Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos!

We are doing well here, Shabbos-wise, all things considered. This is due in no small part to me waking up in the wee hours of the morning to start the kugel and the soup. Mendel was absolutely thrilled to have fresh kugel for breakfast. I just hope there is some left for Shabbos. I made two pies, which Mendel was eying eagerly. I hope they are still around when I get back to the house. As far as guests - not really sure yet. As usual.

I misplaced (doesn't that word sound so much better than lost?) my registration card, which one recieves upon setting foot on the holy soil of Russia, and is supposed to hold on to until departure. Oddly enough, I have everyone else's cards, and our papers that we received about registering our presence in Vladivostok.

So, of course, there is a procedure to be followed when one loses a registration card. It must be reported within three days, and a new card can be obtained at that time. So today, I went with our secretary to the immigration offices to obtain a new card. It was a relatively painless procedure, although we did get yelled at by various secretaries, as per the norm.

I am now the proud owner of a new registration card. That means that I should have no problems leaving the country next Wednesday. Please G-d.

Have a great Shabbos!

Of Hopes and Efforts

So, as everyone knows by now, the judge, a sour faced, middle aged woman, ruled against us. Yisroel was kicked out of the country, and we need to pay a fine. But he doesn't need to leave yet. She didn't even take out arguemnets of witnesses into account. So we are appealing, and praying really hard.

It's really strange - on one hand, we dont know if we will be here in a few more weeks. On the other hand, we are continuing to do what we came here to do. Which means that we are hosting lots of people, for meetings and chassidic gatherings and Shabbos meals and stuff. Catered by yours truly. And I am working hard on our next Women's Club, scheduled for February 2nd. English school is growing. The kids are learning tons ofEnglish, and about Judaism too, and I am thrilled to be teaching again. I forgot how much I loved teaching. Friday brought us a huge snowstorm, which Vladivostok was entirely unprepared for. So we had a small crowd in the synagogue on Shabbos. I was the only women, which was pretty lonely. But there were 6 men, and they really got into it. Lots of dancing and singing. Joy breaks through all boundries, as the chassidic saying goes. They want to organize a miyan for next week.

We are planning a big community gathering for next Sunday. We are going to ask people to take on mitzvos, in the merit of which, we hope, the court decision will be reversed.

It should be a busy week.

Week(s) in Review

Quick one, because I got to get home and make dinner.

1. We spent last Shabbos in Birobidzhan. Really fun trip. We flew to Khabarovsk, and then drove to Birobidzhan, usually a 2.5 hour ride, but, due to snow and icy weather, and lack of street cleaning and a car without snow wheels, it took us 5.5 hours. Then we raced to get dressed and go the bar mitzva we went in for. The have a beautiful Jewish museum there, made by the rabbi and is wife. (Well, mostly his wife who is an amazing artist.) Maybe some other day I'll post pictures.

2. I attended synagogue this past Shabbos. I've been going lately, but this week I wasn't going to, becuase only one woman shows up, and she was out of town this week. But then I went. And two ladies came! And one of then was youngish! And close to a minyan of men. And good food, including chicken soup. (Did I ever mention that our chicken came for Shabbos? We are now chicken-eating people again, haivng gone for three months without)

3. We had guests over Shabbos day - first time in a while. It was a bit draining, but really nice.

4. English school is going well. The kids really like it. I have discovered that, despite my fears, I have not forgotton how to teach. We are searching for a new place to hold it, as it is difficult to do it my living room, and another teacher.

5. Yesterday, we hosted out women's club for Tu B'shvat. A doctor came and spoke about spices. Espcially which ones are good for health, and which ones are not. Pretty boring for me, since I didn't really understand it, but the ladies really enjoyed. We sold some old copies of Mir Evreiski Zhenshina, a Russian Jewish magazine for women. So some people read the magazine during the doctor's speech, but they insisted that they enjoyed anyway. About 15 people showed up. Then we played a fun game. And everyone's really excited about our next club, which is in 3 weeks! Time to get cracking on that.

