Rabbi Feldman, Temple Beth El plan heritage tour to Moscow, Kyiv
When Rabbi Leonid Feldman of Temple Beth El was in the Ukraine last summer, he
was struck by the rural villages and towns, where nothing much has changed
since the 19th century. Homes have been passed from generation to
generation.
Meeting the people who live there will be one part of his summer heritage
tour, in addition to experiences in Kyiv and Moscow from July 18-26.
Travelers also may take a two-day pre-trip to St. Petersburg with the rabbi.
Feldman brings the perfect mix of past and present to the trip. He is from
Moldova, which is between the Ukraine and Romania, and he knows the region’s
history. He has also led Jewish leaders to Moscow.
A guided tour of Moscow will include stops at the Great Synagogue, the
Kremlin, and Red Square and its St. Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Mausoleum.
Travelers will also see the Choral Synagogue, Tretyakov State Gallery,
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre, and shopping
districts such as Arbat.
In Kyiv, they will experience the former epicenter of Yiddish theater, artist
Mark Chagall’s former workplace, historic Jewish neighborhoods, Marina
Roscha Synagogue, St. Sophia Cathedral and the revival of Jewish life at
Chessed Avot Center.
Feldman has plenty of history and anecdotes to bring along on the trip. He
read about a Rolls Royce store opening in Moscow and the owner being asked
if it was worth it. He said they would be happy selling four cars a day.
Instead, they sold four cars in 10 minutes in a city that sees
“beyond-belief level of wealth in the city.”
Moscow is the world’s most expensive city, he said, and the cheapest hotel
runs about $400 a night.
The second element will be Jewish history. This includes Babi Yar, a ravine on
the outskirts of Kyiv where some 100,000 Jews were massacred in September
1941 by Nazis who had just entered the Soviet Union. In 1961, when Yevgeny
Yevtushenko found there was no monument to the Jews who died there, he
composed a famous poem that revealed this shame.
“He was like our Elvis Presley, really,” Feldman said. “Everyone knew
Yevtushenko, and he basically gives it to them. He shook up the Soviet
government. They did not know what to do about him. They could not arrest
him, he was too famous, and he becomes a big celebrity in the West.”
As a result, the Soviets put up a monument depicting a Soviet soldier saving a
woman. But there is no mention of the Jewish people. The scandal continued
for about 15 years until the Jews raised their own money for a monument.
The third element of the tour will be meeting local people, including dining
with the chief rabbi of the Ukraine, a former tour guide. “There is a lot of
excitement; people are hungry educationally,” Feldman said.
The Moscow-Kyiv journey is about $3,400 per person, without airfare, based on
double occupancy. For more information on the trips, call the rabbi at
833-0339. You don’t have to be a member of a temple to participate.
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Bethesda tour — The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea will hold
its monthly lecture tour at 12:15 p.m. Sunday led by church docents. Created
by Kathryn Hall, the late church historian for 30 years and author of books
about Bethesda, the tours cover the more than 100-year history and
architecture of the Gothic building and embellishments.
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Parents Night Out — While parents enjoy a night at home (or on the
town), Bethesda children ages 4-10 can take part in a spaghetti dinner and
games and watch a Bethesda’s Got Talent show at the Parish Hall from 6 to
8:30 Friday night. The children will “be shepherded and entertained by
Bethesda’s Youth Group and their leaders,” according to Shirley Henn,
director of Christian Formation. The next Night Outs will be May 25 and June
1. A $5 donation per child is suggested. For more information, call
655-4555, Ext. 15.
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Jewish Film Festival — Palm Beach Synagogue, 120 N. County Drive, will
screen A Film Unfinished at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. “This movie is a
harrowing look at the devious art of a propaganda film made by the Third
Reich and is an investigation into the film history of the Warsaw Ghetto,”
according to the synagogue.
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Holocaust Memorial Evening — Chabad of Northern Palm Beach Island will
host Holocaust Memorial Evening at 7 p.m. April 30 at The Chesterfield.
There will be a talk by survivor Norman Frajman, a film and a buffet. Call
659-3884, email hindel@palmbeachjewish.com, or reserve at
palmbeachjewish.com/jwc.
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Tune in — Shaina Stolik will lead a meeting of The Women’s Rosh Chodesh
Society on the topic “Soul Composition, The Spiritual Woman” at 7 p.m.
Sunday at Chabad of South Palm Beach in Plaza del Mar, Manalapan. To
R.S.V.P., call 889-3499 or email info@chabadspb.org.