Efim aleksandrov biography

:KLWH3LDQRLQD6KWHWO0DWHULDO&XOWXUHDQG(WKQLF,GHQWLW\LQWKH3RVW6RYLHW -HZLVK8UEDQ&RPPXQLW\ $QQD6KWHUQVKLV -HZLVK6RFLDO6WXGLHV9ROXPH1XPEHU:LQWHU 1HZ6HULHV SS  $UWLFOH 3XEOLVKHGE\,QGLDQD8QLYHUVLW\3UHVV )RUDGGLWLRQDOLQIRUPDWLRQDERXWWKLVDUWLFOH KWWSVPXVHMKXHGXDUWLFOH Access provided by University incline Toronto Library (18 Oct 2016 19:50 GMT) White Piano get through to a Shtetl: Material Culture spreadsheet Ethnic Identity in the Post-Soviet Jewish Urban Community Anna Shternshis A BSTR ACT The rebirth of Jewish culture in post-Soviet Moscow manifested itself in excessive interest in Yiddish music centre of both Jewish and non-Jewish artists and viewers.

Large-scale in their scope and original in their unorthodox interpretations, performances of German music filled the largest distract halls of Moscow in honesty early 2000s. What do justness production, content, and reception be keen on these shows teach us tension postSoviet Jewish identity? This entity examines works by Efim Alexandrov and Alexander Tsaliuk, contemporary Native artists who chose to honor their careers to the renaissance of Yiddish music in post-Soviet Russia.

Key words: Yiddish concerto, post-Soviet Russia, Jewish identity Unprotected hen Moscow’s first upscale permissible restaurant, Chagall, opened its doors in 2004, its promotional site invited patrons to experience “a traditional Jewish atmosphere: a detached house in a mestechko [shtetl], which served as a home bracket a business place for loom over inhabitants.

Our ‘living room’ layout a white concert piano, prestige ‘study’ is accessorized by button old clock, and the ‘porch’ features a sewing machine mount an old-fashioned record player. Illustriousness entertainment of the restaurant includes music—classical melodies performed by uncut violinist.”1 The invitation to meal as though in a shtetl, the small towns where consequently many Jews of the locality lived from the sev- Anna Shternshis, “White Piano in tidy Shtetl: Material Culture and Social Identity in the Post-Soviet Somebody Urban Community,” Jewish Social Studies: History, Culture, Society n.s.

16, no. 2 (Winter 2010): 111–26 [112] Jewish Social Studies • Vol. 16 No. 2 enteenth century until the 1930s, firmness seem ordinary to North Denizen or European Jewish patrons, on the other hand it is quite unusual gravel the Russian context. Indeed, decency authors of this invitation have to have been aware that interpretation Russian word mestechko has anachronistic a derogatory term since representation 1920s.

It usually evokes appearances of petty, uneducated, vulgar fabricate who share no common eminence with educated, smart, conservatory-going, Nietzsche-quoting urban Jews, the potential patrons of the new restaurant. In detail these Jews might occasionally prize the festive meals that were popular in the shtetl—foods corresponding gefilte fish (stuffed fish), forshmak (herring minced with beets), highest kislosladkoe zharkoe (sweet and acid meat stew)—they are embarrassed stomachturning the Yiddish accents of their grandparents.

Yet they take amour propre in the accomplishments of punters like David Oistrakh (1908–1974), on the rocks famous violinist, Leonid Utesov (1895–1982), a popular variety singer, Lev Landau (1908–1968), a renowned physicist, and the thousands of Slavic Jewish composers, actors, and scientists whose achievements are commonly allied with the words “Jewish culture.” 2 The authors of Chagall’s website took notice of these attitudes and reimagined the shtetl to fit them.

As clever result, a typical house look onto a shtetl acquires a soul room with a concert soft as well as bedrooms, a-ok study, and a dining area. In fact, this shtetl home is presented as a dacha, a luxury Russian country territory where one escapes for straight few weeks of respite stay away from a busy urban life. Conduct is filled with classical musicians eating gefilte fish, talking run Boris Pasternak and Osip Mandelshtam, and playing Tchaikovsky concertos aft dinner.

A visit to Painter would not only satisfy wonderful person’s cravings for childhood edginess foods but also help figure up associate those cravings with public housing awareness of family history, which for many Russian Jewish profession and intellectuals is, of overall, more determinative for ethnic indistinguishability than is religious observance.

Yuri Slezkine, in his much-discussed work The Jewish Century, posits delay early-twentieth-century Russian Jewish intellectuals were quick to abandon any partnership with their ethnic roots, replacing instead to “Pushkin’s Faith,” pathway which nineteenth-century Russian novels, ready to go their values of eternal good will, replaced the values of conventional Judaism.3 I will argue ditch, applied universally, such an pact of Russian Jewish history denies the possibility of a union of cultures, both Jewish good turn Russian, and as a play a part leads to a skewed disorder of Russian Jewish culture leading identity.

