wall and the black and white mural of the concentration camp on the opposing wall with the cobblestone flooring beneath us and the student’s remarks: We stand before the broken mirror and can see our reflection with the image of the concentration camp behind us. Any one of us could have been there. Black and white photos hung in another area showing what life was like for the Jews right before the Holocaust and opposite them were photos of the Holocaust. Another interesting area was the room exhibiting the four “definitions” of a Jew. The first was the Russian passport. Jewish people were identified as Jews in their passport. The government didn’t recognize their nationality as Russians, but as Jews. The second was the definition according to the Germans during the Holocaust, the third was Israel’s recognition of who is defined as a Jew, and the last was Halachic law.
Following the tour, we heard a little bit about the JDC-JAFI Integration Program for Children with Special Needs at the Lipmann School and had the opportunity to meet some of the children. We played a game with them called Kippah, Torah, Menorah. We all stood in a circle with one person in the middle. That person closed his eyes and spun around, when he stopped and pointed he had to say one of three things – Kippah, Torah or Menorah. If he said Kippah, the two people on either side of the person who was picked had to take their hands and cover that person’s head like a Kippah. For Torah, the two people on either side of the person picked had to spin around like a torah scroll and for Menorah, the two people on either side had to bend their arms to form the shape of a menorah. In any case, the person from the middle would then take the person’s place that he had picked and that person would then spin around and pick someone else. It was a lot of fun playing with the kids. They really seemed to enjoy it.
After our visit to the Lipman School we continued on to one of the five JDC-funded Hesed programs that provide social services to low income families with children with special needs and to low income elderly people in need. For those of us who do not know Hebrew, we learned that Hesed means kindness. The agency we visited is called Hesed Chama, (Chama they explained means “help to many”). Hesed Chama was created to serve the Jewish Community in Moscow in three ways: Supporting children and families at risk, Supporting the elderly in need and to help and support the Jewish Community, working with all of the different Jewish organizations. The Center houses the welfare center and the daycare center. We learned that this agency currently has 600 elderly clients. 62% live alone and have no family. 23% are couples, 8% are single with a child living far away and 8% are couples with a child who lives far away. Hesed Chama provides these people with various services. Some need help bathing or cleaning their apartment, others need someone to cook for them, or to help them manage their bills. Many are sick and need help during their recuperation. The agency loans medical equipment and provides food and medicine. They have 140 home care workers who are paid 97 rubles an hour (about $3). For some services there are waiting lists because there are so many more people who need help then the agency has money to support.
We broke into three groups later in the day and visited three different clients. Anna, the woman my group visited was 84 years old and had been an Ears, Nose and Throat doctor for over 50 years. She recently became ill and has clearly benefited by Hesed Chama’s services. With tears in her eyes, she named various people at the agency who have helped her and was very emotional as she thought about them. In her case, she lives alone and is bed ridden. A nurse visits her daily to help her. She was very grateful for our visit and it felt good knowing we were able to brighten up her day. As we left, the social worker told us that our visit would make Anna happy for several weeks as her memories are really all that she has left.
As mentioned, Hesed Chama also provides services to families in need. The family my group visited consisted of a mother with three children ages 19, 13 and 6. We did not meet the 19 year old but spent some time with the others. Both children were very shy. The mother had been divorced twice and was diagnosed with depression. They lived in a 2 room apartment that was unbelievably small. The foyer was so tight we could barely get into the apartment. We were led into the kitchen for our meeting. The space was probably no more than 8’x10’ and served as a cooking area, laundry area, dining area and relaxation area – the appliances and furniture took up the entire space so that it was difficult to get from one end of the room to the other. In the bedroom were three beds pushed together on one side of the room, a piano opposite the beds and two desks along the window wall opposite the door. Again, there was only room for one person to walk through the room at a time. The mother explained that the services she receives are for Jewish Culture – the family attends educational and entertainment activities once a month through the Family Room project.
We ended our day at the circus with some of the children.
As you can tell from reading the earlier blogs our days our filled with programming, leaving little free time to blog. I therefore plan to write a more substantive blog next week to better describe the astounding appreciation of al recipients of Federation funding.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Moscow Connections: Day 3
Day Three – By Joel
On day three of our trip, we got down to the real mission at hand: meeting locals to better understand what it is like to be a Russian Jew and learning how JAFI was using fun summer camp programming to help teach Jewish traditions to youngsters (and indirectly their parents.) Add in a great meeting with the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy and dining at a local “club” for artists and this completes another 15 hour day of wall to wall events.
The day started early when we split into four smaller groups to visit with local Russian Jews at their various offices: a law firm, an IT firm, a University, and the JDC office.
I visited AMD (Intel’s largest competitor) and we met with the Director of Sales for Russia and Eastern Europe - Alexander. Sasha (as Alex likes to be called) met us at or hotel and drove us to his office. Along the way, we found out he had a wife and four year old son (the baby seat was a dead giveaway.) After checking through building security, Sasha gave us a tour of his offices- pretty much like any office in any typical US company… though since AMD is based out of Austin, Texas, this makes sense. [I wondered if they flew in the Austin decorator, or if AMD has a “New Office Setup Guide” (a) install computer network (b) install office cubicles and conference rooms (don’t forget the Polycom phones) and (c) add friend receptionist. ] One other similarity with US offices is that this office was practically empty…. picture ~50 cubicles for every 3 employees … layoffs due to the economic downturn were quite apparent.
