May 7, 2003
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Priviyet (Hi!),
It's a calm and beautiful day here in Jerusalem. We're celebrating 55 years of Israel's existence. I remember very warmly being here during the spring of 1999, the feeling in the air. It's an incredible time of year - the best, in my opinion. And I'm doing everything I can to soak it all in and savor it…
We returned from Russia about 10 days ago and my mind is still spinning. Practically everything about our time there affected me in a deep way. Immediately after landing in Moscow we jumped on a train to Ryazan, a town just a few hours south of the city. We became fast friends with our translator, Slava, an active young Jewish professional - bright, funny, easy-going, talented and interesting. Not only did the three of us make an excellent team, but we have truly made what we hope to be a lifelong connection with him.
As we set off into the countryside, I stared out the train window and began wondering what life in Russia is like. More than 1,000 years of often difficult, violent, and oppressive history has to take its toll on the people, I thought. And has the relatively short post-Communist time period been enough to salve old wounds, to stabilize the economy, and to bring about a hope for a new chapter in history? The questions to these answers would slowly unfold during our journey and new ones would arise. This is why my mind is still spinning.
After a late night arrival and a good night's sleep, we began "meeting the people." Our first stop was the apartment of Raya, an adorable elderly Jewish woman with a twinkle in her eye. She had been anticipating our visit for weeks, she said, and had spent three days preparing a suitable lunch for us. She nourished our bodies with her cooking and filled our hearts with her stories, her charm, her outlook. We spent time looking at photos, talking about her days as a Ghetto prisoner during WWII (which is more commonly known in Russia as "The Great Patriotic War"), and asking about her Jewish memories growing up. A great start, indeed.
Later that day we had our first of four Passover Seders. This trip was full of "firsts," and having Seder in a disco bar was certainly a biggie. We jumped right in and immediately I could sense that things would go well. Because most Russian Jews have limited Jewish knowledge - after so many decades of Soviet oppression - it could have been a really difficult evening. But no, the people were warm and receptive and excited about learning. We found common ground - in songs like Tum Balalyka (a great old Yiddish tune) and Hava Nagila. We taught and we learned, just as it should be.
The night ended too soon and early the next morning we already found ourselves heading to the next stop on our "tour" - Lipetsk. We had two full days there to discover a thriving Jewish community - complete with social services, youth groups, holiday celebrations, weekly Shabbat gatherings, etc. It was so inspiring to see this! And on top of what we saw in the community, we were hosted by two of the warmest people ever - Grecia and Vera. We couldn't understand a word they said (Slava was working overtime with the translating), but we could see that they were so kind. We led two Seders in Lipetsk - one for a group of elderly Jews and one for the general community with over 100 people. Lots of great energy, crazy dancing, active participation, and fun surprises. We were on a roll…
Next we were off to Tambov, a city even further south from Moscow. Although we were feeling physically exhausted by this time, we were emotionally high and ready for more. Tambov, we were happy to see, had a very active youth group with daily programs and projects for the kids to be involved with. They were learning Hebrew, about the Holocaust, about Israel, the holidays, etc. Fantastic! In addition to the Seder, we also led a program for the youth and organized an art project at the Sunday school.
By the time we got on our overnight train back to Moscow, I felt like I had lived another lifetime. Again, I watched the Russian countryside go by as I revisited my 5-day-old questions and assumptions. While recognizing that our experiences were mostly limited to the Jewish communities, I came away with a clearer picture of life in rural Russia.
A couple of interesting observations:
* It was surprising to learn that many Russians have warm memories of Soviet times. In fact, I would even dare say that there are those who long for those times still. When I asked people about this, they mentioned two things - the current economy (definitely not great) and the strong sense of national pride that was always present throughout the years of communism. I'm certain this is much more complex than I can even guess, but it's a start to the process of understanding, and it certainly taught me a lesson about making assumptions.
* Russia's people are our people!! Mark and I were immediately struck by how many faces looked familiar to us, how many people reminded us of someone we knew. It makes sense. After all, most Ashkenazi Jews have roots in the area of the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. One evening an older woman sang a Yiddish song to me and I was in tears because I felt like I could have been listening to my great-great-grandmother in a whole different time.
A couple funny stories (of many!):
* While suffering from a sneezing attack, a woman told me that she wished she could send the problems in my nose to Iraq. What an expression!
* A very large Russian woman named Natasha put eardrops in my nose because she was convinced that they would solve the problem of my ear infection (I would have resisted, but she was a doctor…it was only later that I found out she was an OB/GYN). Scary!
* Our host in Lipestk brought out homemade whiskey for us to try and then we started seeing it at every event there. We started calling it "whiskey on wheels." Mark came home with a bottle for his "Single Malt Torah" sessions with his buddies.
OK, I realize this is getting unreasonably long … hang in there!
The second part of trip was spent on our own in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city of Moscow is huge and signs of Soviet times are everywhere (grand structures, statues of Lenin, etc.). The highlight, of course, was the Kremlin and Red Square. Absolutely stunning. St. Petersburg's beauty was unparalleled, though, and our two days there were spent taking in all the sights (in this city, even the post office is a sight to see).
We flew back to Israel with mixed emotions - on one hand we weren't ready to leave Russia, on another hand we were excited to be back "home" to Jerusalem, and on yet another hand we were thinking about our impending departure from Israel. "No sleep," we said, this is the answer. There's still so much to do before May 23rd…
And as I mentioned, this is a very special time of the year in Israel. Last week was Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), always an emotional experience. At 11:00 am in the morning, all across the country, a siren is sounded and the country literally stops. I was downtown and every single car stopped right in the middle of the street, the passengers got out and joined the pedestrians and shop owners in a moment of silence while the siren went on. Then this week was Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Independence Day). In fact, the moment Memorial Day ends, Independence Day begins. Going so quickly from a time of sadness to jubilation is intense. It's no coincidence these two days fall like this. It's the way here.
For new pictures from our Russia trip and the recent holidays in Israel:
https://millers18.tripod.com/recent.html
OK, let me leave you with a bit of great news - my best friend, Nili, is engaged to be married!! I'm off in a few minutes to a celebration in her honor. I'm beyond thrilled and can't wait to dance with her in August…
All my best to you. Thanks for your notes and interest in the Russia trip. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you in the near future and to catching up on all that has been happening.
Much love,
Rachel Ann
