Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on March 8, 2022

TheTorah columnis supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon.PekudeiExodus 38:2140:38

In many ways, the Book of Exodus is the magnum opus of the Jews. While the Book of Genesis describes the very first Jews the patriarchs, the matriarchs, their children and the complicated web of their relationships only in Exodus do the Jewish people and Judaism truly emerge.

The book opens with a narrative of misery and oppression. After many generations of favored status and growth in Egypt, the Israelites are enslaved by a new pharaoh who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8) and who ruthlessly degrades and demeans them through harsh labor.

Most of us know what happens next through the Passover Haggadah that we read every spring. God sends Moses and his brother Aaron to confront Pharaoh and demand their peoples release. When Pharoah refuses, God punishes the Egyptians with a series of Ten Plagues.

Pharaoh finally relents, the Jewish people are freed and, after some final drama, the Israelites cross the Sea of Reeds and begin their 40-year journey through the wilderness of Sinai.

Everything then occurs in stages. Moses father-in-law, Jethro, a Midianite priest, helps to establish a judiciary. This represents, in essence, the birth of a civil society for the people of Israel. Having been former slaves, now they have an organized legal system by which to resolve conflicts and live in peace with each other.

When God reveals the Ten Commandments two chapters later, this represents the birth of the Jewish religion. In Genesis, the covenant between God and the Jewish people is largely inchoate; now, there are clear, concrete rules, rituals, holy days and practices that define Judaism.

The Torah next turns to the construction of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, and all of the sacred furnishings within it. And then, finally, God formalizes and ordains the Jewish priesthood, made up of Aaron, the high priest, and his four sons.

Toward the very end of the Book of Exodus, the Jewish people now have a social system, a legal system and a spiritual system in place. They are no longer just a ragtag band of ex-slaves, but a new nation, a religious civilization that will introduce ethical monotheism to the world.

The final Torah portion in this foundational biblical book is Pekudei (Ex. 38:21-40:38). Unlike the grandeur and scope of the epic story above, it focuses instead at the start on something much more mundane: Moses taking an inventory of the metals associated with the Tabernacle.

Later in the parashah, the priestly vestments are assembled, the Tabernacle is completed and inspected, and then the Mishkan is dedicated in an elaborate public ceremony.

The text tells us that when all of this work was at last finished, and after all of the rituals had been properly performed, something transcendent occurs: the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. (Ex. 40:34)

This image is reminiscent of the revelation at Sinai, where Gods presence appears on the mountain, along with a thick cloud and smoke. The parallelism is striking. The Tabernacle will become a portable Sinai for the Israelites, a vessel for the divine and a reminder that God will always be with them, wherever they travel.

At the end of the parashah, God leads the Israelites forward on their long and arduous journey. When the cloud lifts, the people follow it; when it does not lift, they remain in their camp. At night, the cloud is illuminated by fire for all to see.

God reassures them. God will guide and protect them.

The Book of Exodus, the Biblical text that opens with so much darkness and misery, now closes on a note of confidence and newfound hope. After this remarkable transformation, the next three books of the Torah will take the Jewish people to the very threshold of the Promised Land.

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How to live a life filled with happiness.

Purim is about unlocking the power of happiness. Happiness is a choice; it not dependent on external circumstances.

Purim conveys four practical tips on how to live a happy life. These four happiness habits' are reflected through the four mitzvot of Purim.

The recipient of this gift isnt poor or needy, but rather a loved one or a friend. The first step to happiness is through building relationships with friends, family and community. Research shows that loving, social connections, caring and looking out for others, and having others care for us in return is the first step to living a happy life.

Judaism teaches that one should spend at least 10% of his time and money devoted towards helping other people. Neuroscience research shows that when we do nice things for others, our brains light up in areas associated with pleasure and reward. If we train ourselves and our children to be givers, not merely receivers in this world, we are truly setting them on the path towards living a happy and fulfilled life.

The Megillah can be summarized as an account of the miracles that we experienced as a nation. The surest way to live life full of happiness is to write our own book of the miracles that occur in our lives. People who keep a gratitude journal feel more optimism and greater satisfaction in their lives. Certainly, we all have moments when we face hardship and challenge, but everyone experiences moments of meaning and satisfaction as well. If you live with an attitude of gratitude, you will surely live life as a happier and more fulfilled person.

The Purim feast is that moment where we pause to be mindful of who we are and what we have. Studies show that people who practice mindfulness, the moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, and external circumstances, not only have stronger immune systems but are more likely to be happy and enjoy greater life satisfaction.

