Hevruta: Jewish Knowledge Day at the Minsk Jewish Campus

The following article is from the Minsk Jewish Campus Website.

At 8pm on March 9, 2008, over 500 participants of “Hevruta” — Jewish Knowledge Day, left the Minsk Jewish Campus. They looked tired, but extremely happy — they spent 10 hours of their Sunday studying Jewish tradition and history, making new discoveries about Jewish heritage and modern research on burning Jewish issues. Each and every participant expressed hope that such a large scale educational event will take place in the Minsk Jewish Campus regularly.

It took over six months for the organizers to get everything ready for the event. There were lots of disputes and various ideas of how the “most perfect Hevruta” was to be held. Despite different views and arguments, the day was a great success and people want the initiative to be continued.

“We are happy we managed to involve many new people and volunteers in the “getting ready for Hevruta” process — they sewed textile tote bags for each participant, decorated the MJC halls where the activities took place, assisted in registration, prepared materials for booklets, and did other important things for Hevruta to become a real community event.

We also would like to express our deepest appreciation of the support provided for the event by the Ginsburg family and AJJDC ,” — said one of the organizers.

The event participants wrote wonderful comments in the Hevruta participant guest book:

…It was a real holiday! The lectures were so interesting and informative. We wanted to be present at all lectures simultaneously. This event was a great opportunity for communication. Thank you, Hevruta!

…Thank you for great lecturers and great Jewish atmosphere!

… Thank you for the opportunity to become one of the participants of this really Jewish event. Can it be held annually?

Aliyitchka's Hevruta Session

I chose to teach two sessions on one of my favorite Jewish traditions: the bedtime "Shma" and "Modeh Ani," said upon waking. Since each of these passages are traditionally recited before and after going to sleep, I thought it would be both interesting and practical to decorate pillows with the words of the Shma on one side, and Modeh Ani on the other.

First, participants who were unfamiliar with this tradition learned the words of each passage and their origins. Next, everyone got to craft their very own pillow with the words transliterated into Russian.I had a great time teaching this session and learning from the other volunteers in their sessions as well.

The Jews of Minsk simply can't wait for the next Hevruta!

(Giddy after a long day of Hevruta fun, I politely asked the jazz musician if I might momentarily sit down in his drum case. That's a normal request, right?)

Babushka

Holy Carp!

"Some carp are much more lovable than others, and that Passover, we had an unusually playful and intelligent carp in our bathtub"
-"The Carp in the Bathtub"

One of my favorite children's books is "The Carp in the Bathtub." Until coming to Minsk, "The Carp in the Bathtub" was purely a fictional tale for me. But one of the most thrilling things about living in Minsk is to experience "The Carp in the Bathtub" as reality:

There's nothing quite like opening the door to the bathroom in a friend's apartment and being greeted with the sight of 9 carp swimming around (ok, some were unfortunately bobbing upside down) in the tub. I realize that some of these carp look a little less playful and intelligent than the ones in the book...

Happy Defenders of the Motherland Day!

Real Belarusian Males

Popularly referred to as "Man Day," February 23rd is a Belarusian holiday designated for the celebration of those of the masculine persuasion, specifically those who serve in the Belarusian armed forces. Little boys, adult men, and grandfathers alike are given gifts and praised, as they represent the defenders of Belarus. There's nothing quite like "Man Day" to reinforce strong gender identities!

So how do the Minskers celebrate their noble men?
First, since Day of Motherland Defenders and Armed Forces is a national holiday, there are usually wreath laying ceremonies and speeches given by high ranking officials.



Second, there are fireworks ceremonies in the national colors of Belarus, red, green and white, all over the city on the night of "Man Day."

(P.S. The fireworks in honor of New Years only stopped happening every night about one week ago...but I digress...)

Even Belarusian cellular telephone company, Velcom, offers a special Motherland Defenders Day deal!

And what do Minskettes do for their manly compatriots? Quite like the platoons and battalions they celebrate, scores of women storm the men's departments of the national stores like GUM and TZUM in search of the perfect present. Popular gifts include cologne, neckties, pens, and underwear, especially in camouflage print.

TZUM="Central Universal Store"

It was actually in TZUM that I learned just how fun shopping for "Man Day" can be. I was thinking that the abundance of women's events offered by Moishe House Minsk is a tad discriminatory, so we decided to offer a males only "Man Day" event. Natasha and I wanted to present our man friends with Moishe House Minsk logo undies. This required going to TZUM and requesting from the friendly store clerk, 12 pairs of white boxer-briefs in various sizes, and some permanent markers for printing our logo.

