City of my Birth
We spent the first part of the day in Cherkassy, meeting with and interviewing leaders of the Jewish community. After seeing the sights and remains of synagogues past yesterday, we saw the only functioning synagogue today. Rather, a few rooms in a community center that acts as the only synagogue in Cherkassy today. Among the fascinating information I learned today: Cherkassy was once as much as 50% Jewish; the Jewish community buildings are not clearly marked as such from the street; the Cherkassy Jewish Community was adopted by JFed New Jersey years ago, and it’s largely thanks to them that the Jewish community has a synagogue at all.
City of my Name
Stopping to buy some piroshki from some babushkas on the side of the road for lunch, we headed to Kiev – the city my family was named after. There is still a large, thriving Jewish community here, and things seem to be much better for them today. Although, in confidence, someone told me that she doesn’t use her daughter’s real name, Ya’el, on the streets, calling her by an unrelated and completely Ukranian name instead, so as not to raise any questions. I immediately thought of at least two friends named Ya’el in Los Angeles. How odd would that principle seem to them?
The only place here I remembered and recognized was the circus — a grandiose building (more precisely, I remember climbing the front steps to go to the circus when I was a child). I got to interview the head of The Jewish Agency for Israel here in Ukraine. Tomorrow, he will introduce us to some of the heads of the Jewish community here.
I wish I had a camera phone (that didn’t have prohibitive internet fees) to share some pictures, but there are plenty to come.