6. Some great friends of ours are making some problems for us, and insisting that we have an improper visa. The court case is on Wednesday, 3 PM. Pray for us.

A quick shout out

Hi, still here. Been really busy, with, oh, all sorts of things. Like my two adorable and very time consuming kids. And a new English club that we started, taking place every Sunday, and taught by the most qualified teacher in town (yup, you got it, that's me). And working on our ever growing and more successful (Thank G-d!) women's club. And making bread. And cutting up chicken, because, hooray, our chicken arrived from Moscow! 300 kilos of it! And writing articles, in the hope of making lots of money and winning a trip to New York for the International Shluchos Convention.

So that's what's going on with me.

In the synagogue now came to prepare for English class. I'll be getting home 1/2 hour before Shabbos, and I am about half-cooked there. Meaning, I still need to take a shower and cook about 4 hours worth of things.

So wishing you a very wonderful, happy, successful Shabbos!

The White Stuff

It snowed here for the first time yesterday.

I am trying to figure out why it never snows in Vladivostok. I don't understand it, because in the spring there is so much precipitation here, that it rains almost every day. I have asked everyone, from my babysitter to my friends to our secretary to the ladies at my women's club. The only answer I received was that it has something to do with the climate here and the geographical location. Then again, this answer was in Russian, so I may have not got it all.

So when it snowed, my babysitter and I agreed that it was especially for me.

They don't bother to plow the streets here. 2 inches of snow get driven over by thousands of cars, or walked on by hundred of feet, depending on the location. That flattens them down to just a thin layer of really slippery snow.

Since it doesn't snow that often here, the event gets blown out of proportion when it does. We began our STARS group again on Sunday, which was well recieved and decently attended despite the weather.

Mendel and I had blast with the snow today I showed him how to make snow angels, and I'm lucky saw, because the Russians are terrified of anything resembling cold. The snow wasn't wet enough to make snowballs, though.

A success!

Thursday was my Women's Club. That is not a grammatical mistake. My entire Thursday centered and revolved around my club, which was, thank G-d an unqualified success.

Plenty of people showed up - in fact, given that the event took place in my living room, I don't think we could have handled more. The atmosphere was just amazing, really warm and bonding. We learned about (drum roll here) mezuzah (never would have guessed, huh?) which was, apparently inspiring enough for 3 women to take out their wallets and purchase mezuzahs for their home. We gave charity and prayed for the Jewish people in Israel, and the soldiers fighting for them. And then we sculpted. That was really awesome. This sculptor is a big professional (despite her lack of professionalism as evidenced by taking on a lecture that was supposed to happen the same time as my club, forcing us to push off the club for an hour, and then nevertheless arriving VERY late) whose pieces are found in museums. More importantly, she knows how to teach, so he showed us how to sculpt mezuzah cases, gave lots of tips and advice, and then sat back and let the ladies have fun. I was the bad student. I was really busy talking to everyone, that I missed all the instructions. Then I had to get up, and say goodbye as the first people left, then take care of my kids . . . My mezuzah case came out ok considering all the mediating factors.

But the program was REALLY successful, and everyone is talking about how they can't wait for the next one (which is, thank G-d, a month away).

My only regret is that our camera went missing in action, and I have no pictures to prove to you just how amazing it really was. You'll have to take my word for it on this one.

Women's Club Hopes and Plans

Mezuza is the theme for Teves/January.

Unfortunately, at the last minute, we decided to change the date, because it turns out that on January the 11th, the original date,will be a 'working Sunday'.

Working Sundays are a Russian phenomenon. If there were many vacation days in a said week, Sunday, or worse, Saturday, are turned into working days, and EVERYONE goes to work or school.

So we changed the date to Thursday, which is, gulp, tomorrow.

But this is the thing. We have an awesome activity. We are sculpting mezuza covers at a sculpting place with a famous and professional sculpter.

The only thing is that no one knows about it yet. And we are charging for it. So we will see.

Hope to report on here in a few day with really awesome news about how successful the program was.

The neat looking flyer above was designed by Der Bahelfer.

