"Getting It"
As you can tell from my previous posts, the work here can be pretty tough and draining sometimes. We struggle to make sure the people we are working with, be they professionals or children, "get it." What does that mean, you ask? Well, I can't define it exactly, but it happens when an individual suddenly understands that the Jewish people, wherever they live, are linked and responsible for one another (said beautifully in Hebrew, kol yisrael arevim zeh l'zeh). Moreover, "getting it" involves more than just arriving at this realization--it involves a commitment to take action and make a difference in the world. In order to "get it," one has to open their mind and heart, which is difficult in these tumultuous times. Helping this community "get it" has been a real challenge and can really leave us mentally and physically exhausted. But occasionally, we have powerful experiences that re-charge our batteries and give us the energy to get from one day to the next. After the antics and hijinks of Thursday night's run-in with the St. Petersburg police, we had two moving moments over the past two days.
First, on Friday night, we partnered with St. Petersburg Hillel--conveniently located down the hall from our office--on "Amerikansky Shabbat." The idea was simple: to bring American tunes, spirit, and even cuisine to Hillel for one special Friday night.
We were excited as services began and our little gathering kept expanding, and expanding, and expanding--in the end, nearly 40 people attended!
I lead the services, teaching a Carlebach tune that I love and generally leading a typical Conservative Friday night service. After many years of Hebrew Day School, Camp Ramah, and Hillel, it was great to share my traditions with the young people here. But more importantly, I shared some important concepts that I thought would maybe impact the crowd. For example, we started with an icebreaker designed to get the Russians meeting each other and creating new relationships (see my post about introductions, below). We also talked about the amazing amount of choice in America where, in the city of Washington alone, one can choose from over 60 synagogues and a dozen Hillels (in stark contrast to St. Petersburg's three options of Reform, Chabad, and Hillel). I spoke in my bumbling Russian, with regular help from a student who volunteered to be my translator, and I think the students appreciated my attempt to speak their language.
Alyson's contribution, as always, outshined mine. She baked both oatmeal and chocolate-chip cookies, cut vegetables and made dip, and generally created a smorgasbord of food. We were even able to have bagels and cream cheese delivered to YESOD for the students; the bagels were donated by a local baker that we contacted. As we sang "Shalom Aleichem," "Hineih Ma-tov," and "V'shamru"--to the same tunes that Jews all over the world sing--we realized that these students were starting to get it.
The next night, we were invited to another unique event that reinforced why being posted in St. Petersburg is so special. We had a group of influential donors in from Norfolk, Virginia, as well as JDC's head of fundraising. Everyone around the table "got it"--these people were willing to sacrifice their time and energy, talk to complete strangers, and give generously of their financial resources, for the sake of helping the global Jewish community. We had a fantastic conversation, and there was a very interesting dynamic going on throughout the meal. As we were recharging our batteries from seeing just how committed and dedicated these lay leaders were, I think they were also gaining strength and rejuvenation from seeing the passion that we brought with us to the table and this foreign city. It was a meaningful evening that we won't soon forget.
Of course, we also have to have some fun, and this weekend we finally made it to the Hermitage! This is a picture of us in the tsarina's dressing room, one of thousands of rooms in the Winter Palaces.
To see the video we took, Click here.
For pictures, click here.
First, on Friday night, we partnered with St. Petersburg Hillel--conveniently located down the hall from our office--on "Amerikansky Shabbat." The idea was simple: to bring American tunes, spirit, and even cuisine to Hillel for one special Friday night.
We were excited as services began and our little gathering kept expanding, and expanding, and expanding--in the end, nearly 40 people attended!I lead the services, teaching a Carlebach tune that I love and generally leading a typical Conservative Friday night service. After many years of Hebrew Day School, Camp Ramah, and Hillel, it was great to share my traditions with the young people here. But more importantly, I shared some important concepts that I thought would maybe impact the crowd. For example, we started with an icebreaker designed to get the Russians meeting each other and creating new relationships (see my post about introductions, below). We also talked about the amazing amount of choice in America where, in the city of Washington alone, one can choose from over 60 synagogues and a dozen Hillels (in stark contrast to St. Petersburg's three options of Reform, Chabad, and Hillel). I spoke in my bumbling Russian, with regular help from a student who volunteered to be my translator, and I think the students appreciated my attempt to speak their language.
Alyson's contribution, as always, outshined mine. She baked both oatmeal and chocolate-chip cookies, cut vegetables and made dip, and generally created a smorgasbord of food. We were even able to have bagels and cream cheese delivered to YESOD for the students; the bagels were donated by a local baker that we contacted. As we sang "Shalom Aleichem," "Hineih Ma-tov," and "V'shamru"--to the same tunes that Jews all over the world sing--we realized that these students were starting to get it.
The next night, we were invited to another unique event that reinforced why being posted in St. Petersburg is so special. We had a group of influential donors in from Norfolk, Virginia, as well as JDC's head of fundraising. Everyone around the table "got it"--these people were willing to sacrifice their time and energy, talk to complete strangers, and give generously of their financial resources, for the sake of helping the global Jewish community. We had a fantastic conversation, and there was a very interesting dynamic going on throughout the meal. As we were recharging our batteries from seeing just how committed and dedicated these lay leaders were, I think they were also gaining strength and rejuvenation from seeing the passion that we brought with us to the table and this foreign city. It was a meaningful evening that we won't soon forget.
Of course, we also have to have some fun, and this weekend we finally made it to the Hermitage! This is a picture of us in the tsarina's dressing room, one of thousands of rooms in the Winter Palaces.To see the video we took, Click here.
For pictures, click here.
posted by Matt Fieldman at 6:28 PM
2 Comments:
Very nice idea to make a video! One comment I wanted to make though: you mention tunes that Jews all over the world use. One thing I am learning here is that different Jews use VERY different tunes, which can make a service you thought you knew backwards seem entirely foreign. So many ways to sing the same verses!
Good call with the email -- I realized yesterday I haven't been keeping as up-to-date with the bogs as I would have liked. But now I'm all caught up! Love and miss you guys tons and can't wait to hear you come back speaking Russian!
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