Moreover, it cannot put the documented revival of German music and culture that took place between 2000 and 2008, when Yiddish-speaking artists filled very different from only large concert halls however also popular night- clubs. Prestige revival was especially active slender large urban centers, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, which were known for having broken severely with Yiddish culture after leadership mid-nineteenth century.

However, Slezkine’s burden do help to explain excellence content of the cultural recrudescence, namely how and why greatness synthesized images of Russian learner achievements and nostalgia, marinated fuse Yiddish flavors, resonate with deep down secular Russian Jews whose families have not spoken Yiddish focal point three generations.

The search redundant roots, for the “usable past,” was extremely popular in Ussr during the first decade be in possession of the twenty-first century. Numerous big screen, magazine articles, and even ladies series discussed the past spreadsheet offered different paths of continuance. Some saw Russia’s glory display the pre-revolutionary era, others valve the revolutionary romantics or block the “strong hand” of interpretation 1930s.

Others romanticized the question against the Soviet regime in every nook its existence.4 Yiddish culture, fine-tune its diversity and richness, subvention the perfect starting point shield crafting images suitable for latest Jewish artists. It is effortlessly linked with pre-revolutionary, revolutionary, extract anti-Soviet sentiments.

Yet these artists, busy with finding their purge roots and developing their identities, ignored the actual history get through Jews in Russia, preferring dressingdown create an image of representation shtetl as the birthplace brake higher intellectual culture. A expose reading of Yiddish music reprimand and performed in contemporary Moscow, a vibrant and diverse speck of Jewish urban culture throw in contemporary Russia, reveals that Individual artists reconcile their ideas interrupt ethnicity, Jewish identity, and flamboyance with what they imagine constitutes authentic Jewish culture.

The undefeated reception of their works seems to confirm their instincts. Thud this article, I will make another study of works by two successful artists who unapologetically use Yiddish stake speak about the shtetl: Efim Alexandrov, a popular television mainstay, and Alexander Tsaliuk, a standard choir leader. Russian Jewish Ethnicity and Culture in the 21st Century The ethnic identity medium post-Soviet Jews has fascinated scholars and the general public on the road to many reasons, foremost being disloyalty unique dissociation of Jewishness distance from Judaism.

A recent sociological con showed that general terms intend “pride in being Jewish” atuated post-Soviet Jewish culture during description late 1990s, whereas the mystery of Jewish religious traditions stomach the laws of kashrut were considered important by less overrun 1 percent of the Slavic Jewish population.5 Even Israelis, generally known [113] White Piano look a Shtetl • Anna Shternshis [114] Jewish Social Studies • Vol.

16 No. 2 espouse their secularism, tend to opt for Jewish identity with religion complicate than do Russian Jews.6 Zvi Gitelman has noted that, compared to other Jewish cultures, post-Soviet Jewish identity is “thin,” in need of a strong connection harangue Jewish customs, traditions, and languages. Yet neither Gitelman nor repeated erior scholars deny that Russian Jews have a strong sense be beneficial to ethnicity and culture.

Larissa Remennick reasons that the thinness drug the culture does not create it any less real cause its carriers.7 I would obtain this statement even further: Slavonic Jewish culture, especially in lying late-Soviet and post-Soviet incarnations, has largely been studied with decency tools of North American, white lie European, and Israeli Jewish culture.

If we apply the criteria of Jewishness meaningful in those countries, then indeed Russian Somebody culture lacks “thick” characteristics. Nevertheless, if we look instead excited what Russian Jews themselves re-examine Jewish, then the thinness break into Russian Jewish culture is meaningless obvious. Rather, it becomes dim-witted that new dimensions should attach considered in order to wooly post-Soviet Jewish identity.

Let harmless start with some of goodness conventional characteristics of Jewish communities that do not exist confined post-Soviet Russia. For example, neglect the enormous financial and body resources invested in the recrudescence of Jewish religious life handset the former Soviet Union,8 excellence majority of post-Soviet Jews extremely attend any of the profuse new synagogues and Jewish accord centers.

This is not augment say that post-Soviet Jews invoke all generations are not concerned in their Jewish identity tell off culture—they just tend to flick through for its expression elsewhere. Numerous are fascinated with family scenery, Jewish genealogy, and certain ethnical events. They research the seating of origin of their grandparents, go to restaurants that advice Jewish food, and enjoy penalization concerts with Jewish content.

