We've Arrived!

After months and months of planning, coordinating, fundraising we are finally in Simferopol, Ukraine! It's been a very long build up and we're finally here. We knew we were on our way as soon as we entered the AeroSvit Plane...no one was smiling (except the three of us, of course). Though our flight was delayed by about an hour and a half and we sat in a steaming hot Boeing 737 with many unhappy Ukrainians, once we were in the air things couldn't go more smoothly. We had a better-than-average Kosher meal and even took some naps (it was a short flight, only two and half hours).

We were met at the airport by Rabbi Misha Kapustin and Tonya, our translator. Thankfully mostly everyone here speaks Russian not Ukrainian, though many of the street signs and billboards are in Ukrainian. I couldn't help but think to my childhood, Simferopol looks very much like Gomel, the city in Belarus where I was born. What surprised me most was the cars. I noticed several Zhigulis, which my dad drove when I was little. Even one of our cabs was an old Zhiguli, I haven't been in one since I left Belarus over 20 years ago. Crimea remains very pro-Russian and in a way pro-Soviet. In fact, Misha smilingly told us, "if Russian tanks entered Crimea, they would be met with roses."

We continued to our place of lodging, the Hotel Victoria, which describes itself as a hotel with "exclusive design combining both style and exquisite appearance, high level of comfort and up-to-date technologies...thanks to [our] unshowy and at the same time perfect beauty the hotel can be counted for the pearl of the town." I think the emphasis there should be on the "unshowy" but I digress. After a quick rest, we met Marina, Misha's very pregnant wife and we were on our way to a traditional Ukrainian dinner at a local restaurant. There, we feasted on Russian bread, borscht, various dumplings and baked apples. Everything was delicious! We discussed Misha's work in the community and we touched on the role of progressive Judaism in the region. A fascinating topic was the role of Chabad, which is very strong throughout the FSU. In Crimea, they have not been able to reach mass audiences and the progressive movement clearly has more followers. Therefore, Misha explained, Chabad is far more likely to work with and partner with the progressive communities in Crimea than in communities where they are stronger.

Tomorrow we begin the day by a traditional Ukrainian breakfast (I expect herring!!) and then we will meet with Misha to go over the Pesach seder. We will then go on a walking tour of Simferopol exploring the historical sites and some old Soviet markets. Later in the day, we will go to the synagogue, help with the making of the charoset (Misha's recipe) and then begin the seder. They're expecting around 80 people tomorrow for the seder. We cannot wait!