After the brief tour, we talked with Sasha over coffee in one the of the conference rooms. Over the course of the next few hours, we learned of Sasha’s advancement through his PHD in Math, MBA studies, jumping ship from Intel to work for AMD, what it’s like to be Director of Sales for AMD, and what’s it like to be Jewish through all of this. This brief description leaves out a ton of details and nuances that were exchanged and provided a detailed window it Sasha’s life and experiences. I’ll try to share a few:
Anti-Semitism: there really isn’t anti-Semitism with Putan- it’s all about power, politics and money; there isn’t anti-Semitism among Sasha’s peers; though it’s different when you are in a grocery store- if the check-out clerk sees your baby’s “nationality” papers and it says “Jew” and then you get a nasty look. It’s for subtle (or not so subtle) reasons like this Sasha and his wife had a (slight) disagreement over whether to list their son as “Jewish” on his birth records. (In Russia, you can choose your own “nationality” or what Americans may consider “ethnicity”.)
Being Jewish: Sasha considers himself a “secular” Jew (ie. not Orthodox) He goes to Synagogue on the High Holidays, is checking out Jewish nursery school for his son, etc. But upon further discussion, being Jewish for Sasha is about “connections” or networking- it is how he met is how wife at Hillel, it is also about advancing his career by networking with other Jews. (Along these lines, you have to put this into perspective- Moscow didn’t have a middle class until 10-12 years ago… the networking is probably very similar to how our parents/grand-parents grew up in DC or other cites in the USA 35-40 years ago when Jews weren’t allowed in certain country clubs or not “shown” property in certain neighborhoods- While Moscow Jews do not face this discrimination, the middle class is still young enough to be “cliquish”.)
Small world story: We started to talk about how Washington DC is a “small world”… everyone knows everyone and Kevin Bacon’s six-degree theory… I was curious to see how small the world really is, so I asked Sasha to play along with me… how many people would it take to connect him and I? Sound like an absurd question? What are the odds of two strangers half way around the world knowing anyone in common – or even 2-3 people removed in common? ANSWER: 1 person. As it turns out, I take a class (one week a year) with 40 entrepreneurs from around the world and Dmitry (a friend from class) is good friends with Sasha. Who would figure?
Russia on Israel/PLO: Between Israel and Hamas, Russia is for Israel. Between Hamas and Fataha, Russia is for Fataha. Between Israel and Fataha, it not as clear.
Russia on Iran: Russia doesn’t want Iran to have nukes, but wants them as a trading partner. Russia would not tolerate Islamic Extremists- if they started up in Russia, relations with Iran would be closed down- till then, Russia will continue to partner with Iran.
After meeting with Sasha we headed out with Misha for lunch (each group that morning ate amongst themselves) before meeting up at the American embassy. We were fortunate enough (OK- I’m sure the Federation pulled some strings) to get a meeting with the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy – Eric Rubin. In the course of 90 minutes, Mr. Rubin gave us a crash course on past and present US/Russian relations, the Federal government’s involvement with religious issues, Russian life under Yeltsin vs. Putin and other insights. I’ll try to relate some of the points that I remember:
Eric Rubin (the person): From Washington DC, was posted in Moscow during the 1990’s and again now.
Russia and Jews/ Anti-Semitism: “Let’s put it this way, with regards to being Jewish in Russia today, it’s probably the best that it’s been in the past 1,000 years.”
Putin: He did what was necessary to turn the Russian economy around after Yeltsin. Many Russians are grateful for this, even if it means a little less Democracy.
Putin vs. USA: After 9-11, Russia offered a lot of support to the US government to combat terrorism, offered assistance in Afghanistan, and Iraq in a quid-pro-quo sort of arrangement to be hands-off about the Democratic reform “roll-back” that Putin was implementing. While the US basically took this support when it served them best, and Putin felt the quid-pro-quo was not fulfilled when President Bush came out with his “Pro Democracy” stance… thus, Russia/US relations before the this year’s US elections were extremely poor. On top of that, US views Russia as a 3rd world country and Putin felt this insulting.
Russia and Oil: When oil was $132/barrel, Russia had a chance to reel back in Ukraine. (Remember, Ukraine was lobbying to be a member of NATO- not a good thing in Russia’s eyes.) Now as oil prices have plummeted, Russia can not (as readily) use oil revenue / threats to bring Ukraine back into the fold.
USAID: Extremely successful in teaching entrepreneurship/capitalism in Russia, though current programs being wound down.
Well, I probably forgot 2/3 of our discussion, but it was extremely enlightening.
After the meeting at the US Embassy, we headed out as a group to a JAFI sponsored summer camp. At the camp, we saw how art, drama, and music (classes) were used to teach Jewish traditions, holidays, and Hebrew. Since many of the children’s parents don’t know all of the Jewish traditions, “teaching up” is very important to rebuild the Jewish identity here in Russia.
That officially ended the day at 8pm or so, but our E-club hosts invited us out to Café Potrovich (sort of a restaurant, bar, social club setup for local Moscow artists.) This dinner lasted another 4 hours. At about midnight, I called it a night, but others continued on to a few other clubs till 2-3AM in the morning.
Some of the morning site visits will be detailed by a few other writes in the following pages:
Law office visit - By Malka
Four of us went with e-club member Anna to her law office in the morning and spent some hours with her and two colleagues. We spent a while in the 10 x 10 computer-less box of an office learning about various aspects of Russian legal practice.
The law office we visited was a cooperative association, comprised of several independent lawyers specializing in different fields of law, but sharing some cases and clients without hierarchy. This model is the closest to that existing in Soviet times, but is now one of three regulated by the bar -- the other two being sole practitioner and American-type firm structures.
Unlike the U.S., which operates on a common law structure (where judges interpret statutes and make case law which can become binding as precedent on future judges), and more like European countries, Russia is a civil law country where the written law (and how a judge interprets that law for each respective case) is all that matters. Also unlike the U.S. is the training required for practice. Whereas in the U.S. after high school we go to college, then a graduate law program, then take an exam, then practice; in Russia there is one [combined] 5-year university program and then an exam, which can be taken immediately if the person has 10 years of prior legal experience (e.g. as a paralegal) or else after a sort of apprenticeship with a practicing attorney.