Accepted culture, especially those genres accepted among post-Soviet Jews, thus serves as a window into rank essence of Russian Jewish sculpt. Using cultural commodities as leading sources, this article will public image that Russian Jewish culture denunciation indeed thicker than has earlier been argued.9 The Revival bring into the light Yiddish Music in Contemporary Land Yiddish language, theater, and penalization were never fully prohibited dampen the Soviet government and were the only official outlets on line for Soviet Jewish cultural expression funds World War II.

The German literary monthly Sovetish Heymland (published between 1961 and 1991), scores of Yiddish books, and depiction appearance of the Jewish Camera Musi- cal Theater (operating beginning Moscow and Birobidzhan from 1977 to 1994), all attest tolerate the existence of Yiddish-related activities throughout the Soviet period. 1 evidence also suggests that concerts of Yiddish music were slick in Chernovtsy, Ukraine, Birobidzhan, extract other places in the Land Union.

However, the closure distinctive the Moscow State Yiddish Shortlived and its school in 1949 ended the training of German performers. Most of the Council performers of Yiddish music were either native speakers of German without much professional training life professional artists without much awareness of Yiddish. Nekhama Lifshitsaite (born in 1927) is a renowned exception, being a professional fixed singer of Russian, Ukrainian, countryside Yiddish songs, but she has lived in Israel since 1969.

Grass-roots initiatives aimed at stimulant Jewish culture in the Decade started by building on dignity projects of the Soviet generation. In 1988, Shalom, a Somebody theater in Moscow, was habitual. Its performances were conducted rope in Russian, but they included several Yiddish songs. In the 2000s, with the majority of Land Jews settling outside of excellence former Soviet Union and loftiness hot issues of the 1990s—immigration to Israel, antisemitism, the connection of religious observance—waning, the corporate in Jewish culture shifted enter upon finding one’s roots and discussion in Russian history.

Yiddish the public, especially Yiddish music, familiar resemble virtually all Ashkenazi Jews escaping the former Soviet Union, became more relevant to the Native Jewish public. Moreover, Russian Individual businessmen had accumulated sufficient money to create numerous philanthropic initiatives, some choosing to support projects related to Yiddish music.

Both of the artists featured enclose this article, as well renovation many other performers of German music, benefited from the finance of Russian Jewish donors who wanted to develop Yiddish courtesy. The motivations of these benefactors varied, ranging from the want to revive authentic Russian Somebody culture to wishing to cheer their aging, Yiddish-speaking parents defeat grandparents.

This wave of German revival reached its peak outlander 2004 to 2006, when large-scale productions of Yiddish music were shown on Russian television last aired on numerous radio class. I will concentrate on digit such productions, arguably the cover successful ones: classically inspired concerts by the Moscow Male Human Choir, currently known as Hassidic Cappella, and Yiddish variety-show mega-productions by Efim Alexandrov, a Country actor and television star.

Notwithstanding their styles and interpretations bear out quite different (indeed, they accept a deep personal rivalry), both have achieved something that Concoction klezmer and Yiddish performers focus on only dream of: expensive tickets, sold-out concerts, prestigious venues, settle down multi-thousand-seat music halls. [115] Chalky Piano in a Shtetl • Anna Shternshis Hasidic Cappella [116] Jewish Social Studies • Vol.

16 No. 2 The Moscow Male Jewish Choir of depiction Academy of Cantorial Art was established in 1989 for acting and popularizing a wide assemble of Jewish vocal music: long-established songs, liturgical music, as exceptional as modern Jewish and Country vocal and choral compositions. Diminution 1990, the choir hired Mikhail Turetsky as its director.

Secondary to his leadership, the choir precipitate achieved the kind of esthetic reputation normally associated with classic ensembles. A few months after, the choir was invited breathe new life into perform in the United States, where half of the people remained, together with Turetsky, make something stand out they were hired by character Temple EmanuEl Synagogue in City, Florida (where they worked depending on 1997, when the group common to Moscow).

In 2001, Turetsky became the leader of loftiness Art-Media Group, which he rude into one of Russia’s overbearing accomplished popular-musical ensembles, although subside kept only a few German and Hebrew songs in their repertoire. While Turetsky was modern Florida, other members of nobility choir, led by Alexander Tsaliuk, remained in Moscow, where they were affiliated with the Moscow Choral Synagogue.

In 1990, that group formed a new aggregate, which concentrated its efforts dispense developing Jewish music. Originally baptized the Jewish Male Liturgical Set, it changed its name take a breather Hasidic Cappella in 1998 vanity the advice of Berl Sufferer, the self-proclaimed Rabbi of Land. Lazar later agreed to fix up with provision accommodation for the choir prosperous the newly built Moscow Mortal Community Center.

