Georgian Shabbat - Part 1

On Friday night I decided to go to the Choral Synagogue again. Who knew that there's a Georgian Jewish community that meets in the small chapel upstairs. I have a feeling that the majority of the people that attended the shul last weekend on Saturday morning were Ashkenazim and most likely attend the nearby Chabad on Friday nights. I didn't realize it was Georgian until I saw a color weekly newsletter written in Hebrew, Georgian, and Russian. Why in the world would I know Georgian script when I saw it? Don't ask, let's just say it has to do with pipelines. I don't know how these Jews came to settle here in St. Petersburg; they probably came at some point prior to the fall of the FSU. They were very welcoming to me, and all of them came up to say Shabbat Shalom to me at the end of the services.

I have to admit it brought back a lot of memories from France. When I studied there, I also went often to a Sephardic synagogue, and there are a number of similarities to how that largely North African community conducted its services and this one. For one, the sephardic custom for Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming the Sabbath) is to go around the room singing one line of the Song of Songs at a time. It's kind of a free for all: the man who is singing loud enough after about 5 seconds gets to finish the sentence. So, that creates a very confusing experience if you don't know where they are.

One big difference between this community and the one in France is the level of education about the Jewish prayer service and traditions. The man sitting next to me was reading a Georgian transliteration of it; there was no Hebrew at all in his book. A number of times in the service the men argued about how to complete a prayer or which prayer should be next. It is pretty amazing how suppressed these communities have been and how they are trying to re-learn the traditions of their ancestors.

I also remembered from France last night that I will never be able to replicate or sound like a praying Sephardi. The normal tune has a sort of staccato rhythm, with quick, unmelodic high and low notes, and with little fluctuations at the end of each sentence that have very little rhyme or reason. Let's just say that when I try to sing along I sound like a combination of a wet cat and an off-key yodeler. One interesting thing was that at the end of the service they all made their way up to the Ark cover and gave it a kiss. Then, one of the men, Yaakov, invited me to dinner next week. I look forward to filling you all in on the cuisine.

Not going hungry, that's for sure

My family will be happy to know that I'm not going hungry here. It's amazing how a European-"style" city has so many stores that are open 24 hours. Even the grocery store is open till 11 at night, which is completely the opposite from other parts of Europe where everything closes at 8 and isn't open on at least one day a week. Here, there are fruit stands on almost every corner, and I have a big grocery store that's a five minute walk away. Tonight my host mother (yes, I believe her hair is fuschia) made me some delicious Ratatouille and what are called Vareniki. These pierogi-like pouches come in many varieties, but she made the dough from scratch and then put (slightly sour and smaller than American) cherries inside with some sugar. It's served with a kind of sour cream called Cmetana, not sure if this is where the name for shmetna came from. Very very good, besides the pits that were in the cherries. But I'm not complaining. That's all for today.

Adjusting to St. Petersburg

Sorry it's been awhile since I last wrote, but it's been a time consuming couple of days getting adjusted to where my classes are and figuring out how to get around. They have these things here called Marschrutkas and they’re basically communal taxis that run around the city and will pick you up anywhere and drop you off anywhere for only one more rouble (about 4 cents) than taking a bus, tram, or the Metro. After taking 2 wrong busses yesterday I am finally beginning to figure out the system here. It makes it pretty convenient actually. I was able to get to the US Consulate today on the other side of town by only walking about 5 minutes total.
This is my view on the way to class:
So, my first class was a little over my head. I saw a bunch of the people that had taken the same placement test with me outside one of the classrooms, and looking at my schedule, not realizing that it was Tuesday, not Monday, I went to the wrong room. Today's class, the right one, was a little too easy/slow, so tomorrow hopefully it'll be just right.