Many women practice law in Russia. Our host had been practicing since around 1984 and we met a woman who had been an attorney with the association for 50-something years. However, while this association was about half and half, Russian firms do struggle with some of the diversity issues American firms face.
We then visited the Moscow city court where Khadarkovsky was tried. We were able to peek into the clerk's filing system (a room with shelves upon shelves of paper), a criminal courtroom (outfitted with a cage to house the prisoner during trial -- Ilya climbed in), met with a couple judges, and even interrupted a civil trial just about to begin (the attorneys did not appear amused).
We headed back to the law office for some lunch and noticed the best parts of the office: (1) its neighboring location to a karaoke sauna, and (2) the sign posting hours outside the entrance (ok I need a few more minutes to dream about a 9-5 law firm job...).
University Higher School of Economics visit - By Jessica
A member of the E-club (an organization for Jewish young adults), Larissa, brought two members of our group to the Higher School of Economics (HSE), a research university in social and economic sciences, where she is a PhD student. This university was founded in 1992 by Russian economists and leaders in the Russian government, including Alexhander Shokhin (former vice prime minister of the Russian Federation 1991-1994) and Evgeny Yasin (former minister of economy of the Russian Federation 1994-1997).
Although HSE is so young it has quickly become popular among Russian students. The University is ranked in the top 5 for economics studies in Russia. This university is based more on a Western style of education where students are allowed to select their courses in comparison to a Soviet style where all of the courses are pre-selected for students.
In addition to learning the facts about the university we had the opportunity to walk through the small campus. HSE has 2 main clusters of building s that are separated by a 20 minute walk. The main campus is housed in a former military academy that is 4 buildings connected with an inner blacktop courtyard. And the administrative section of campus is another cluster of 4 buildings. This was the first time on the trip that we viewed evidence of the decrepit status of buildings remnant from the Soviet era. The majority of the university is in building space that has been somewhat renovated and updated to modern Russian standards. However, sections of the building are dimly lit, pale blue/green walls, with peeling paint.
While we walked to the University we spoke with Larissa about her educational and religious life in Russia. She informed us that during the Soviet era her only exposure to Judaism was matzah in spring time. Her family bought 1 new box in the spring time for the year. She initially thought all Russians purchased 1 box, until one of her non-Jewish friends commented to her that she hadn’t heard of matzah. Larissa was surprised to learn that this was a custom unique to her family. Following this experience, a friend wished her “shanah tova,” a phrase she had never heard. She decided to begin to look into her Jewish roots. And eventually became involved with the E-Club.
On day three of our trip, we got down to the real mission at hand: meeting locals to better understand what it is like to be a Russian Jew and learning how JAFI was using fun summer camp programming to help teach Jewish traditions to youngsters (and indirectly their parents.) Add in a great meeting with the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy and dining at a local “club” for artists and this completes another 15 hour day of wall to wall events.
The day started early when we split into four smaller groups to visit with local Russian Jews at their various offices: a law firm, an IT firm, a University, and the JDC office.
I visited AMD (Intel’s largest competitor) and we met with the Director of Sales for Russia and Eastern Europe - Alexander. Sasha (as Alex likes to be called) met us at or hotel and drove us to his office. Along the way, we found out he had a wife and four year old son (the baby seat was a dead giveaway.) After checking through building security, Sasha gave us a tour of his offices- pretty much like any office in any typical US company… though since AMD is based out of Austin, Texas, this makes sense. [I wondered if they flew in the Austin decorator, or if AMD has a “New Office Setup Guide” (a) install computer network (b) install office cubicles and conference rooms (don’t forget the Polycom phones) and (c) add friend receptionist. ] One other similarity with US offices is that this office was practically empty…. picture ~50 cubicles for every 3 employees … layoffs due to the economic downturn were quite apparent.
After the brief tour, we talked with Sasha over coffee in one the of the conference rooms. Over the course of the next few hours, we learned of Sasha’s advancement through his PHD in Math, MBA studies, jumping ship from Intel to work for AMD, what it’s like to be Director of Sales for AMD, and what’s it like to be Jewish through all of this. This brief description leaves out a ton of details and nuances that were exchanged and provided a detailed window it Sasha’s life and experiences. I’ll try to share a few:
Anti-Semitism: there really isn’t anti-Semitism with Putan- it’s all about power, politics and money; there isn’t anti-Semitism among Sasha’s peers; though it’s different when you are in a grocery store- if the check-out clerk sees your baby’s “nationality” papers and it says “Jew” and then you get a nasty look. It’s for subtle (or not so subtle) reasons like this Sasha and his wife had a (slight) disagreement over whether to list their son as “Jewish” on his birth records. (In Russia, you can choose your own “nationality” or what Americans may consider “ethnicity”.)
Being Jewish: Sasha considers himself a “secular” Jew (ie. not Orthodox) He goes to Synagogue on the High Holidays, is checking out Jewish nursery school for his son, etc. But upon further discussion, being Jewish for Sasha is about “connections” or networking- it is how he met is how wife at Hillel, it is also about advancing his career by networking with other Jews. (Along these lines, you have to put this into perspective- Moscow didn’t have a middle class until 10-12 years ago… the networking is probably very similar to how our parents/grand-parents grew up in DC or other cites in the USA 35-40 years ago when Jews weren’t allowed in certain country clubs or not “shown” property in certain neighborhoods- While Moscow Jews do not face this discrimination, the middle class is still young enough to be “cliquish”.)