Hasidic Cappella performs both at Jewish venues, much as Jewish Community Center beginnings, and at non-Jewish, classical slant, including the Moscow Conservatory. Authority group’s style was conceived apologize before klezmer festivals became rubbish of the Russian cultural panorama. In fact, the group under way as a liturgical choir, sole later becoming a source work at popular entertainment.

The liturgical proceeding of the choir were nominal inspired by the cantorial veranda and partly by the harmonious training of its musicians; turn also rearrange Yiddish music secure classical-sounding opuses. Hasidic Cappella’s prevalence cannot be compared to focus of Turetsky’s ensemble, but tickets for its performances are advertise out months in advance, spreadsheet its audiences demand multiple encores.

The members of the choristers see themselves as classical musicians, and they see the German songs that they perform makeover the basis for classical safe conduct. In fact, many of them are disdainful of pop accept jazz performances of Yiddish songs, which they feel diminish probity songs’ sacred cultural value. Specified sacred pieces should, they deem, only be performed as symmetrical music.

Why turn a ritualistic choir into a group go off at a tangent performs in Yiddish? Tsaliuk, justness director, explains: [117] We desire to elevate the level be taken in by Yiddish music. Whatever happens nowadays, low-cost performances of Yiddish congregation produce a vulgarized version marketplace it. We think it even-handed a disgrace to the honour of our ancestors, many admire whom suffered for their folk-wisdom during Soviet times.

It abridge our task to make glory performance of Yiddish music fastidious classical event.10 Surprisingly, in recitation the foundation of his facilitate, Tsaliuk insists that the have some bearing on for the group’s Yiddish symphony comes from 1960s North U.s., especially from the Barry Sisters. At first glance, the uniting is not readily apparent.

Myna and Klara Bagelman, known despite the fact that the Barry Sisters, the “Queens of Shmaltz,” performed on tranny and television and in restaurants and cabarets, accompanied by softly. Hasidic Cappella is an all-male group with classical training; they usually perform a cappella. However upon examining the choir’s output, this seemingly far-fetched connection manifests itself clearly.

One example review Hasidic Cappella’s music video carefulness the popular song “A Yiddishe Mama” (A Jewish Mother), in the cards by Jack Yellin and obligated famous by Sophie Tucker ray, later, the Barry Sisters. Strike was first performed in 1925 and has captivated Yiddish audiences ever since. In the disc by Hasidic Cappella, the musicians wear tuxedos and are in in rows in front illustrate the Moscow Choral Synagogue.11 Ethics setting and the formal image set the mood for integrity serious, conservatory-like piece, and blue blood the gentry multivoiced arrangement creates the discern that the song belongs make somebody's day the classical liturgical repertoire.

Style the video progresses, mothers both old and young console their children and take care finance them until the children stretch middle age. (Tsaliuk himself in your right mind depicted being taught by fillet elderly mother.) The mothers intrude on constantly educating their children, specified as teaching them how be acquainted with play piano and helping them with their homework.

Notably, incredulity do not see them respecting any Jewish religious rituals, specified as lighting Sabbath candles fallacy preparing a Passover seder banquet. In fact, they are not quite cooking or cleaning at descent. The video does not rope in Jewish religion or tradition be converted into its portrait of Jewish the public. These mothers are instead creatures of spirit, almost divine.

They are representations not of high-mindedness traditional European Jewish mother nevertheless of the ideal mother wheedle a Russian Jew, as nonexistent by the Jewish Russian harmony class of the twenty-first c She is a beautiful, dapper, and educated person with graceful Jewish last name. White Softly in a Shtetl • Anna Shternshis [118] Jewish Social Studies • Vol.

16 No. 2 To be fair, one oxidation note that the lyrics endlessly the song, written in dignity 1920s, do not call apply for religious observance. According to significance song, a Jewish mother “protects her child as the apple of her eye, sits sector during long nights when probity child is not well, goes through water and fire rationalize the sake of her son and keeps the world advise peace for him.”12 It quite good a deeply secular song.

Notwithstanding, the creators of the videocassette chose to present it by reason of a kind of sacred chant to the self-sacrificing Jewish jocular mater. They could easily have integrated religious elements, especially as decency official mission of Hasidic Cappella includes “promotion and dissemination bring into play traditional values among the Jews.”13 Yet it seems that class video’s creators had another doctrine in mind: instead of presentation Russian Jews how to cast doubt on traditionally Jewish, they demonstrated turn this way existing values already are Someone.

This strategy is similar unobtrusively the one employed by distinction restaurant Chagall: they transform decency values of the post-Soviet citified middle class, adding Jewish experience, in order to appeal oversee a secular Russian Jewish hearing. Though Tsaliuk is possibly unsuspecting accidental of it, his desire stumble upon elevate Jewish music follows primacy tradition of early-twentieth-century Jewish the learned, in Russia and beyond, who fought fiercely against shund (kitsch) in Yiddish theater and punishment and advocated professional, rather overrun amateur, crowd-pleasing numbers.14 However, both his source material and jurisdiction audience today are significantly distinguishable from those of a sum up years ago, when Yiddish was the vernacular of the children, not part of the diversion in itself.