Implementing these four happiness habits into our daily routines will help us become happier and more satisfied people. This Purim, jumpstart your journey to happiness by fulfilling these four mitzvot with joy.

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Before Adam sinned, he required no clothing (Bereishis 2:25). His physical body radiated ohr (light), faithfully expressing the light of the angelic soul within it. Once Adam sinned, however, his physical body lost this spiritual level and no longer fully expressed that inner light. The pasuk describes how Adam and Chava suddenly realized their nakedness and became embarrassed, desiring to cover their bodies with clothing (Ibid. 3:7). What is the meaning behind their embarrassment, and why was clothing the ideal remedy?

One becomes embarrassed when they believe that how they are perceived externally is not a true reflection of who they are internally. This is the spiritual concept of bushah (shame). When there is a breakdown between the inner self and its outer expression, the inner self feels ashamed that it is being misrepresented, seen on the outside as something that it is not. For example, if someone spreads a lie that you cheated on a test, you would feel embarrassed because there is now a false perception of who you are as a person. Now say it wasnt a lie and you did cheat: You would still be embarrassed if people heard the truth, because you would know deep down that you are better than how you acted and how people now perceive you.

We wear clothes because our bodies, in their current lowly form, are a source of embarrassment. We are souls holy angelic beings and yet our appearance in this world is that of physical beings with bodies only marginally different from animals. For those who understand who and what they truly are, it is embarrassing to be seen as anything less than an absolutely spiritual and transcendent being. This is the ultimate breakdown between the inner and outer self.

The natural response to shame is the desire to hide. We feel a need to escape the scene of the crime of this misrepresentation and misperception. When Adam and Chava realized their nakedness, their first instinct was to grab fig leaves and hide their bodies. Hashem responded by making them garments of ohr spelled this time with an ayin instead of an aleph, the word does not mean light but skin (Ibid. 21).

Clothing can serve two simultaneous purposes: It can conceal the embarrassment of our inner light no longer shining through our physical bodies, and in doing so it can also cloak us in dignity. With our shame no longer visible, our Tzelem Elokim is what remains. We use this clothing to reflect who we truly are. Thus the thing we reach for in our moment of failure and embarrassment is the means to overcome our problem. This is why Kohanim are required to wear such beautiful clothing, allowing the physical body to reflect the dignity and greatness of the true self. Hashem covered Adam and Chava with ohr (clothing) so that they could elevate it and once again reveal their true ohr (light).

The Potential of Clothing

Like all things in this world, clothing has tremendous potential when used correctly; however, it can also be corrupted and misused. When used properly, clothing mitigates the shame of our physical bodies and helps us express our higher, dignified selves in the world. When misused, clothing can hide our spiritual core and portray us as completely physical beings.

This idea is expressed in the Hebrew word for clothing, beged, which is composed of the letters beis, gimmel, and dalet. In the Hebrew alphabet, these three letters immediately follow the letter aleph, the letter which represents the spiritual root, the soul. If used correctly, one beged can faithfully express our soul into the world. But the letters of beged also spell boged, which means traitor, because our clothing can betray our true inner selves. A traitor adopts a fake exterior that does not reflect his true identity. When clothing misrepresents who we truly are, our inner self is betrayed.

Another word for clothing is levush, which can also be read as lo bosh (not embarrassed). Clothing has the potential to eliminate our embarrassment, but only when used correctly. When the focus of clothing becomes the clothing themselves, the clothing does nothing to address our existential embarrassment.

Meil is yet another Hebrew word for garment, referring to an outer coat. It shares the same root as the word meilah, which refers to the prohibition of stealing or benefiting from kodshim (items consecrated for use in the Holy Temple). The prohibition of meilah is of taking that which is kadosh elevated and belonging to Hashem and lowering it to a state of chol, the mundane. Just as it is a problem to misuse consecrated items, it is problematic to misuse a garment meant to help us elevate ourselves.

One of the most misunderstood ideas in Judaism is the concept of tznius, most often translated as modesty. This is especially true regarding women. Many think that tznius means to hide and that the ideal is to be unseen. There is, however, an infinitely deeper approach to tznius.

Physical beauty is neither good nor bad; it is merely a vessel with the potential to be used for good or bad. While our physical body is immensely valuable, our true self is our neshama our soul, our inner mind, our highest consciousness. Our inner world, thoughts, ideas, choices, beliefs, middos, and emotions are the deepest and most genuine parts of our self. True beauty is when the physical serves as a vessel that expresses that true inner self into the world.