Small world story: We started to talk about how Washington DC is a “small world”… everyone knows everyone and Kevin Bacon’s six-degree theory… I was curious to see how small the world really is, so I asked Sasha to play along with me… how many people would it take to connect him and I? Sound like an absurd question? What are the odds of two strangers half way around the world knowing anyone in common – or even 2-3 people removed in common? ANSWER: 1 person. As it turns out, I take a class (one week a year) with 40 entrepreneurs from around the world and Dmitry (a friend from class) is good friends with Sasha. Who would figure?
Russia on Israel/PLO: Between Israel and Hamas, Russia is for Israel. Between Hamas and Fataha, Russia is for Fataha. Between Israel and Fataha, it not as clear.
Russia on Iran: Russia doesn’t want Iran to have nukes, but wants them as a trading partner. Russia would not tolerate Islamic Extremists- if they started up in Russia, relations with Iran would be closed down- till then, Russia will continue to partner with Iran.
After meeting with Sasha we headed out with Misha for lunch (each group that morning ate amongst themselves) before meeting up at the American embassy. We were fortunate enough (OK- I’m sure the Federation pulled some strings) to get a meeting with the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy – Eric Rubin. In the course of 90 minutes, Mr. Rubin gave us a crash course on past and present US/Russian relations, the Federal government’s involvement with religious issues, Russian life under Yeltsin vs. Putin and other insights. I’ll try to relate some of the points that I remember:
Eric Rubin (the person): From Washington DC, was posted in Moscow during the 1990’s and again now.
Russia and Jews/ Anti-Semitism: “Let’s put it this way, with regards to being Jewish in Russia today, it’s probably the best that it’s been in the past 1,000 years.”
Putin: He did what was necessary to turn the Russian economy around after Yeltsin. Many Russians are grateful for this, even if it means a little less Democracy.
Putin vs. USA: After 9-11, Russia offered a lot of support to the US government to combat terrorism, offered assistance in Afghanistan, and Iraq in a quid-pro-quo sort of arrangement to be hands-off about the Democratic reform “roll-back” that Putin was implementing. While the US basically took this support when it served them best, and Putin felt the quid-pro-quo was not fulfilled when President Bush came out with his “Pro Democracy” stance… thus, Russia/US relations before the this year’s US elections were extremely poor. On top of that, US views Russia as a 3rd world country and Putin felt this insulting.
Russia and Oil: When oil was $132/barrel, Russia had a chance to reel back in Ukraine. (Remember, Ukraine was lobbying to be a member of NATO- not a good thing in Russia’s eyes.) Now as oil prices have plummeted, Russia can not (as readily) use oil revenue / threats to bring Ukraine back into the fold.
USAID: Extremely successful in teaching entrepreneurship/capitalism in Russia, though current programs being wound down.
Well, I probably forgot 2/3 of our discussion, but it was extremely enlightening.
After the meeting at the US Embassy, we headed out as a group to a JAFI sponsored summer camp. At the camp, we saw how art, drama, and music (classes) were used to teach Jewish traditions, holidays, and Hebrew. Since many of the children’s parents don’t know all of the Jewish traditions, “teaching up” is very important to rebuild the Jewish identity here in Russia.
That officially ended the day at 8pm or so, but our E-club hosts invited us out to Café Potrovich (sort of a restaurant, bar, social club setup for local Moscow artists.) This dinner lasted another 4 hours. At about midnight, I called it a night, but others continued on to a few other clubs till 2-3AM in the morning.
Some of the morning site visits will be detailed by a few other writes in the following pages:
Law office visit - By Malka
Four of us went with e-club member Anna to her law office in the morning and spent some hours with her and two colleagues. We spent a while in the 10 x 10 computer-less box of an office learning about various aspects of Russian legal practice.
The law office we visited was a cooperative association, comprised of several independent lawyers specializing in different fields of law, but sharing some cases and clients without hierarchy. This model is the closest to that existing in Soviet times, but is now one of three regulated by the bar -- the other two being sole practitioner and American-type firm structures.
Unlike the U.S., which operates on a common law structure (where judges interpret statutes and make case law which can become binding as precedent on future judges), and more like European countries, Russia is a civil law country where the written law (and how a judge interprets that law for each respective case) is all that matters. Also unlike the U.S. is the training required for practice. Whereas in the U.S. after high school we go to college, then a graduate law program, then take an exam, then practice; in Russia there is one [combined] 5-year university program and then an exam, which can be taken immediately if the person has 10 years of prior legal experience (e.g. as a paralegal) or else after a sort of apprenticeship with a practicing attorney.
Many women practice law in Russia. Our host had been practicing since around 1984 and we met a woman who had been an attorney with the association for 50-something years. However, while this association was about half and half, Russian firms do struggle with some of the diversity issues American firms face.
We then visited the Moscow city court where Khadarkovsky was tried. We were able to peek into the clerk's filing system (a room with shelves upon shelves of paper), a criminal courtroom (outfitted with a cage to house the prisoner during trial -- Ilya climbed in), met with a couple judges, and even interrupted a civil trial just about to begin (the attorneys did not appear amused).
We headed back to the law office for some lunch and noticed the best parts of the office: (1) its neighboring location to a karaoke sauna, and (2) the sign posting hours outside the entrance (ok I need a few more minutes to dream about a 9-5 law firm job...).
University Higher School of Economics visit - By Jessica
A member of the E-club (an organization for Jewish young adults), Larissa, brought two members of our group to the Higher School of Economics (HSE), a research university in social and economic sciences, where she is a PhD student. This university was founded in 1992 by Russian economists and leaders in the Russian government, including Alexhander Shokhin (former vice prime minister of the Russian Federation 1991-1994) and Evgeny Yasin (former minister of economy of the Russian Federation 1994-1997).
Although HSE is so young it has quickly become popular among Russian students. The University is ranked in the top 5 for economics studies in Russia. This university is based more on a Western style of education where students are allowed to select their courses in comparison to a Soviet style where all of the courses are pre-selected for students.