Imagine:

Me: "Excuse me, can I have 12 white underpants please?"
Clerk: "12?" (She looked at me like I was either an idiot or socially deviant. I couldn't tell which.)
Me: "Da"
Clerk: (She started handing me men's thong-style underwear.)
Me: "Uh. Nyet. Different ones, please"
Clerk: "We only have 9 pairs of regular white underwear." (She paused while impatient women behind me in line started to fume.)
Me: "What about those?" (I pointed to the very large pile of what can only be described as many more than 9 pairs of exactly what I was asking for.)
Clerk: "Uh huh." (She handed me more and more pairs as I counted them in Russian. Under the intensity of the moment, I blanked at the number 7. Older woman behind poked me with her umbrella, kindly reminding me, "syem!")
Me: "12 pairs, ok, that's enough. Thank you."


I paid and was on my merry way to the stationary department to do it all over again, but this time I only needed one red permanent marker for printing "Moishe House Minsk" on the triumphantly obtained unmentionables.

Natasha has great printing skills!

So the man-friends of Moishe House Minsk had their male-only event which included both fun, and learning about influential chemist and Jewish hero, Chaim Weizmann.

Hooray (Ooorah! in Russian) for Motherland Defenders and for the XY chromosomed contingent of Moishe House Minsk!

Presenting the bold, brave, strapping, and resolute! Moishe House Minsk Man Friends!

Legumes in Classrooms

Last post, I wrote that in my Mazal Tov class, we sprouted beans and planted them for Tu B'shvat. Well, they've grown very fast. Three-year-old Stasik's bean plant is the tallest one. Ironically, he's the smallest child in the class!

Take a look:

Santas, Seminar, and Sprouting Beans

It all began with a little New Years party we decided to throw here at Moishe House Minsk. A little party that lasted over 48 hours...

(The party starts!)

(And many hours later... It seems the party has ended.)

In Minsk, January is not a quiet month. You see, the Belarusians love their New Years, and all the tinsel, Father Frosts, chatchkes, "New Year trees," and fireworks that go along with it. The Belarusians love their New Years so much that even today, January 25th, people are still setting off fireworks in the streets. So, in honor of what has undeniably been the longest celebration of my life, I raise my glass to you and acclaim, "C NOVOM GODOM!" "Happy New Year!"

But that's not all I've been up to this month. I also paid a visit to the Holy Land with my fellow Jointnik volunteers from all over the world for a wonderfully informative and enjoyable seminar. We learned together and shared stories that you probably wouldn't believe unless you too were placed in a country where you didn't know the language and the culture was completely unfamiliar. We learned that fellow Jointniks might be the only ones who can truly relate to our stories "from the field." We could all sympathize, if not empathize, with the volunteer who was required to give a stool sample in order to be granted a residency permit in the country, and the volunteer whose bathtub was moved into the kitchen for a week for plumbing repairs, and even the volunteer who "never really figured out how to do laundry" in his/her placement.... Oh fellow Jointniks, we have a special bond!

And there's much more to add to this whirlwind of a month... Let's not forget the Jewish Birthday of the Trees: Tu B'Shvat!

But on the fifteenth of Shvat, when I looked out my window and I saw this,


I couldn't help but sing the famous children's Tu B'Shvat song, "The Almond Tree is Blooming," with a lingering question mark at the end. "The Almond Tree is Blooming?" Really? Where?


But sometimes our Jewish holidays come right at the time we need them the most! It's more or less the dead of winter here, but there will be a spring (it's my mantra, in fact!) and that's enough reason to celebrate today.


And celebrate, we did! We had a kabalistic Tu B'Shvat seder here at Moishe House Minsk, and I sprouted beans for planting with my Mazel Tov students. Everyone enjoyed eating traditional Tu B'Shvat foods native to Eretz Yisrael, like dried fruit, nuts, pomegranates, and olives.


I hope that I helped make it an enjoyable holiday for contemplating our relationship with the natural world, even if our natural world is frozen right now... Happy Tu B'Shvat!

Krazy About KEFIR!

...and 10 more things I love about Minsk:




1. I can use my balcony as an extra refrigerator.

2. Diminutives. Even cars here are called "Mazdachkas" and "Toyotichkas."

3. The food. If you smile at your plate of beets, pickles, noodles, and mystery cutlet, it will smile back.

4. Adults (and I) shamelessly collect stuffed animals!

5. BelaKola, the "Belarusian People's Cola!"

6. Frolicking in the snow.

7. Pickled everything

8. Going to the banya (Russian sauna) and being beaten with birch leaves to "improve circulation." Where else could you get this VIP spa treatment?

9. Fur for all!

10. The Jewish community, of course!