The focus must always be on the inner beauty as the ikar, the main thing. The purpose of tznius is not to hide. It is to reveal! Tznius shifts the focus from external trappings to the neshama, the core that is the source of true beauty.

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Putin says hes coming to de-nazify Ukraine. Ukraine, with the third-largest Jewish population in Europe and the fifth-largest in the world. Ukraine, with a Jewish President and formerly a Jewish Prime Minister. Ukraine the only country that was once part of the Soviet Union that can make these claims.

The history of the Jewish people in Ukraine is not new. It goes back to the time of Kyivan Rus at the turn of the 10th century. These early Jews gave rise to Hasidic Judaism, which today is practiced across Europe and in Israel and the United States. Uman, a city in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, is a pilgrimage site for Breslov Hasidic Jews that regularly attracts throngs of tourists.

Despite the vibrancy of the Jewish community in Ukraine, history has not always been peaceful for Ukraines Jews. Jews have long been targeted in Ukraine, as elsewhere in Europe, culminating in the mass atrocities of the Holocaust. The site of the Babyn Yar memorial in Kyiv is dedicated to the hallowed ground that claimed more than 30 thousand Jewish souls murdered by the Nazis.

Nearly 80 years after Babyn Yar, Ukrainians overwhelmingly elected Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a Jewish man, to be their President, despite Russian efforts to sow antisemitism in Ukraine during the many election cycles. Last year, Ukraines Rada overwhelmingly passed a law criminalizing antisemitism.

Now, as the Russians target the Jewish faiths most sacred places with bombs exploding over Babyn Yar and Uman, they destroy the tolerant peaceful society that modern Ukrainians built.

The invaders are trying to lay siege to Kyiv, just as the Nazis did to Leningrad. To me, its very personal: both of my grandparents survived the blockade.

It is now all in danger of being eradicated wiped from the face of the earth.

The Jewish people know all too well the threat of being eradicated. Today, Ukraine is Israel. Ukrainians are falling victim to Russias evil war just as the Jews fell victim to Nazis who wanted to eradicate all Jews. The Russian invaders are motivated and instructed to commit acts of genocide against Ukrainians.

Putin and his cronies have made it clear that they believe there are no Ukrainians. They reject our existence. They are calling for Ukraine its citizens, its culture, its history to vanish. And the terror Russia is raining down on us is aimed at either making us bow before Putin or stop existing. There is no alternative in his designs.

After a week of fighting, however, the Russian invaders are beginning to realize that Putins designs are flawed. They cannot erase the Ukrainian identity. Average Ukrainians are fighting back against the Russians with their bare hands and bodies as shields staring down tanks. The Ukrainian army is defending the country despite much-needed weaponry and armaments still not reaching Ukraines soldiers. The Russians can destroy us and our country, but they cannot unmake Ukraine. They do understand it and try to blackmail Ukraine, Europe and the world with the specter of nuclear disaster as they pound powerplants with shells and bombs.

During the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, the international community rallied to Israels side. Jewish American families delivered aid, weapons and planes to their Israeli brethren. This assistance helped the Jewish people and the Israeli state survive. Today, we implore Jewish communities and families across the world to come to our aid.

We need more weapons and we need a no-fly zone over Ukraine immediately. The Ukrainian forces are smashing one Russian convoy snaking its way through Ukraine after another. But the forces are anything but equal. The invaders have the potential to decimate the heart of Ukraine. We cannot fend off the assault that is surely coming with our bodies alone. We need the international community to impose economic costs on Putin and his regime the likes of which the world has never enacted. We ask for a full embargo of Russian oil and all exports to the US and Europe. While we recognize the requests are not without costs, we know the pain today will be nothing compared with that of tomorrow if these measures arent enacted.

Putin will not stop at Ukraine. He has the whole former Soviet Union and all of Central and Eastern Europe in his sights. Today its the Ukrainian people. Tomorrow it will be another people he wants to eradicate.

We call on Israel and the international community to remember the words never again and act decisively to ensure history does not repeat itself in Ukraine. Ukrainian Jews, Ukrainian Christians, Ukrainians of all religions and ethnicities need your help so we can defend ourselves, our common memory and our future. For Ukraine, and for all of humanity.