In addition to learning the facts about the university we had the opportunity to walk through the small campus. HSE has 2 main clusters of building s that are separated by a 20 minute walk. The main campus is housed in a former military academy that is 4 buildings connected with an inner blacktop courtyard. And the administrative section of campus is another cluster of 4 buildings. This was the first time on the trip that we viewed evidence of the decrepit status of buildings remnant from the Soviet era. The majority of the university is in building space that has been somewhat renovated and updated to modern Russian standards. However, sections of the building are dimly lit, pale blue/green walls, with peeling paint.
While we walked to the University we spoke with Larissa about her educational and religious life in Russia. She informed us that during the Soviet era her only exposure to Judaism was matzah in spring time. Her family bought 1 new box in the spring time for the year. She initially thought all Russians purchased 1 box, until one of her non-Jewish friends commented to her that she hadn’t heard of matzah. Larissa was surprised to learn that this was a custom unique to her family. Following this experience, a friend wished her “shanah tova,” a phrase she had never heard. She decided to begin to look into her Jewish roots. And eventually became involved with the E-Club.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Moscow Connection: Day 2 - Tourism Day, or The Story of Four Power-Naps
Part I Written by Ilya Shapiro
It usually takes me a few days to get over jet lag, which time period inevitably expands during the insomniac sprint of Federation missions—and this time is further extended by generous amounts of vodka. And so the second day of our Moscow trip was chock-full of tourism, meetings, and other activities, all punctuated by glorious bouts of shut-eye relaxation.
The day started at some ungodly hour, when I came down for breakfast at 8:40am (12:40am Washington time), well in time for our 8:45 scheduled departure. I’ve been singularly impressed with the food we’ve had here—and today’s prandials would prove no different. From breakfast, the highlight was definitely thick pieces of crusty black bread with cheese and tomato. Just like mom used to slice!
Though our watches showed that it was 9:10am by the time we departed, the minutes will reflect that we set off at 8:45 mission time, sharp. We soon arrived at the imposing red walls of the Kremlin, built in the fifteenth century to house and protect the royal family. Using the techniques we learned at our pre-trip meeting, we scaled the wall and mounted our attack on the state armory.
Inside the armory, we saw suits of armor—for men and horses—royal carriages (including one that was on skis, to be pulled by 23 horses on snow), crown jewels, and Fabergé eggs. Perhaps most importantly, while the group finished listening to a description of Catherine the Great’s various dresses, I caught my first power-nap of the morning.
Having evaded the guards as we escaped with a bejeweled furry crown and several diamond eggs—with functioning train inside—we hurried to see Czar Bell: a 200-ton never-rung cast-iron bell with a chunk cracked out of it. Just like the Russians: engaging in tit-for-tat power games with the Americans even before there was an America. Well, at least the Liberty Bell symbolized, um, liberty. Next we passed the equally imposing Czar Cannon. It too was never used.
Then we passed through Church Square. Why you need four churches in one place—all with those funky onion domes—was beyond me, but hey, sure impresses the tourists. While most of the group visited the inside of one of them—from a previous trip I remembered them as being much less interesting on the inside, in typical Potemkin style—I caught power-nap number two on the outside steps.
Walking outside the main gate, we just caught the changing of the guard—goosestepping, wide-brim hats, and all—at the tomb of the unknown soldier, which features a big bronze cape, spear, and helmet. As we walked by Manezh Square—which in the early post-Communist years was turned into a large park and underground mall to head off the political protests that inevitably congregated there—we passed by numerous tourist-trapping Lenin impersonators. And not only goateed three-piece-suited revolutionary vanguards; short mustachioed Stalins and corpulent bushy-eyebrowed Brezhnevs berate visitors, giving visitors the ukaz (command) to spend their hard currency on decadent Western photographs.
Red Square opened up before us, revealing the wide expanse in front of Lenin’s mausoleum. Above the tomb—we didn’t wait the two hours it took to get in to see the illuminated corpse— Soviet leaders and party VIPs would stand and review military parades (and provide fodder for Kremlinologists who studied their standing order for hints of hierarchical changes). Sadly, this is another tradition President Medvedev recently reintroduced, with massive rockets, fighter planes, and tanks making their way across the Square on May 9 (Victory Day).
Curiously, one side of the Red Square is a huge shopping mall called GUM (pronounced “goom”). It’s an ornate building built in the l890s and now contains various fountains, boutiques, and fast food stands.
Coming out the end of GUM, you come across what is probably Russia’s best-known landmark: St. Basil’s, the red cathedral with multi-colored, multi-heighted onion domes. Each of us took about 50 pictures of St. Basil’s—the place is quite striking, and each angle yields a new scene. That done, we got back on the minibus to head to the Choral Synagogue—my perfect opportunity for power-nap number three.
The 106-year-old Choral Synagogue has long been the center of Jewish life in Moscow. We had a wonderful lunch here, including beef barley soup, chicken schnitzel, and berry sorbet. Then the synagogue’s head administrator gave an informative talk about the history of the (orthodox) synagogue and of the Jewish community in Moscow and Russia. This was not a good time for power-nap number four—especially because I was in the first row of pews—but jet lag overcame me yet again. When I later asked a question, the speaker called me out for my drowsiness. The shame apparently doubled as my second wind—first wind, really—so there would be no more sleep for the weary me on this day.
After touring the synagogue, we visited with Michail Chlenov, the Secretary-General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. It turns out this organization has nothing to do with U.S. soldiers fathering children in Vietnam, but instead brings together Jewish communal organizations from the Balkans to Australasia. I didn’t know there were Jews in Japan, but I guess somebody had to invent the sushi rolls that have lox and cream cheese.