Chicken Soup and Kabbalah

Every once in a while, we get Jewish visitors here.

On Friday night, we had an interesting guest. Sergei is 19 years old and he is spending the year touring the world. He spent a little while in Moscow, and his main goal is to get to Japan. So he took the TranSiberian railroad from Moscow to Vladivostok. It was six long days, he told us. He did not get off the train. He found Vladivostok, to his surprise, to be really interesting - one of his favorite cities in the world.

Anyway, he ate over Friday night. Yisroel found the poor boy to be really receptive of Judaism, and grabbed his chance to teach him the basics. So while I served my chicken soup, Yisroel explained to Sergei, a vegetarian, why, according to the kabbalah, man should eat meat and properly fulfill the hierarchy of the world. During the main course, they had a long discussion about circumcision. Sergei didn't know how lucky he was that it was Shabbos. For his part, Yisroel would have been glad to take care of matters then and there. As the meal drew to a close, Yisroel talked all about finding your true self, and getting to know your Jewish soul. Sergei insisted that he wasn't searching for anything at all on his journey around the world, but Yisroel told him that sometimes people are not even aware that they are looking.

As for Sergei, he went back to his hosts talking about what a wonderful meal he had. The only thing he specified, though, was that the rabbi has a nice wife. Glad I made an impression.

YOU can make a difference

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Or you can send all donations to:
American Friends of the Jewish Community of Vladivostok
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Winter Blues

Have you ever tried to type with gloves on? It's hard - a pretty slow process. Punching it out letter by letter.

It is cold today. I have to admit that it has been colder; today was not cold enough to numb the face. Still, weather.com says that in Vladivostok today, it is 16°F and feels like 2°F with winds gusting to 25 mph. In Celcius, which somehow sound better, that is-9°C and feels like -17°C.

The problem is not outside though. The problem is that we have cut heating in the synagogue, do to the financial crisis. The temperature here is at a steady 2°C, or just above the freezing mark, which means like I can either type like a normal person as my fingers slowly start to freeze, or type with gloves on.

Mendel and I went on a walk today. He was really dressed for the weather. I think I did well today. Only one old lady told me that it was too cold for him. Usually, I get that comment from 5 to 6 people. When we first moved here, I had one old woman tell me that I was not his mother - couldn't be, because I did not cover his ears. And have you ever heard of a mother who doesn't cover her baby's ears? Ludicrous!

I do not like winter. Only 3 more months until it starts to thaw.

Board Stiff

Way back in October we had a community meeting, mostly attended by the over 75 crowd, in which it was decided to elect a new and active board for the community.

So we met again in a very official meeting one freezing Sunday. The synagogue is not really heated, but with the aid of a few electric heaters, if one kept her coat on, she could manage, even if her coat was a thin little Esprit one that could barely handle new York winters, let alone a Vladivostok one.

At this meeting there was an honest and democratic vote. It was so honest that even though I was nominated as a candidate for the board, I was not elected. I didn’t mind though. A really good board was elected, composed of young, active people with lots of energy, some money, and good ideas.

May this board help take things to the next level, until we reach every Jew in Vladivostok!

A Video Interview of Me

Also on www.thejewishwoman.org

Pacific Port Marks Chanukah

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia – In the Russian Far East, in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, Jewish residents widely celebrated Chanukah. The main event was a concert featuring the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, which performed a whole array of music of Jewish composers, with a repertoire spanning the past three centuries.

On the first day of Chanukah, music lovers of all nationalities filled the large concert hall and joined together in marking this age-old Jewish holiday. More than six hundred spectators were only too pleased to participate in and learn about the tradition of lighting the candles of the Chanukah Menorah, in addition to enjoying an eloquent performance of Jewish composers’ greatest works.

In addition to members of the Jewish community of Vladivostok – a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia – and their guests, the concert also involved a good number of high-profile individuals who lead in their respective sphere, whether it be politics, business, education, cultural, social and humanitarian affairs.

