It's a Dirty Job...

Every day here in Russia is an adventure, because almost everything we do here, we do for the first time. Yesterday was a perfect example: I got a chance to participate in a community-wide event which has a long tradition here in SPB, but of course I was a total newbie and had no idea what to expect. Alyson was gracious and selfless in teaching my Sunday English class at EVA (thanks, sweetie!) so that I could participate in the community's commemoration of Yom Hashoah through cleaning up the local Jewish cemetery. Looking out over the crowd of about 350, I was excited to see the participation of so many individuals representing so many different organizations. It amazed me how the community really embraced this event, as representatives from Adain Lo, EVA, the Sochnut, Chabad, Hillel, and more came out to get their hands dirty to perform the mitzvah of kavod ha-met (honoring the dead). To see a video of one of the performances--a really beautiful Yiddish song--click here.

The Jewish cemetery is quite large, and has fallen into disrepair over the past 20 years or so as the daily upkeep is too big a job for the cemetery's two elderly caretakers. Walking through the cemetery (founded in 1875), it was upsetting to see the number of people who died in pogroms, during the Leningrad Blockade, and of various hungers and famines; on the bright side, you see the diversity of the community as you read the first names: Grigory, Dmitri, Nikolai, and Anna, interspersed amongst Fruma, Lev, Yakov, and Sarah (I can't imagine what it must have been like to live under the Soviet Union with such a distinctively-Jewish name, but that's another story...). In Russian tradition, many of the graves had likenesses and pictures of the dead etched into or attached to the gravestones. I wasn't shocked by the decrepit state of some of the graves, because I had seen it in other Eastern European cemeteries, but it was sad to see the gravestones crumbling, as the last memories of these people give way to the onward movement of time and nature.

Mostly, we spent the day raking dead leaves, picking up trash, and cleaning off the pictures. I fell in with a group of two Israelis and a local Chabadnik--talk about a mish-mash collection of people! As I've mentioned many times in past posts, it's easy to get wrapped up in the tough questions: "Are we doing enough here in SPB? Will our contributions be remembered? Are we truly making a difference for years to come?" For one day, though, I was happy to find an answer. Although the leaves may continue falling, and the trash will continue accumulating, I think spending the day in that cemetery was the best thing I could have done that day. Standing alongside other members of the community, working towards a common goal, and doing a great mitzvah together--those are the things that truly make a difference and will be remembered for years to come. It's a dirty job, but I'm happy to do it.

My cleaning buddies, from left to right: Vadim, Yaara, Leigh, and Leah.