Next we ferried over to Arbat Street—a long pedestrian street filled with street musicians, caricature artists, outdoor cafés, and souvenir shops, which had been the capital’s central market area for a long time. I bought three stainless steel flasks (with KGB and other Soviet insignia) and two sets of nesting dolls (decorated with Russian and Soviet leaders). Perhaps most importantly, Arbat features Moscow’s first Starbucks—a point of pride for the several locals who mentioned it to me.
Finally we shuttled to the Bronnaya Synagogue, which is the city’s Chabad/Lubavitch center. We spent several hours on the roof of the synagogue—which doubles as a trendy restaurant—and were joined by Hillel officers and members of a young professional Jewish group called e-club. The meal consisted of minced herring—shaped in the form of a fish!—accompanied by tasty tomato-cucumber-parsley salad, then grilled beef and veggies.
Our Russian hosts were dismayed that our menu hadn’t allowed us to sample the wonderful Caucasian dishes the restaurant was famous for, so we ordered some lamb, beef ribs, cutlets, and other grilled meats. Delicious! All washed down by Israeli wine. Na zdarovya! And a fine way to end a day that nourished us mentally, spiritually, and bodily.
Part II
Malka’s Addendum:
We ran back to the hotel for a strict, very strict, no really guys we mean it, 15 minute clothing change break. Thirty minutes later… the brave BGS’ers apologetically and gratefully met our driver out by the van to head into nocturnal Moscow with a few select e-club members. First stop: karaoke.
We walked up a dark obviously exclusive stairway and were about to be turned away entirely when Mischa worked his magic and we were ushered swiftly past a 1000 euro entrance fee live band karaoke private mafia party and up another candlelit stairway to an empty room with multiple tables, just for us. “Local beverages” [redacted to protect the innocent and employed] were ordered and karaoke commenced.
The Americans kicked it off with some CCR, the Russians took their turns (and Malka even sank Tum Balalayka with them!), the whole BGS group displayed remarkable teamsmanship in numerous group songs, an apple was enjoyed in an innovative way, and the first stop was brought to an end.
We walked through Moscow, optimistic at finding a more exciting replacement venue – the rooftop of the Ritz – only to find there had been a private Audi party (how did they get the car up there??) and everything was now closed. We still loitered, taking pictures in front of the red carpeted Audi special event backdrop, passing the cocktail dressed hosts as if we didn’t know any better, spinning in Faberge egg-like swivel chairs, and extending our arms above the plexiglass roof encasement to capture lit up Moscow, finally accepting the darkness when it was already the next calendar day.
We walked back to the hotel, bid adieu (or da zaftra and laila tov) to our new friends, and congregated in the hotel lobby for a night cap and snacks and debrief with our new family. (And this was the night I was going to go to sleep early!)
It usually takes me a few days to get over jet lag, which time period inevitably expands during the insomniac sprint of Federation missions—and this time is further extended by generous amounts of vodka. And so the second day of our Moscow trip was chock-full of tourism, meetings, and other activities, all punctuated by glorious bouts of shut-eye relaxation.
The day started at some ungodly hour, when I came down for breakfast at 8:40am (12:40am Washington time), well in time for our 8:45 scheduled departure. I’ve been singularly impressed with the food we’ve had here—and today’s prandials would prove no different. From breakfast, the highlight was definitely thick pieces of crusty black bread with cheese and tomato. Just like mom used to slice!
Though our watches showed that it was 9:10am by the time we departed, the minutes will reflect that we set off at 8:45 mission time, sharp. We soon arrived at the imposing red walls of the Kremlin, built in the fifteenth century to house and protect the royal family. Using the techniques we learned at our pre-trip meeting, we scaled the wall and mounted our attack on the state armory.
Inside the armory, we saw suits of armor—for men and horses—royal carriages (including one that was on skis, to be pulled by 23 horses on snow), crown jewels, and Fabergé eggs. Perhaps most importantly, while the group finished listening to a description of Catherine the Great’s various dresses, I caught my first power-nap of the morning.
Having evaded the guards as we escaped with a bejeweled furry crown and several diamond eggs—with functioning train inside—we hurried to see Czar Bell: a 200-ton never-rung cast-iron bell with a chunk cracked out of it. Just like the Russians: engaging in tit-for-tat power games with the Americans even before there was an America. Well, at least the Liberty Bell symbolized, um, liberty. Next we passed the equally imposing Czar Cannon. It too was never used.
Then we passed through Church Square. Why you need four churches in one place—all with those funky onion domes—was beyond me, but hey, sure impresses the tourists. While most of the group visited the inside of one of them—from a previous trip I remembered them as being much less interesting on the inside, in typical Potemkin style—I caught power-nap number two on the outside steps.
Walking outside the main gate, we just caught the changing of the guard—goosestepping, wide-brim hats, and all—at the tomb of the unknown soldier, which features a big bronze cape, spear, and helmet. As we walked by Manezh Square—which in the early post-Communist years was turned into a large park and underground mall to head off the political protests that inevitably congregated there—we passed by numerous tourist-trapping Lenin impersonators. And not only goateed three-piece-suited revolutionary vanguards; short mustachioed Stalins and corpulent bushy-eyebrowed Brezhnevs berate visitors, giving visitors the ukaz (command) to spend their hard currency on decadent Western photographs.
Red Square opened up before us, revealing the wide expanse in front of Lenin’s mausoleum. Above the tomb—we didn’t wait the two hours it took to get in to see the illuminated corpse— Soviet leaders and party VIPs would stand and review military parades (and provide fodder for Kremlinologists who studied their standing order for hints of hierarchical changes). Sadly, this is another tradition President Medvedev recently reintroduced, with massive rockets, fighter planes, and tanks making their way across the Square on May 9 (Victory Day).
Curiously, one side of the Red Square is a huge shopping mall called GUM (pronounced “goom”). It’s an ornate building built in the l890s and now contains various fountains, boutiques, and fast food stands.