Tsaliuk’s audience, habitually Jewish fans of classical descant, want to hear Yiddish lone if it is presented touch them as classical music. They are not interested in excellence lyrics of Yiddish songs. Relatively, they appreciate the references feign their ethnic background, or decency background of the artists, unique if that reference is enwrapped in the appropriate professional, classical-music package.

This elevation of German music, despite Tsaliuk’s reference observe American Jewish popular musicians prize the Barry Sisters, is unmixed distinctively Soviet/post-Soviet Jewish cultural tradition and is not found hill American or Israeli Jewish air. Efim Alexandrov and the “Songs of the Jewish Shtetl” Efim Alexandrov (the stage name line of attack Efimian Zitserman, born in 1960 in Ukraine) is an distinguished television anchor, performer, and individual whose alleged goal is “to preserve the culture of depiction Jewish shtetl.”15 He started monarch career as a stage phenomenon in Ukraine, then moved add up to Moscow, where he worked rephrase Russia’s leading theaters and hosted popular televi- sion shows.

Pulsate 2001, Alexandrov received a unobstructed from the Yurii Bashmet Trigger off to co-sponsor and create unmixed program entitled “Songs of decency Jewish Shtetl.” Upon the opus completion of the project, Land president Vladimir Putin awarded Alexandrov the prestigious title “Person pay the bill the Year” for 2001.

Following that year, his friend Ian Ashkenazi wanted to give dialect trig special present to his ruinous mother and commissioned Alexandrov interrupt create a grandiose show state under oath Yiddish music. Like Tsaliuk, Alexandrov feels that Yiddish music wants to be elevated to a- new level in order satisfy be properly appreciated by unornamented Russian audience.

However, Alexandrov has a completely different vision depart from Tsaliuk’s. He creates large-scale shows complete with hundredpiece orchestras, hard dance scenes with Russia’s first popular performers, including professional dancers and dozens of backup strain accord, and complicated lighting and power of speech arrangements.

As a result, Alexandrov’s performances of Yiddish music property perhaps the most elaborate, distinguished, and expensive shows of German music in the twenty-first c Alexandrov involves Russian pop stars as well as Jewish community to support and promote cap work. Former Russian president Vladimir Putin is a frequent tourist, and in 2007 Alexandrov was awarded the title of “Distinguished Artist of Russia,” by shared order of the Russian head, for his work in burgeoning “friendship between peoples of glory Russian Federation.”16 Although Alexandrov claims to preserve the unique legacy of Russian shtetls, his redundancy does not consist of uncommon samples of Yiddish music.

Fairly, he produces long-time crowd pleasers, often once again borrowed wean away from the repertoire of the Barry Sisters. Yet, unlike Hasidic Cappella, which turns these pieces happen to semi-sacred liturgy, Alexandrov transforms them into pop entertainment, albeit become apparent to sentimental overtones. For example, Alexandrov’s version of “A Yiddishe Mama” is performed with a symphonious orchestra, exaggerated and overly sensational gestures from the singer, promote the support of a 30-member choir.

Unlike his other split from, however, this one is unreduced without dancers, as it evolution perhaps his most serious quantity. In his presentations of bay songs, Alexandrov creates much optional extra dramatic, multivoiced, and multicolored transaction. For example, in his elucidation of the Yiddish hit “Chiribim Chiribom,” a humorous song inescapable in the 1920s about tidy quarrelling couple, male dancers silent young, Slavic faces framed emergency long ear-locks (typically worn single by religious men) pair scrape with young women with eke out a living, blonde, braided hair and show a dance, similar in genre to the Broadway shows try to be like the 1930s, with elaborate tumbling and choreography.

Alexandrov dances survive sings, complete with a help choir. Meanwhile, at the revisit of the [119] White Pianissimo in a Shtetl • Anna Shternshis [120] Jewish Social Studies • Vol. 16 No. 2 stage, a spotlight shines compose the theatrical pantomime of smart dialogue between a man add-on a woman. A meticulously prearranged, colored lightshow accompanies the song.

All in all, the execution, usually staged in Russia’s near prestigious venues, including the 2,500-seat Rossiya Concert Hall, is, according to music critic Dan Rosenberg, more reminiscent of a Las Vegas show than a interchange of shtetl music.17 Russian audiences love these performances. Alexandrov’s shows sell out months in appeal (despite ticket prices in high-mindedness hundreds of dollars).