Andriy Yermak is head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine

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Today, Ukraine is Israel: We implore Jews across the world to come to our aid - The Times of Israel

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Henry Winkler, aka the Fonz, our favorite onscreen and offscreen zayde, a total mensch and the man with the dance moves, is currently visiting Israel to shoot his new show, Chanshi, and he is having the time of his life.

In case you havent heard the good news about Winklers new daring and very exciting Israeli show, Chanshi is about an American Orthodox woman who decides to make aliyah and has a sexual awakening, which involves, according to the shows trailer, a lot of handsome Israeli soldiers. The show will premiere in Israel this year, and will hopefully get an international release soon, as talks are already underway.

Winkler will be starring in the show as Tatty, Chanshis Brooklynite Hasidic father, and by the looks of things, Tatty will be making a visit to the Holy Land along with his wife, Chanshis stepmom Babshi, who will be played by the inimitable Caroline Aaron (aka Shirley Maisel).

Winkler announced he was in Tel Aviv on Twitter this week with a somewhat confusing happy birthday message to Ron Howard. Happy b day my good friend from Tel Aviv !!! he wrote on Twitter, which had many followers questioning whether the famed actor and director was from the Israeli city. To be clear, he is not, but Winklers wishes were tweeted directly from Tel Aviv. (Winkler also later tweeted just the symbol @ which got retweeted over 900 times so yeah, international tweeting is hard for the septuagenarian actor, but we are here for it.)

After shooting Chanshi, Winkler, who was still wearing his Orthodox dad get-up, visited artist Ilan Adars studio.

What a Surprise, Had a special Visitor at my Studio Today, Adar wrote on Instagram. Henry Franklin Winkler is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. Initially rising to fame as Arthur Fonzie. What a beautiful Soul. (Agreed!)

In the pictures, you can see Winkler with tzitzit, the fringes of a prayer shawl, peeking through and a black hat, flanked by paintings of Zeev Jabotinsky, a Lubavitcher rebbe, and Golda Meir. I really cant think of a more Jewish picture, and I kind of want it framed in my office.

Also, here are some pictures of Henry with the hair, make-up and costume people of Chansi. They were all very, very excited to meet the Fonz.

After shooting, Aaron and Winkler took some time to enjoy the sights and get windblown by the Mediterranean Sea on their day off. Here they are looking like your adorable Jewish grandparents on a trip, with Winkler double-fisting a fancy camera and a bottle of water, as a zayde does, and Aaron wearing big fancy shades and holding her mask in her hand. I want these two as my new Jewish grandparents, please and thank you.

This is Winklers first visit to Israel, and he didnt just spend time hanging out with his onscreen wife he took his real wife of over 40 years with him. Winkler and Stacy Weitzman visited former Israeli member of the Knesset Dr. Einat Wilf together. They chatted about Zionism, Israel and his important work on dyslexia. Both Winkler, his stepson and his daughter are dyslexic, and Winkler has co-written the delightful Heres Hank childrens book series, which follows Hank, who has dyslexia, on his many adventures and misadventures.

Winkler also met up with Israeli author Etgar Keret, who was clearly star-struck. Hanging out with The Fonz makes me feel 12 again. Thank you, Henry Winkler, for your never-ending good vibes, Keret wrote on Instagram, sharing a picture of the two of them at a restaurant, with Winkler giving the most genuine, heartfelt smile and wearing a fabulous bright green flannel shirt (feeling this unorthodox stylistic choice!).

If that wasnt enough, Winkler also visited the Uri Geller Museum in Tel Aviv, where he met up with the Israeli-British illusionist.

In a video that Geller shared on Instagram, Winkler says, My verdict is that I cant believe that I watched on television years ago this man bend a spoon and I went in my bedroom eeeh [dismissive zayde sound]. Then Im here and this man bends a spoon I now have in my pocket and I no longer go eeeeh, I go [Winkler slaps his forehead] oooh!'

Im included in the items here and I am very proud, Winkler continued, having given a spoon to the museum, which Geller referred to as his Cadillac in the caption.

In case you were wondering, yes, Winkler is sampling the local cuisine. When TV writer Eric Stangel asked his followers how are you holding up tonight? on Twitter this Tuesday, Winkler answered: full of hummus. Is there a better feeling in the world?!

I must say Im pretty impressed with how much Winkler is getting done in one short visit! Im already hoping Chanshi gets renewed for a second season, if only so we can get more adorable pictures of Winkler in Israel.

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The Cloud, the Fire and the Voice

Thoughts on Torah Portion Pekudei

Rabbi Mordecai Finley, Ph. D.

