A year in Dnepropetrovsk
An American volunteer in UkraineMay travels: St. Petersburg and Moscow
Actually, these pictures are only from Moscow. The St. Petersburg ones are, unfortunately, on my mother’s camera in NY, where they will stay until September, when I load them onto the computer. For now, you will have to do without the beautiful views of Peter’s many palaces, rivers, and museums and instead content yourselves with Moscow’s historical and inspiring statues, churches, and gardens.
Bliny with red caviar
After traveling for two weeks in Russia, I returned to Ukraine with the great desire to eat caviar and sip champagne (very rare delicacies here, whereas every restaurant in Moscow and Saint Petersburg will offer these on the menu). I splurged and prepared the most delicious homecoming treat in this part of the world!
Read the full recipe here.
May travels: opening of the new Hesed building in Krivoy Rog
May 12, 2009 the new Hesed building in Krivoy Rog, now named the Beit Graham Jewish Home, was officially opened for business! In town for the celebration were not only all of the JDC Dnepropetrovsk staff members and those who work at Krivoy Rog Hesed, but hundreds of members of the Krivoy Rog Jewish community, as well as over forty English donors who flew in for the occasion.
Krivoy Rog, located in the westernmost part of the Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, is the longest city in the world. Its main roads, all connected in one straightaway, stretch 140 km in length. There are only a couple of blocks on each side of this main road; the city is, essentially, this main thoroughfare.
May travels: Den’ Pobedy in Odessa
I left Metsudah early to do some touring of Odessa proper. I stayed with Sol and Dina, the JDC volunteers in Odessa, for four days, hanging out with them and seeing the Jewish and touristy parts of the city. They then left for Metsudah, and my friend and colleague Yulia came in to spent the last day with me in Odessa before taking the overnight train with me back to Dnepropetrovsk.
May travels: Metsudah
The second installment of the four-week leadership conference, Metsudah. This session was held the first week of May in a city not an hour from Odessa, by the Black Sea. The hotel, as you can see, was China themed (even though the main courtyard had Ukrainian khatas, or huts, in it), and so the madrichim, or counsellors, took that theme and ran with it.
International Worker’s Day, or May Day
May 1. It’s pretty much what it sounds like. It’s the celebration of the worker. Only you can imagine that in the Former Soviet Union it’s even more of a big deal. I was on my way to the synagogue to catch the mashrutka (bus… sort of. Like a van) to the Shabbaton, and I caught the end of the parade along Karl Marx Prospect to Lenin Square, where a big rally was being held with flags and balloons and speeches. You can see for yourself:
Paskha, the Russian Easter
Like in many European Catholic countries, Paskha is a weeklong festival. For the very religious, there are church ceremonies beginning a week in advance, but the most important days are the last four: Great Thursday (also known as “Clean Thursday,” because this day is dedicated to a thorough spring cleaning), Friday of the Passion, Great Saturday, and finally Paskha itself on Sunday. For some, Saturday is a fast day, broken after the Paskhal vigil church service, which ends at midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning. After that, the Paskha feast can begin!
JCC Oscars
In the past two years, the Jewish Community Center has made four films, including Purimspiel, the silent film we made at Sunday school. On April 19 the JCC held an Oscars ceremony to celebrate these films and those who participated in the process of creating them. The JDC Jerusalem group, visiting eastern Ukraine for the week, attended as well. My friend Yulia and I sang a Hebrew song, HaLev, between film screenings. It was quite a celebration.