I was told by multiple people here that I really ought to go to Talinn (in Estonia). I’ve had to deal with some [St. Petersburg State] University bureaucracy to both register my current visa (which everyone has to do) and then try to get a multi-entry VISA to go to an EU country. To do that you must have an AIDS test. So it’s a funny thing though in the clinic. You have to wear these little blue booties over your shoes to help avoid bringing dirt into the building. As it turns out since almost all the students around the university wear these really high pointy heels, they just break right through the little coverings. It's kind of amusing to see these women in heels (and miniskirts) walking out of the nurse’s office and holding a big wad of cotton over their arms. But after much contemplation, and after being told that to expedite my VISA processing at all it’s going to be an extra $60 (after having had the AIDS test of course), I decided there is plenty to see in this country. Tallinn’s not going anywhere.

For example, I realized yesterday, during my free time in the afternoon, that I am able to get into the Hermitage for free. After walking around the Summer Gardens and getting a sun burnt forehead, I took a little stroll through the museum. At most of the most famous museums in the world there’s climate control, but not at the Hermitage. I would assume that since it never really gets above 80 here they don’t really need it. But as I walked around hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gauguin, and Picasso, among many others, I couldn’t help but wonder if the 85 degrees inside, let alone the sunlight shining directly on some of the paintings, was damaging them.

Church of the Savior of the Blood (Site of the assassination of Czar Alexander II)

A Matisse in the Hermitage:

The view from the Hermitage ( I hope to get up there again soon to take this picture properly):

On a different note, I have mentioned before that I'm getting involved with the JDC while I'm here and I've been asked to help continue an English discussion club for some 20-30 year old Russians (I'm told no one asks whether they are Jewish or not, supposedly they've been found through various online networks). They meet in a brand new building called YESOD, similar to a JCC in the states, and paid for primarily by the Cleveland Federation along wiht other Jewish Organizations around the world. It's the largest center of Jewish life in Eastern Europe, and it's pretty amazing that a community close to my hometown helped put it here. I'm helping lead the discussion with another American law student from Boston, and this week was our first meeting we ran on our own, without the help of the two JDC volunteers who are leaving next week. I can't really talk about my impressions of the group since I haven't had a chance to get to know them very well, but I hope to write more about it in upcoming weeks.

Western (kosher-keeping) Man vs. Russia

If you're not familiar with Bear Grylls, the star of Man vs. Wild, a show on the Discovery channel (I think on friday nights) you should be. It's an amazing show, teaching you all kinds of survival techniques. I've had to use a share of my own today in my last day before classes. Of course, I'm exaggerating, but when my Babushka served me a plate of perch she'd fried that still had most of the scales on it, and was only half cooked, I thought to myself if Bear could do it (see the video of him eating raw fish) then I should be able to. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, seeing as how I know i've butchered half the words I say to her in Russian, and I'm sure i've already offended her somehow. I ended up asking her to cook it just a little more for me. I've been eating fine otherwise and I'm really happy that I packed all eight of those Clif bars and the peanut butter.

At around 9 tonight, to my surprise I looked out the window and the sky was blue. I was so excited that I went outside for a little walk and took a couple pictures.

Some of you have asked me what my general impressions are of this city, and I think it's going to take some getting used to. I knew Moscow would be gritty from movies, books, etc, but I just thought St. Petersburg would be similar to some of the pristine European cities I've visited before. I was wrong. I would say it's quite the opposite (outside the heaviliy touristed parts). Much of the city is under construction of some kind and almost every single sidewalk is filled with huge ditches either roped off or half filled with gravel. The soviet-style administrative buildings are still everywhere, but interspersed between some very pretty architecture.


I also went for what was supposed to have been a 40 minute run but turned in to an hour when i made a wrong turn. Luckily I had a map with me. Besides the dumbfounded looks I got from almost everyone I passed today, the worst part was a little pipsqueak dog lunged at my leg. I'm pretty good about watching out for larger ones but now I'll be more careful next time.

One thing that's made me very happy is the host family has a dog named Keri. I'll try to get a better picture sometime but she was not cooperating. I learned the word for Daisy is Margaritka :-(.

Some pictures...

Pretty building. Guess who owns it?







The regional St. Petersburg (SPB) affiliate of Gazprom.

There was a wedding party taking pictures near the Bronze Horseman (statue of Peter the Great).

St. Isaac's Cathedral