Coming out the end of GUM, you come across what is probably Russia’s best-known landmark: St. Basil’s, the red cathedral with multi-colored, multi-heighted onion domes. Each of us took about 50 pictures of St. Basil’s—the place is quite striking, and each angle yields a new scene. That done, we got back on the minibus to head to the Choral Synagogue—my perfect opportunity for power-nap number three.
The 106-year-old Choral Synagogue has long been the center of Jewish life in Moscow. We had a wonderful lunch here, including beef barley soup, chicken schnitzel, and berry sorbet. Then the synagogue’s head administrator gave an informative talk about the history of the (orthodox) synagogue and of the Jewish community in Moscow and Russia. This was not a good time for power-nap number four—especially because I was in the first row of pews—but jet lag overcame me yet again. When I later asked a question, the speaker called me out for my drowsiness. The shame apparently doubled as my second wind—first wind, really—so there would be no more sleep for the weary me on this day.
After touring the synagogue, we visited with Michail Chlenov, the Secretary-General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. It turns out this organization has nothing to do with U.S. soldiers fathering children in Vietnam, but instead brings together Jewish communal organizations from the Balkans to Australasia. I didn’t know there were Jews in Japan, but I guess somebody had to invent the sushi rolls that have lox and cream cheese.
Next we ferried over to Arbat Street—a long pedestrian street filled with street musicians, caricature artists, outdoor cafés, and souvenir shops, which had been the capital’s central market area for a long time. I bought three stainless steel flasks (with KGB and other Soviet insignia) and two sets of nesting dolls (decorated with Russian and Soviet leaders). Perhaps most importantly, Arbat features Moscow’s first Starbucks—a point of pride for the several locals who mentioned it to me.
Finally we shuttled to the Bronnaya Synagogue, which is the city’s Chabad/Lubavitch center. We spent several hours on the roof of the synagogue—which doubles as a trendy restaurant—and were joined by Hillel officers and members of a young professional Jewish group called e-club. The meal consisted of minced herring—shaped in the form of a fish!—accompanied by tasty tomato-cucumber-parsley salad, then grilled beef and veggies.
Our Russian hosts were dismayed that our menu hadn’t allowed us to sample the wonderful Caucasian dishes the restaurant was famous for, so we ordered some lamb, beef ribs, cutlets, and other grilled meats. Delicious! All washed down by Israeli wine. Na zdarovya! And a fine way to end a day that nourished us mentally, spiritually, and bodily.
Part II
Malka’s Addendum:
We ran back to the hotel for a strict, very strict, no really guys we mean it, 15 minute clothing change break. Thirty minutes later… the brave BGS’ers apologetically and gratefully met our driver out by the van to head into nocturnal Moscow with a few select e-club members. First stop: karaoke.
We walked up a dark obviously exclusive stairway and were about to be turned away entirely when Mischa worked his magic and we were ushered swiftly past a 1000 euro entrance fee live band karaoke private mafia party and up another candlelit stairway to an empty room with multiple tables, just for us. “Local beverages” [redacted to protect the innocent and employed] were ordered and karaoke commenced.
The Americans kicked it off with some CCR, the Russians took their turns (and Malka even sank Tum Balalayka with them!), the whole BGS group displayed remarkable teamsmanship in numerous group songs, an apple was enjoyed in an innovative way, and the first stop was brought to an end.
We walked through Moscow, optimistic at finding a more exciting replacement venue – the rooftop of the Ritz – only to find there had been a private Audi party (how did they get the car up there??) and everything was now closed. We still loitered, taking pictures in front of the red carpeted Audi special event backdrop, passing the cocktail dressed hosts as if we didn’t know any better, spinning in Faberge egg-like swivel chairs, and extending our arms above the plexiglass roof encasement to capture lit up Moscow, finally accepting the darkness when it was already the next calendar day.
We walked back to the hotel, bid adieu (or da zaftra and laila tov) to our new friends, and congregated in the hotel lobby for a night cap and snacks and debrief with our new family. (And this was the night I was going to go to sleep early!)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Moscow Connection: Day 1 - Monday, June 1st
Written by Eva Davis
The Next Gen group arrived in Moscow to very unprofessionally (one had an exposed belly!) dressed health officials that took each passengers temperature to ensure none of us had the swine flu! The day was gorgeous, blue skies and 75 degree weather! After experiencing some “light” traffic and meeting our guide, Alla, we headed to the one and only Holocaust/Jewish museum and attached Shul. It was noted that there are about 300,000 Jews in Moscow and close to a million in Russia, yet only one museum. This was located in a beautiful park, which was a dedication to the 50th anniversary of the Russian defeat of the Nazis. The park seemed huge and was full of Russian men, without shirts on roller blades. The shul was very modern, with marble and ornate Judaica art on the walls. This shul is only used twice a week, once for an orthodox minyan on Monday a.m. and a Reform Friday night service. There is an upstairs section of seats for women, this has never been used. The museum had Judaica pieces; they were old, very old. We were given a thorough review of the regional Jewish history. Please see Wikipedia for details. There was also a floor dedicated to the Holocaust and the story of the Russian army in WWII, with a section for the righteous gentiles. It was interesting to hear the history from the Russian perspective, with 1.4 Million “Russian” Jews (this included Ukraine, Belarus, etc) killed. This hour was sobering, but was lightened when we found Irwin’s great grandfather! I swear this guy who was pictured in one of the photographs looked exactly like Irwin. It was almost freaky how close!