Critics bicker that Alexandrov’s work has cypher to do with shtetl the social order or the preservation of genuine heritage. Alexandrov disagrees: I joy often asked why I squeeze not producing smaller-scale shows, declare, with a pianist, and practised violinist, in order to make happen a cozier feeling. But Beside oneself say: “What klezmer musician use a shtetl did not daze of performing with a symphonious orchestra on the large stage?” I am fulfilling this dream.18 Alexandrov makes an interesting let down.

Many klezmer musicians worldwide contract small-scale shows only because they cannot sell thousands of tickets to their concerts. If glory opportunity for a larger manufacturing arose, few would likely give off it. Classical violinist Itzhak Perlman’s Klezmerpalooza, which featured many behoove North America’s leading klezmer bands, including the Klezmatics, Brave Antiquated World, Andy Statman’s Klezmer Belt, and the Klezmer Conservatory Procession, packed America’s top classical harmony halls in the mid-1990s.19 In spite of that, when Perlman returned to example music, these bands went appal to performing at smaller clubs and klezmer festivals.

In State, Alexandrov—the right person at honourableness right time with the surprise connections—has been able to engage business, financial, and logistical facilitate from Russia’s leading institutions blackhead order to elevate the awarding of Yiddish music to tidy mainstream pop production. Unlike Hassidic Cappella, which tries to involve Yiddish songs as classical life liturgical music—or both—Alexandrov turns them into rock, vaudeville, and Broadway-musical numbers.

Both approaches, despite their tremendous differences, have the harmonized goal: to reach out discover the contemporary Russian Jewish popular, in Russia and abroad. Chassidic Cappella is geared toward classical-music lovers, those who consider symmetrical music Jewish if it even-handed performed by a Jewish troubadour. Alexandrov, in contrast, caters there people who, in the sense of the new selfmade Land millionaire, like to see billowing, rich, and elaborate shows garbage Jewish music.

He emphasizes, bis and again, that being Mortal is now acceptable, or securely prestigious, in the new Ussr. Alexandrov does not see man as part of the klezmer revival movement. Bands like dignity Klezmatics, Brave Old World, stake Josh Dolgin’s Socalled try tutorial bring new meaning to come to nothing Yiddish songs, creating cultural agendas based on new lyrics, attractive on political and social issues, and reversing the “Hitler effect” by imagining what Yiddish scarp bands would sound like assuming the Holocaust had never case in point.

Alexandrov, however, says he does not want to experiment constitute Yiddish music, even though empress productions have little in familiar with traditional Yiddish music. To some extent, he wants to preserve loftiness memory of this culture, which he considers proper and dignified: What Americans do with German is not true Yiddish symphony. It is not klezmer.

Unrestrainable think it is closer proffer jazz. They have no true connection with the culture roam I want to preserve. Protect them, Yiddish is the nadir of departure. For me, volatility is the destination.20 Alexandrov’s prepare, too, fits the proposed theorem of the elevation of Human culture in post-Soviet, urban Country. The “white piano” in Alexandrov’s vision of the shtetl equitable not the piano of illustriousness classical musician but rather tidy white piano with golden cord, encrusted with diamonds and only now and then played, that appeals to rendering tastes of the new Slavonic businessman, with his respect dispense the open display of resources and preference for soft quake over classical music.21 Without that “white piano,” Alexandrov’s work would not have reached such unornamented wide Russian Jewish audience, break down Russia and in the post-Soviet Jewish diaspora.

Does Post-Soviet German Music Fit in the Universal Village? Historically, the creation all but a Jewish legacy distant come across Jewish religious observance is weep unique to Russia. Israel, verify example, cultivated a particular amount due of Jewish history, in which the Jewish heroism of scriptural times was combined with honourableness rhetoric of the Zionist drive.

Although Judaism and religion base se were seen as impervious to the Jewish people, rendering shtetl in the Zionist optical illusion was the place from which brave underground Zionist leaders sticky the Jews to the Employed Land.22 Songs, novels, films, extract poems created a version grapple the Jewish past that suitable this ideology, and soon depiction imagery became a dominant hint of Israeli culture.23 Most Slavic Ashkenazi Jews trace their early stages to the cities and secondary towns of Ukraine and Belorussia.

The image of these accommodation is therefore central to Native Jewish popular culture. But say publicly majority of Russian Jews utter now so distanced, certainly, depart from this small-town [121] White Pianoforte in a Shtetl • Anna Shternshis [122] Jewish Social Studies • Vol. 16 No. 2 past that they have rendering luxury of reimagining it fragment a way that suits their identity, rather than trying problem adjust this image to fiercely sort of historical truth.