The fire that appeared in the burning bush on Mt. Sinai at the beginning of the book of Exodus never returned to the bush. The angel that spoke out of the heart of the fire in the bush never returned there, either.

The God who appeared to Moses at Mt. Sinai to charge Moses with the redemption of the people did return to Mt. Sinai, in whatever sense God can concentrate the divine presence to appear in one place or another. After the Mishkan was built, however, God no longer spoke from Sinai. The mountain went the way of the bush. No longer needed.

The end of this weeks Torah portion marks the moment when the fire moves from the bush and the mountain to the Mishkan. The fire hid itself inside the cloud that filled the Ohel Moed, and was only apparent at night. The voice of God moved into the Mishkan, speaking from between the keruvim on top of the ark at the center of the Mishkan, as we see in next weeks Torah portion.

Whatever else the Mishkan was built for, it was built to house the cloud, the fire and the voice.

What was the Miskhan built of? Essentially, generosity, wisdom, discernment, knowledge, and every fine craft. Weaving, carving, cutting, shaping, and assembling according to a blueprint in the mind of God. All for beauty (tiferet), and to evoke the mystical presence of God (kavod).

We dont know for sure why these details exactly were assembled to create this version of tiferet and kavod, but we do know how architectural details work, in general. Just search images for beautiful buildings (especially religious ones) and be ready to be stunned all over again by the physics and physicality of humanly shaped beauty, music rendered into matter, taking shape in time and space.

The tragedies and particularities of Jewish history and culture have pressed our rendering of the flame, the cloud and the voice mostly into music and words holy playing and singing, holy texts and holy talks. Our liturgy, rightly sung, creates a cathedral. Cathedral is from the Latin word for chair, itself from the Greek root to bring down in Jewish imagery, the bringing of the Merkava (the divine throne) and all the heavenly hosts, the singing angels, into the earthly realm. The spoken word captures the divine Word (Aramaic memra) and it is rendered into human speech, the Woerte as the Hasidic rabbis called it.

The precision of the planks, the curtains, the rods, the menorah, the altars, the tables, the ark, the keruvim are like notes of a song, the words of holy speech. The sung and spoken words of the Mishkan that we build together are not finished for others to gaze upon and enter. The notes and words must be sung and said continuously, like a Ner Tamid, the eternal flame. Our hearts create the sanctuary into which the cloud, the fire and the voice are housed, into which holy song and holy words are sounded. Every time we assemble, to sing, to listen, to learn, we are reassembling the Miskhan, from our wisdom, discernment and knowledge, from our generosity of heart, from our weaving of every fine craft that the human spirit can shape.

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Israels Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other cabinet ministers were on hand at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday to greet a group of 90 Jewish orphans who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded last month.

El Al, Israels largest airline, said the flight was part of a special operation to rescue some 300 Jews from the fighting in Ukraine.

The airline said Ukrainian-speaking staff were on board the flight to assist. Some of the orphans have family members who are still in fighting areas, it added.

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Bennett, who was accompanied by Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, entered the aircraft to welcome the children, introducing himself to one boy by saying, I am Naftali, prime minister of Israel. Would you like to come into Israel?

We are now seeing children immigrating to Israel. It is the most moving thing there is, Bennett told media at the bottom of the steps from the plane as the children disembarked.

He later tweeted that he had told the children, You are safe now, you have reached safe shores.

The children fled the city of Zhytomyr and with the help of local Chabad groups last week crossed the border to Romania and then stayed in the city of Cluj-Napoca, the Walla news site reported. From there they flew to Israel. Chabad, a Hasidic organisation that works to maintain Jewish life around the world, has branches in both Ukraine and Romania.

Roni Shabtai, Israels consul in Romania, told Walla last week that the children, the eldest of whom was around 12 and the youngest just two, walked 400 meters through the snow in below-freezing temperatures in order to cross the border.

He said Israeli officials, including himself, met the orphans at the border.

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Over 200 students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered outside of Usdan University Center on Friday, March 4 for theWesleyan Stands with Ukraine rally. The rally, organized by Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian students at the University, sought to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine astheyface an invasion by the Russian Federation under the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The idea for the rally originatedfrom Lera Svirydzenka 25, Kseniia Guliaeva 25, Julia Kulchytska 24, and Kiryl Beliauski 23.

c/o Noa Yassky, Contributing Photographer

We just randomly ran into each other on Sunday [Feb. 27] and I was like, Hey guys, maybe we can do the rally? Svirydzenka said. And everyone was just like, Yeah, this is such a good idea! And on the next day, Julia had already contacted everyone, she was like, People are really supporting us, lets do this.

