When in Russia...

We've had some fascinating, truly Russian experiences over the past few days. First, there is an election coming up, so the streets are covered in political advertisements. There are also tons of people paid to hand out fliers--you can't leave a Metro station without being accosted by them. I've been collecting everything I can get my hands on, examining the similarities and differences with American campaign literature. I even found a flier that used Valentine's Day symbolism--two polar bears kissing over a big red heart--to push a political party, even though Valentine's Day is not a Russian holiday! I won't say any more about the upcoming election, except to point you towards this New York Times article. Second, we got a package from America, and it only took 4 months to get here! Who says the Russian mail is inefficient?

We also went to go register with the local government. It was a crazy experience that I can't talk about in detail on the blog. For now, suffice it to say that when a mean, fur-wearing Russian lady decided to grab Alyson and push me when we jumped ahead of her in line (we had been smart and made an appointment!), I nearly lost it. I yelled at her, in my best Russian, "What the hell?" She responded by calling me "not normal." If being rude and aggressive is normal, then yes, I'm not normal. Anyway, if you're interested in hearing more, email me.

On the work side of things, I have been having some success with an idea that I had to help Russian Jewish students work in the States as summer camp counselors at Jewish camps. I had such a fantastic time at Ramah (Palmer and Darom), and I want these young people to be able to share the American sleep-away camp experience. Along the way, they'll gain valuable skills and excitement about Jewish life, which they will bring back to invigorate this community. Over the past few weeks, I've received dozens of phone calls and emails expressing interest, and yesterday five students stopped by my office to formally apply.

It has been quite funny as cross-cultural issues continue to creep up through the application process. For example, one student wanted to know if she would be able to check email from camp. Why? Because, on a previous trip to the States, when she tried to check her email, she found that ALL the Russian websites at her host family's house were blocked because they were ALL considered inappropriate for children! Also, Camp America, the international company we are working with, has a policy that all applicants have to submit their parents' tax returns. But, because many Russians avoid taxes through special arrangements with their employers, they have seperate procedures specifically for Russian applicants! Lastly, a common question I ask the applicants is, "Would you like to work at a religious camp and, if so, how religious?" You should see the look on their faces--they suddenly turn petrified, because the only exposure they have had to religious Judaism is the Chabad synagogue here. When I try to explain to them that, hey, there are many branches of Judaism, and you can work at a kosher camp, Shabbat-observant camp, Conservative camp, JCC camp, etc., all I get are perplexed looks. The reaction of these Russian students further emphasizes the need to get them to the States, where they can see firsthand what it means to have pluralistic, multi-faceted opportunities for Jewish expression.

Now, I just have to find them camps to work at, so if you have any connections with overnight Jewish camp directors, please send them my way!