Representatives of the Administration of Primorskiy Krai took this opportunity to congratulate Jews on the Holiday of Light, as did officials from the Vladivostok City Council and Municipal Government. Such warm wishes and salutations were also echoed by diplomats representing the Consulates of the USA, Japan, India and South Korea.

The celebration culminated in a joyous concert featured the greatest compositions of Felix Mendelsohn, Gustav Mahler, Jacques Offenbach and contemporary composer Dmitry Krymov (from Russia), a remarkable show by the Orchestra conducted by Mikhail Arkadyev, as well as a virtuoso performance by soloists Olga Benush and Mark Maryasov. The audience was thrilled with this Chanukah celebration, which also received media coverage.

From fjc.ru

Passport woes

I was in Israel for 3 weeks, and one of the main goals of the trip was obtaining new visas for us. This isn’t as easy one might think, because first we needed official invitations, which take a month to process.

It turned out that the visa wasn’t the big problem. The passport was.

Mendel has now been issued his 5^th passport. He is not yet three. I lost passport #1 in Moscow airport, and passport #2, issued in Moscow, as only valid for a year. So we reapplied for a new one in Connecticut, only passport #3 came back with the birth date written wrong. The jury is still out on if it was my mistake or the passport agency’s, out we only discovered the mistake 2 days before our scheduled return to Russia. So we flew with the passport, and all would have been fine if we weren’t applying for permanent residency. The immigration office has a whole bunch of women whose job is to find mistakes in applications. So they of course discovered that there was a discrepancy between Mendel’s birth certificate and his passport. The consulate in Vladivostok was super nice, and the helped us get passport #4 – with the corrected birthday. But then it was, unfortunately, stolen. So while in Israel, before getting a new visa for Mendel needed to correct his passport. I really wasn’t sure how to do that so I contacted the US Embassy.

Now, there are two offices for US services while in Israel. The embassy is located in Tel Aviv, and there is a consulate in East Jerusalem. Notice it is in EAST Jerusalem. The website asks that all US citizens residing in Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West bank use the East Jerusalem consulate. That should give you a good idea about the people that go, and, more importantly, work, there.

I sent both the consulate and the embassy an email asking what to do. After exchanging a few emails, the consulate in Jerusalem sent me this email:

Thank you for the additional information you sent. We have gone into the passport system to investigate further. Here is what we have discovered:

Your son, born in 2006, has already had three passports. He was issued one shortly after the birth. This one was stolen in July of this year in Moscow and a temporary replacement was issued there. When you finished your travel, you applied for a full validity replacement, which was issued in August. So far, so clear. But then the story gets murky. (they make me sound like a criminal out of a spy novel) First of all, the birthdate mistake was yours, not the State Department’s. . . BUT…the record also shows that a correction of data was filed in October. So as far as we can see, this matter has already been resolved, and we don’t understand this email request for an emergency passport.

Can you please clarify what is going on? (a long explanation followed, in which they explained why I was at fault and why most likely they would not be able to help me)

We look forward to hearing from you again with your clarification.

Sincerely,

Jerusalem American Consulate Services

At that point I lost patience. I got it touch with Tel Aviv, and just 2 trips to Tel Aviv later, plus an afternoon spent on the beach, I had Mendel’s new, revised passport in my hand.

Thank G-d.

Valid for 1 full year. That sounds like a lot to me at this point.

Week in Review

And what a week it's been! A marathon, and I have a feeling that the coming one is only getting busier.

Well, honestly, I don't have time to review the whole week, but the end of it was busy enough as it is.

We had youth over for dinner Friday night. I really wasn't sure how many people were coming, but we had 4 really nice guests, and we had a great time. I invited a whole bunch of people for Shabbos day, but it didn't really work for anyone, so I took rain checks, most of which will be cashed in next week.

This morning we had an official community meeting, open to the entire community as a whole. Most of the attendees were over 70. Enough young people did show up though. We planned another meeting for December, in which we will vote for the community president and 5 board members. (The nominees were decided today)

Rabbi Snetkov, from Khabarovsk, came in for the day (12 hour train ride each day) to give lectures. The first one is in session now. My favorite one (well, the only one I understand well enough to translate anyway) is entitled "I - a person vs. I - G-d" or something like that. We have a nice crowd, about 40 people.