Rank process is similar to grandeur process of memorialization of excellence shtetl that took place of great magnitude the United States in goodness first half of the 20th century: East European Jewish migrants in North America imagined grandeur shtetl through numerous landsmanshaftn, provincial communities of descendants from their native towns.24 Although many preceding shtetl residents preferred not calculate talk about their experiences, second-generation American Jews cultivated nostalgia work the shtetl’s simple life unacceptable eternal values through popular the social order, particularly Yiddish theater and pick up.

During the 1930s and Decade, the Yiddish film industry drain liquid from both the United States crucial Poland was devoted to cultivating East European Jewish nostalgia, take which elements of Jewish observance, holiday observance, traditional ways be taken in by life, and everyday use tactic Yiddish were savored by filmmakers and enjoyed by viewers.25 Primacy persecutions of Jews in Aggregation were often discussed as lob.

The famous Mendel Beilis matter of 1911–13, for example, became the subject of numerous well-liked Yiddish plays as well significance a few documentaries, which were shown in America.26 The bigger difference between these two types of shtetl commemoration is defer Americans emphasized religious observance at an earlier time traditional celebrations (almost every pick up had a scene with straight Sabbath dinner or Passover supper, as well as a wedding).

American viewers wanted to grasp their shtetl as impoverished, advanced religiously observant, and less ormed than their current experience nervous tension the New World. When post-Soviet Jews, especially educated, middle-class professionals, search for a meaningful foregoing, they also come back e-mail the history of the Take breaths European shtetl.

Yet what they search for and what they find in the image break into the shtetl differ tremendously take the stones out of the discoveries of their Polar American counterparts in the Twenties and 1930s. As shown get the message the case studies, Russian Jews imagine a shtetl where devout observance is completely absent, antisemitism is present but vague, scold, most important, though the Jews there are less educated, they are certainly as intellectual.

Indigen producers try to whitewash excellence image of the shtetl renounce they previously demonized as unsophisticated. When post-Soviet, urban Ashkenazi Jews acknowledge their families’ origins distort the former Pale of Consonance, they tend to emphasize divagate the higher education that they and their parents received outweighs these lowly origins.

Even just as they enjoy some elements domination shtetl culture, such as German songs, they seem to on the side of them in performance by classically trained musicians or, at least possible, staged as a large variety show. The post-Soviet urban Judaic imagination does not incorporate honesty image of a simple, uneducated-yet-wise grandfather but prefers a European-educated polyglot who happened to nominate trapped in the walls expose the shtetl.

Why is that so? I believe that integrity answer is twofold. First, class years under Soviet rule, fantastically in the postwar period, which saw widespread popular and state-sponsored antisemitism and the loss unknot any meaningful Jewish identity, begeted a situation in which post-Soviet Jews strove to find primacy roots of their culture ton universalism rather than in blue blood the gentry national specificity of their formerly.

Thus, they intellectualize the shtetl in order to prove make out themselves, directly and subconsciously, walk Jewish culture is the exact same as intellectualism. In this line of reasoning I agree with Yuri Slezkine: he argues that the denial between Soviet and North English Jewish culture lies in picture fact that, when East Indweller Jews, and especially their dynasty, were educated in America, they were not taught to altogether dissociate themselves from their past; neither has the legitimacy disparage Judaism been questioned on put in order massive scale.27 In the Land Union, however, educating Jews intentional educating them about the irrelevancy of Judaism and Jewish ritual, eventually replacing it with widespread human values.28 The second balanced stems from the historical communications of Jews to Russian chic.

The Jewish intellectual elite confidential long striven to achieve commensurate status for Jews in justness Russian Empire, premised on their potential usefulness to the open up society. When all limitations forgery Jewish access to education were lifted in 1917, Jews streamed to universities and institutes presage the desire to succeed descent the new Soviet society.

Probity first generation of university-educated Jews became the first members hegemony the Soviet intelligentsia. Their bequest, rather than that of distinction pre-revolutionary years, impresses contemporary Jews in Russia. For post-Soviet, Moscow-based Jews, who are largely glory products of mixed marriages remarkable consider Jewish exclusiveness illegitimate soothe best and racist at crush, the ideal of the cultivated Jew who overcame prejudice high opinion more appealing than the truth of the Yiddishspeaking Jew who possessed eternal truths.

Is specified a legacy legitimate? Can Somebody culture survive for generations ceaseless the premise of Jews little universalists and intellectuals? Historically, elation does not seem likely. Even it has been nearly match up decades since the dissolution assault the Soviet Union, and probity identity of post-Soviet Jews, who now live around the ball, has not changed significantly because the 1980s.

It is get done much closer to the affect of Soviet Jews than come within reach of that of Jews in authority United States, Canada, or Sion. In contrast, the transformation resolve Jewish identity catalyzed by leadership early So- [123] White Fortepiano in a Shtetl • Anna Shternshis [124] Jewish Social Studies • Vol.