Beliauski outlined that the primary goal ofthe rally was to spread awareness and show support for Ukrainian citizens, as he has seen similar methods effectively used before.

I just want people in Ukraine to know that the people here and everywhere in the world support them, Beliauski said. Even when there were protests in Belarus in 2020, the fact that people were protesting in other countries and just posting a lot of stuff on the internet about the situation really helped to spread awareness ormotivate people to do something. Its the same situation here too, with Ukraine, in terms of just raising awareness.

Both Svirydzenka and Beliauski are Belarusian students, and Kulchytska is Ukrainian. The group wanted the rally to focus on how the conflict impacted the lives of those residing in the involved countries, including Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.

The most important thing about the event is to just raise awareness and also tell people how they can help people in Ukraine, Beliauski said.

After receiving a great deal of support from faculty and staff to publicize the event, a crowd gathered outside of Usdan beneatha Ukrainian flag.Despite the cold weather, severalspeakers passed on powerful messages of hope and calls to act.

The rally opened with a word fromDirector of Religious and Spiritual Life and University Jewish ChaplainDavid Leipziger Teva, who read aloud the poem The Diameter Of The Bomb by Yehuda Amichai. Then, he spoke on the historical and social significance of the invasion of Ukraine.

In my mind, the horrors of the Holocaust, of the Shoah, and of World War II, meant that the borders of Europe were fixed and permanent, Teva said. Boy, was I wrong. Putin has unleashed a war, and what we are witnessing are not only war crimes: we are witnessing the blueprints of a genocide.

Teva urged the audience to help the Ukrainian cause in any way possible and asked the crowd to provide written, financial, or emotional support to those affected.

I want you to conjure up your strength, your humanity, your compassion, Teva said. I want you to find that within you. And then when you find it within you, Id like you to send that compassion, that humanity, to the wounded of Kyiv, to the displaced of Kharkov, and to the millions of refugees now in Poland and throughout Europe.

Teva then led the crowd in a minute of silence and asked people to link arms.

Following Tevas words to the crowd, Kulchytska took the stage and spokeabout her experience as a Ukrainian student living on campus during the invasion.

For me, there are no more days of the week, Kulchytska said. Theres the first day of the war, theres the second day, the third one. Todays day nine. Nine days in a row of Ukrainian soldiers sleeping and fighting in the streets, of Ukrainian civilians sleeping in bomb shelters, and nine days in a row of Ukrainian people dying.

Kulchytska also evoked theconflicts tollon the psyche of the Ukrainian people and their perseverance in fending off the Russian invasion.

c/o Noa Yassky, Contributing Photographer

You have been asking me how my family is doing, and if my close people are safe and okay, Kulchytska said. No, people are not safe. People are afraid, but people are united. They are united as in no other time, because Russian troops are coming. And Russian troops are coming expecting that Ukrainian people will greet them with the flowers, but Ukrainian people greet them with Molotov cocktails.

Kulchytska explained that the emotional and physical toll of the situation cannot be measured. As a Ukrainian living abroad, she expressed horror at the atrocities of the Russian army and government.

It feels like 1984 for Russia, Kulchytska said. It feels like 1939 for Ukraine. Im feeling an extreme sense of helplessness. But I still feel like I should do something. And you guys also should do that.

Kulchytska urged the crowd to donate to the cause.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal then stepped up to the microphone. He applauded the bravery of the Ukrainian people and urged his fellow legislators to level eventougher sanctions onto the Russian Federation.

This country should impose even stronger sanctions, Blumenthal said. Weve done some, theyre good, but we can go after the other banks, we can go after secondary sanctions, we can impose a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas. Theres far more.

Blumenthal also called for new sanctions to go after Putins personal assets abroad, and applauded the crowd for coming out and showing support.

The audience then heard from multiple faculty members from the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REES) Department, including Assistant Professor of the Practice Natasha Karageorgos, Assistant Professor Roman Utkin, Professor Peter Rutland, and Associate Professor Katja Kolcio, who is also the Director ofthe Albritton Center for the Study of Public Life.

This is what Ukrainians are fighting for and giving their lives up for, Kolcio said. Whether you stand for Ukraine or you stand for the principles that are dearest to your heart, just stand because you matter.