That's all for now, running home to the kids. But stay tuned!

Our Women's Clubs for 5769

Last week, or maybe it was the week before - the days tend to get blended together - I had a meeting with some women about our women's club. We planned out the rest of the year.

Next Sunday we are holding our first club of the year. It will be in the synagogue, and I hope we won't freeze as it has started to get really cold here, and we do not have heating in the synagogue. After that - I hope to find somewhere else to hold our clubs.

Women’s club for year 5769:
SAVE THE DATE!

Nov. 9 – Challah
Learn to make this intricate braid and discuss the secrets hidden inside them

December 2 - Chanukah
The miracle of Chanukah was a miracle of oil. Today this miracle continues. . . What can oil do for us today?

Jan 11 – Mezuza
Make a beautiful Mezuza cover as we learn about the scroll it covers

Feb 8 – Tu Bshvat
The new year for trees is a chance to practice and experiment with all sorts of trees and fruits

March 1 Purim
Beauty, inside and outside. Queen Esther, and the queen within us all.

March 29 – Pesach
Pesach, the holiday of freedom. Discover the freedom within yourself.

April 29 – Sefiras Haomer
Explore the inner depths of your character

May 24 – Shavuos – End of year
Celebrate the holiday of Shavuos as we gather for a final time this year

Yes, we're here

Just a quick post here to let you all know that we are, thank G-d, alive and well. We have not forgotton about you and this blog.

Just been ridiculously busy, and without a babysitter, and no internet access in the house.

So keep checking, hope to update soon.

A Happy, Sweet, New Year to You!

Things are crazy here as we prepare for Rosh Hashana. I got a babysitter for 3 hours today, which expires in 28 minutes. It's a 20 minute ride back home, so this will be quick.

We are having a Rosh Hashana meal here in the synagogue on Tuesday evening. We hired a chef. Then we had to buy more glasses, plates. Still not sure about tableclothes and cutlery. At the last minute we decided to buy real ones, but time is running out. . .

So someone bought a whole buch of plates, and then toiveled them, but unfortunately the stickers were all left on - 2 on each plate, so those need to be redone.

On the home front, my honey cake is made. Full stop. And I made my challah dough. So we have a long night ahead of us.

Mendel has been walking around singing "Dip the apple in the honey. . ." We've been practicing all week. And on Friday he tasted real honey from my 3 kilogram container, which he declared to be 'yummy'. So much for the Mommy preschool.

So, to quote our favorite song
"leshana tova u'mesuka
have a happy sweet new year!"
(hurraaaaay! [clap hands])

Of Dogs and Cats

When I walk somewhere with Yisroel, I am amazed at the random people who come to ask the rabbi for advice. Like the guy in the gas station who wanted permission to divorce him wife. And the (non-Jewish) woman who came to the synagogue the other day to ask if the rabbi could come to bless her house. Yisroel gives very deep answers. Be nice to your wife, do good deeds, be kind to others, etc.

Last night, at 10:30 the phone rang. The voice on the other line sounded very distraught. After a short introduction, he blurted out his question. He had been walking and had seen a dog and a cat fighting. The cat was almost killed, but not quite. This fellow put an end to the cat's misery, and now wanted to know what prayer he should say to repent from having killed a cat.

For my part, overhearing Yisroel's end of the conversation, ("A dog?" "The cat died?") just cracked me up. I laughed quietly so the poor cat-killer would not hear.

Tefillin Club - Do-Over

A complaint was registered that I made this Sunday morning minyan sound awfully boring. So let me rephrase that post, or at least add to it.

This minyan on Sunday was especially exciting, because itwas motivated by the attendees. They assked to come on sunday so they could hear shofar, and wanted to bring their tefillin with them so they could all do it together.

It's really special when people themselves ask for more, and it's not only us starting the programs and coming up with the ideas.