As the day progressed the group decided we would have several photo albums for this trip: 1) The Mullet album (if I had a $ for ever mullet I saw I could quit my day job) 2) Real people wearing the most amazingly tacky outfits (we are convinced all Russia women don’t wear bras) 3) The beautiful sights and architecture and our group, the “real” pictures from the Jewish center we went to what I think is a typical Russian restaurant, interesting décor and delicious food. The décor included live birds (all types) in cages… on the bar, at the entrance, behind my table, etc. There was also a huge stuffed bear that could have been a rug hanging on the wall, etc. The borsht was amazing as was the salmon…. We were all pleasantly surprised.
From lunch we went back to the hotel and checked in, unpacked, and got ready for our first night out in Moscow. We started with a boat tour on the Moscow River, which was gorgeous!!! This gave a great view of a ton of different buildings, monuments, parks, etc. Alla came with us, which was extremely helpful as the loud speaker tour was in Russian. We continued loving the people watching and the very inexpensive drinks! It was still blue skies and sunny which heightened our excitement and when we realized it would be this way long past 10pm we were thrilled!
After an hour or two on the boat we went to dinner with the Jewish Professional club members at a really interesting art institute. The artist who it was named after and I think started it was one of the most famous Russian artists, Zurab Tserteli, he sculpted the famous statue in front of the Kremlin. The restaurant was full of his artwork, very colorful, religious Christian works, etc. The meal with the e-club members was really nice, getting to know them, learn about their lives and the Jewish community. They discussed the challenges they face in outreach and fundraising, their community is much different than what we as American Jews experience. The sense of community and obligation to the Jewish people was not part of their upbringing… anyways this is a longer conversation than I have time to write about! We also had our first Vodka shots (which were quite large) to get the trip really kicked off! We started with the Vodka called Russian Standard which I think is the regular here, kinda like what Absolut is to us.
I don’t know if I can continue the night… Irwin, our Mission chair, said what happens in Moscow stays in Moscow!! Speaking of Vegas, all the casinos here are currently closed due to some government intervention or something, I was disappointed. I did find a few slot machine spots but decided not to even waste the time there. Maybe it’s better that I don’t give too much money away in this economy!
Really we just ended up going to several bars, one that was old school Soviet style that served Vodka that could have made me blind and one that was newer and trendier. I’ll leave the adventures at that and pass this on to the next blog victim….
The Next Gen group arrived in Moscow to very unprofessionally (one had an exposed belly!) dressed health officials that took each passengers temperature to ensure none of us had the swine flu! The day was gorgeous, blue skies and 75 degree weather! After experiencing some “light” traffic and meeting our guide, Alla, we headed to the one and only Holocaust/Jewish museum and attached Shul. It was noted that there are about 300,000 Jews in Moscow and close to a million in Russia, yet only one museum. This was located in a beautiful park, which was a dedication to the 50th anniversary of the Russian defeat of the Nazis. The park seemed huge and was full of Russian men, without shirts on roller blades. The shul was very modern, with marble and ornate Judaica art on the walls. This shul is only used twice a week, once for an orthodox minyan on Monday a.m. and a Reform Friday night service. There is an upstairs section of seats for women, this has never been used. The museum had Judaica pieces; they were old, very old. We were given a thorough review of the regional Jewish history. Please see Wikipedia for details. There was also a floor dedicated to the Holocaust and the story of the Russian army in WWII, with a section for the righteous gentiles. It was interesting to hear the history from the Russian perspective, with 1.4 Million “Russian” Jews (this included Ukraine, Belarus, etc) killed. This hour was sobering, but was lightened when we found Irwin’s great grandfather! I swear this guy who was pictured in one of the photographs looked exactly like Irwin. It was almost freaky how close!
As the day progressed the group decided we would have several photo albums for this trip: 1) The Mullet album (if I had a $ for ever mullet I saw I could quit my day job) 2) Real people wearing the most amazingly tacky outfits (we are convinced all Russia women don’t wear bras) 3) The beautiful sights and architecture and our group, the “real” pictures from the Jewish center we went to what I think is a typical Russian restaurant, interesting décor and delicious food. The décor included live birds (all types) in cages… on the bar, at the entrance, behind my table, etc. There was also a huge stuffed bear that could have been a rug hanging on the wall, etc. The borsht was amazing as was the salmon…. We were all pleasantly surprised.
From lunch we went back to the hotel and checked in, unpacked, and got ready for our first night out in Moscow. We started with a boat tour on the Moscow River, which was gorgeous!!! This gave a great view of a ton of different buildings, monuments, parks, etc. Alla came with us, which was extremely helpful as the loud speaker tour was in Russian. We continued loving the people watching and the very inexpensive drinks! It was still blue skies and sunny which heightened our excitement and when we realized it would be this way long past 10pm we were thrilled!
After an hour or two on the boat we went to dinner with the Jewish Professional club members at a really interesting art institute. The artist who it was named after and I think started it was one of the most famous Russian artists, Zurab Tserteli, he sculpted the famous statue in front of the Kremlin. The restaurant was full of his artwork, very colorful, religious Christian works, etc. The meal with the e-club members was really nice, getting to know them, learn about their lives and the Jewish community. They discussed the challenges they face in outreach and fundraising, their community is much different than what we as American Jews experience. The sense of community and obligation to the Jewish people was not part of their upbringing… anyways this is a longer conversation than I have time to write about! We also had our first Vodka shots (which were quite large) to get the trip really kicked off! We started with the Vodka called Russian Standard which I think is the regular here, kinda like what Absolut is to us.
I don’t know if I can continue the night… Irwin, our Mission chair, said what happens in Moscow stays in Moscow!! Speaking of Vegas, all the casinos here are currently closed due to some government intervention or something, I was disappointed. I did find a few slot machine spots but decided not to even waste the time there. Maybe it’s better that I don’t give too much money away in this economy!
Really we just ended up going to several bars, one that was old school Soviet style that served Vodka that could have made me blind and one that was newer and trendier. I’ll leave the adventures at that and pass this on to the next blog victim….
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