In addition, Svirydzenka and Beliauski spoke in solidarity with Ukraine. Theytouched on the effect of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenkos regime and alliance with Putins government.

I want to apologize for my government and for the government of Russia for doing this for this world, Svirydzenka said. But I also want you to know that not all Russians and not all Belarusians support Lukashenko. Im proud of the people of Belarus who are protesting right now because I know how scary it can be.

Beliauski, who has been protesting the Lukashenko regime since 2020, also spoke to the hardships that the people of Belarus and Russia face and how Putin and Lukashenkos dictatorships have destroyed everyday life.

Children that are hiding in bunkers, and citizens are getting married on the day when the war started and they fight together, and I just admire the people of Ukraine, Beliauski said. And I also admire people of Belarus and Russia who did not stand with Putin. Who choose to go against the regime.

The last speaker was Tim White 23, who emphasized the importance of standing up against disinformation and understanding the impossible situation of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian populace.

The propaganda machine in Russia is strong, White said. I have lost count of independent media that have gone from foreign agent status to outright banned. Radio stations that were not conforming to the Putin regime narrative have been closed. TV stations also closed. There is no media apart from a handful of Telegram channels that are still operating because Telegram has yet to be banned.

White concluded by urging the crowd to take action, even just by spreading information about the situation.

It has been a wild experiencebeing on campus and then talking to friends and family back home every day, White said. It feels like they are two different planets that have no community. I urge you to speak up, even if its a stupid infographic. The visibility of people recognizing what is going on does make a difference.

The rally concluded with a march around College Row and cries for peace echoing across the lawn.

Anybody who wishes to donate can send funds to Kulchytskas Venmo, @Kulchytska.

Sam Hilton can be reached at shilton@wesleyan.edu.

Kat Struhar can be reached at kstruhar@wesleyan.edu.

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University Community Comes Together in Support of Ukraine - Wesleyan Argus

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Posted By admin on March 8, 2022

When I embarked on envisioning an image that would capture my child and I, an image that could summarise the greatest challenge that I now face being a mother, with one word to encapsulate it, I didnt realise what kind of conversation it would create along the way.

I understood from an early age that I might face discrimination, coming from a multi-ethnic background of Shoah survivors who encompass cultures and traditions from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. However, the greater number of my experiences were privileged. Everywhere in the world that I went, I was met with courtesy and respect. I was welcomed as an artist and treated as a human being.

That is, until I got pregnant, until I became a parent.

When upon finding out that I was expecting, two promoters, within the space of one week, cancelled future engagements because they thought I would not be in good form for the recitals. On a television show in the Netherlands, a young crew member suggested that I only be filmed up close to avoid an unaesthetically pleasing shot of me playing. I felt my environment turning more and more hostile as I heard stories from colleagues about when they announced their pregnancy to the dean of our university. He was less than pleased and strongly reminded them that they would have 14 weeks and a not a day more of pregnancy leave.

I began researching female performing artists whose interpretations of the solo repertoire have made an impact. I was taken aback at how few of them had children. By no means would I suggest that we dont all have the right to choose whether we have kids or not. And, as a person who was scolded by doctors for having a geriatric pregnancy, I am aware of what it means to wish for children and perhaps not be able to have any.

Nevertheless, the numbers are telling. A considerable number of female soloists in classical music either dont have children, or have rarely, if ever, commented on having children. What I did come across were interviews by women with great influence in string playing who have said that they returned to the stage within two or three weeks of giving birth. The latter is impressive, (I was taught by women, and raised by a woman, who had the same strength) but should not become a standard by which we are measured. The ensuing pressure by such examples for women to get back to their work (or, for that matter, their figure) neglects that becoming a parent is a move forward from which you can never go back.

Classical music is full of women, but policy and decision-making positions are still male dominated. This leads me to the most uncomfortable observation that I will make here. Ive often wondered why the industry in performance arts is still so dated, believing that there is an underlying, constant truth that is inescapable. Men cant give birth. This is what primarily sets them apart from women. This lack of experience of carrying a child to birth and the ensuing challenges arising from that physical labour is reflected in our purported role models: men who never cease to be at their performance best. I feel we must learn to exercise our capacity for empathy more if we want things to progress.

I applaud anyone who can make a mark in the arts and live solely from their income of being an artist. But I wonder, is it healthy to have so few role models of women (and men!) in the arts leading a life where children are a matter of fact, a reality of life, that is both accepted and encouraged by society?

