The original vision for this trip was to visit the birthplaces of our grandfathers - Samuel Greenberg and Manuel Zimberoff. Grandpa Sam was born in Rovno - west of Kiev. Grandpa Zim was born east of Minsk. Once we discovered what it would require to get to these places, the cost, time and uncertainty became prohibitive. Reality trumped sentimentalism. That's the backdrop for our discovery today.
We are touring with a guide. A private guide. The idea seemed both indulgent and practical in the planning stage and on the ground, Bette has turned out to be our guardian angel. In ways both large (revising our itinerary on the spot to make sure we visited the oldest synagogue in Moscow and today, arranging for the visit I'm about to describe) and small (she knows where the best clean bathrooms are located (Metropole Hotel!) and makes sure Brent has ample rest stops as I'm pushing for just a few more blocks).
Today Bette has a couple of surprises for us. She says this with a gleeful and conspiratorial smile. The first surprise is a visit to "The Star of David." There is no noun after this title. In retrospect, I added the word 'oasis'. The Star of David is a smallish building inside Victory Park. It has a tiny, tiny sanctuary. We enter through radar detectors (this is common in all public places in Moscow) to a pretty much empty building, save for the guard, take a few snapshots of the temple, mostly to capture the Hebrew/Russian torahs, and as we are leaving, a young woman with nervous hands and a dry cough asks us if she want to see the Holocaust Museum? Yes, we say. (Bette will wait outside, most likely to call the driver and inform him we will NOT be at the car in 15 minutes).
The woman, maybe late 20s, escorts us down a flight of stairs. Excuse me, she says, I have to turn on the lights. Clearly this exhibit doesn't get too many visitors. The exhibit is a series of plexiglass scenes with artifacts and maps documenting the Jewish 'story' from before WWII to the present day. Paulina haltingly narrates each individual display. There are many original documents. I am scanning for Greenberg or Zimberoff. I find Schneider - my friend Joel's family name. That's as close as I get to recognizing anyone familiar. It doesn't matter though as the pictures and other trinkets salvaged from the war came from THE AREA where our family once lived. Am I seeing my great grandmother? Or a relative? It is close enough; good enough.
We made a pilgrimage today. A piece clicked into place inside. I honored ancestors ~ maybe mine, maybe yours.
An authentic Russian tank in Victory Park. Those new knees came in handy as Brent hopped on top if it!
I had to hop on as well.
Outside the Star of David.
So cool to see Russian in a temple.
This was a list of Jews moved from their homes to the "territories" pre WWII. Schneider is the surname of a very close friend.
The sanctuary at the Star of David building.
The altar.
Jews had to carry special currency in the ghetto. It was only good for limited supplies - but not medicine. Paulina told us many Jews died of common illnesses because they could not buy medicine. This is a sample coin from 1943.
Jewish money.
Photographs of many who died during the war.
The Jews continued to observe many rituals. These items were found in the ghetto.
This woman was part of the Russian resistance.
This was a pilot who survived. Here's to you Bro!
At the end of the exhibit, there are posters from a contest held in Moscow to create images capturing tolerance and acceptance.
We are touring with a guide. A private guide. The idea seemed both indulgent and practical in the planning stage and on the ground, Bette has turned out to be our guardian angel. In ways both large (revising our itinerary on the spot to make sure we visited the oldest synagogue in Moscow and today, arranging for the visit I'm about to describe) and small (she knows where the best clean bathrooms are located (Metropole Hotel!) and makes sure Brent has ample rest stops as I'm pushing for just a few more blocks).
Today Bette has a couple of surprises for us. She says this with a gleeful and conspiratorial smile. The first surprise is a visit to "The Star of David." There is no noun after this title. In retrospect, I added the word 'oasis'. The Star of David is a smallish building inside Victory Park. It has a tiny, tiny sanctuary. We enter through radar detectors (this is common in all public places in Moscow) to a pretty much empty building, save for the guard, take a few snapshots of the temple, mostly to capture the Hebrew/Russian torahs, and as we are leaving, a young woman with nervous hands and a dry cough asks us if she want to see the Holocaust Museum? Yes, we say. (Bette will wait outside, most likely to call the driver and inform him we will NOT be at the car in 15 minutes).
The woman, maybe late 20s, escorts us down a flight of stairs. Excuse me, she says, I have to turn on the lights. Clearly this exhibit doesn't get too many visitors. The exhibit is a series of plexiglass scenes with artifacts and maps documenting the Jewish 'story' from before WWII to the present day. Paulina haltingly narrates each individual display. There are many original documents. I am scanning for Greenberg or Zimberoff. I find Schneider - my friend Joel's family name. That's as close as I get to recognizing anyone familiar. It doesn't matter though as the pictures and other trinkets salvaged from the war came from THE AREA where our family once lived. Am I seeing my great grandmother? Or a relative? It is close enough; good enough.
We made a pilgrimage today. A piece clicked into place inside. I honored ancestors ~ maybe mine, maybe yours.
An authentic Russian tank in Victory Park. Those new knees came in handy as Brent hopped on top if it!
I had to hop on as well.
Outside the Star of David.
So cool to see Russian in a temple.
This was a list of Jews moved from their homes to the "territories" pre WWII. Schneider is the surname of a very close friend.
The sanctuary at the Star of David building.
The altar.
Jews had to carry special currency in the ghetto. It was only good for limited supplies - but not medicine. Paulina told us many Jews died of common illnesses because they could not buy medicine. This is a sample coin from 1943.
Photographs of many who died during the war. 
The Jews continued to observe many rituals. These items were found in the ghetto.
This woman was part of the Russian resistance. 
This was a pilot who survived. Here's to you Bro!
At the end of the exhibit, there are posters from a contest held in Moscow to create images capturing tolerance and acceptance. 
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