When I look further beyond classical music to other forms of fine art, I come across the following. Tracey Emin, in a 2014 interview, said, There are good artists who have children. Of course, there are. Theyre called men. Marina Abramovi , in a 2016 interview is quoted saying, I had three abortions because I was certain that it would be a disaster for my work. One only has limited energy in the body, and I would have had to divide it. In my opinion thats the reason why women arent as successful as men in the art world. Theres plenty of talented women. Why do men take over the important positions? Its simple. Love, family, children a woman doesnt want to sacrifice all of that.

My interest with the statements by Emin or Abramovi is not the sentiment itself or a certain sense of inverse sexism that can be found in them. Its how few statements I can find that offer any insight on what it is like to be a parent and have a stable career in fine arts. Artists who have a platform rarely use it to project an organic relationship to parenthood.

Of course, Ive heard the argument that its not about the children! Its about the MUSIC! I have been advised to not speak at all about my family as it would damage the perception others might have of me as a concert violinist. What that means exactly, I still dont know. Does it mean that talking about our loved ones and loving at all is considered a weakness? And this in art, of all places, where love is so often at the centre of every narrative, of every composition.

There is a niggling thought at the back of my mind that no matter how far we advance as a species, we are confronted with a realityall of us, continuallythat economic interests are more important than human values. Our international political instability is harsh testament to that.

So, whats that one word that best summarises that which I struggle with most since the arrival of my child? Its exactly what this writing is about: Focus.

Our trade, like any other, should embrace the social responsibility of supporting its members, whether they have a family or not. We should consider the quality of our work and what message we wish to send to our listeners, rather than running after the idea that our success is equal to how visible our work is; that the amount of our achievements is more important than the impact of our work; that we are only as good as the number of concerts we play; and that we must, over and over again, prove how industrious we are in order to be deemed good. We should strive for better conditions in which to be artists, and insist these are made, indeed, make these conditions ourselves where we can.

It is high time that classical musicians felt elevated and emboldened to lift the curtain on rigid interpretations of the artist in the 21st century and speak openly about the difficulties and challenges. It is the essence of being a parent that adds to the intensity of artistic expression, and this needs to have a light shone on it.

So, whats that one word that best summarises that which I struggle with most since the arrival of my child? Its exactly what this writing is about: Focus.

Beyond economic concerns, the relentlessness of raising a child, and the physical issues that are part and parcel of being a mother, it is a struggle to retain my awareness and ability. It is exhausting to practise after a night of broken sleep tending to a teething child. A clear strategy is needed to maintain focus on any aspect of practising the violin when you have only the window of a toddlers naptime into which to fit, well: everything. To admit that my workdays now include being a mother means knowing my limits, concentrating my efforts on that which is possible. Learning to let go of things I wont manage on a particular day. Accepting that, despite the inner howling wolf of artistic inspiration, Im going to have to write that article in my headthere is no longer a sea of time in which to draft many versions.

I hope that on International Womens Day this year, we may all feel inspired to focus some of our collective attention on parenthood, embracing the parents that maintain their standards of professional ability, while raising children who are a part of the next generation of music lovers.

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'Classical music is full of women, but policy and decision-making positions are still male dominated': working mothers in music - The Strad

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Posted By admin on March 8, 2022

A new Israeli program seeks to bring innovation to the local authorities of Jewish-Arab cities.

Dubbed Hazira, the project calls for the formation of Innovation Teams that will introduce new work processes and tools to authorities in so-called mixed cities, in order to improve the lives of residents. It is sponsored by Israels Interior Ministry, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.

To date, about a dozen Innovation Teams have been established in Acre, Bat Yam, Ashdod, Sakhnin, Beit Shemesh, Netanya, Ashkelon, Umm al-Fahm, Lod, Eilat, and in the Negev.

Initiatives within the program have focused on helping small businesses, enhancing civic hygiene, and improving transportation and connectivity.

Hazira has a very ambitious mission to spread a culture of innovation throughout local authorities in Israel, said Roland Persaud, innovation program officer at Bloomberg Philanthropies, at a conference for participants in Jaffa this week.

Israels Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked told the conference that the ministry believes in investing in human capital, and expressed pride in this first of its kind partnership.

Efrat Duvdevani, director general of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, said the project looks at real time application of new solutions and innovations to help promote better standards of public services, thus directly impacting the day-to-day of hundreds of thousands of Israelis from all backgrounds and walks of life.

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New Program Brings Innovation to Jewish-Arab Cities in Israel - Algemeiner

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