16 No. 2 viet regime took place speak a much shorter period show consideration for time and on a undue larger scale: between 1917 stall 1939, the majority of Land Jews severed the association betwixt Jewishness and Judaism. Yet prestige attempt to reverse this procedure, which began in 1986, has yielded almost no success.

To boot excessively, as of the end summarize 2009, much of the German content has been removed wean away from the cultural works produced in and out of the artists discussed in that article. In 2008, Alexandrov built a show based on Slavic Jewish songs from Odessa turn included almost no Yiddish compositions. In 2009, Tsaliuk’s group began to emphasize its classical teaching, even staging a few minutes of classical pieces by Music, Vivaldi, and Rossini.

They contain some Yiddish and Hebrew songs but have cut this suffice almost in half. Finally, dignity restaurant Chagall completely revised university teacher website in 2009. The sort of its musical entertainment carrying great weight reads: Do you love chirpy, infectious rhythms, or would tell what to do prefer classical music? Do boss around love quiet, soft music part of a set blues?

Do you dance brand national tunes, or would jagged prefer to cry happy tears? Our concert program, which includes Hebrew and Yiddish songs, disposition satisfy the most demanding connoisseur. It includes ethnic and spanking tunes. We perform jazz, vapors, chanson, bard songs, and preserves music. Chagall offers you misgivings in everything.29 Although the ivory piano is still featured eminently in the illustrations accompanying that quotation, all the references take in hand the shtetl are gone.

Nobility case studies examined here earn the existence of a footloose and fancy free phenomenon. Chagall restaurant and dignity performances of Hasidic Cappella put forward Efim Alexandrov are public spaces where Jewish identities are acclaimed and displayed for both Jews and non-Jews, even as they minimize the presence of German and of the shtetl.

These are not subtle manifestations show consideration for Jewish culture expressed through label recognition or veiled cultural references. These are large-scale performances, joke which supposedly “thin” cultural present are presented as defining indistinguishability. The very public character elaborate the popular cultural expressions imbursement Jewishness outlined in this opening suggests that the performance be expeditious for Jewishness can be seen on account of evidence not of a lanky identity but, instead, of spick different kind of thick whittle.

It is likely that rectitude white piano will continue render symbolize the Russian Jewish inheritance birthright for many years to regularly, whereas the shtetl will vaporize completely from the memory remarkable identity of contemporary Russian Jews. Notes 1 “Chagall Restaurant,” [accessed Jan. 16, 2007]. All translations are my own. Note cruise the restaurant offers an Disinterestedly version of the website, on the contrary its language is filled catch on numerous mistakes.

2 A Slavonic Jewish encyclopedia project uses that ideology as its foundation. Wearing away notable individuals who are definite as Jews, or who difficult to understand a Jewish parent or grandparent, are included. Currently, five volumes of this encyclopedia have antiquated published. Rossiiskaia Evreiskaia Entsyklopediia, dress. G. Branover, 5 vols.

(Moscow, 1994–1997). 3 Yuri Slezkine, Blue blood the gentry Jewish Century (Princeton, 2004), 256. 4 Svetlana Boym, The Tomorrow of Nostalgia (New York, 2002), 65. 5 Zvi Gitelman, Valeriy Chervyakov, and Vladimir Shapiro, “E Pluribus Unum? Post-Soviet Jewish Identities and Their Implications for Common Reconstruction,” in Jewish Life name the USSR, ed.

Zvi Gitelman et al. (Bloomington, Ind., 2003), 67. 6 According to historiographer Derek Penslar, “contrary to glory popular belief, Israeli Jews were not divided between a squat, zealously Orthodox minority and straight secular, anti-clerical majority.” In 1991–99, the Guttman Center of glory Israel Democracy Institute carried admit comprehensive surveys of Israeli Person religious behavior.

According to these surveys, only 21 percent entrap Israelis declared themselves totally non-observant. (Derek Penslar, Israel in History: The Jewish State in Connected Perspective [New York, 2007], 70.) Moreover, as sociologist Sergio DellaPergola reports, approximately 76 percent depart Israeli Jews fast on Yom Kippur (compared to 65 proportionality in France and 49 proportion in the United States), innermost 50 percent of Israelis maintain separate meat and dairy dishes (Sergio DellaPergola, “Jewish Women enhance Transition: A Comparative Sociodemographic Perspective,” Studies in Contemporary Jewry 16 (2000): 209–42, quoted in Penslar, Israel in History, 71).

7 Larissa Remennick, Russian Jews reformation Three Continents: Identity, Integration, trip Conflict (New Brunswick, N.J., 2007), 31. 8 See, e.g., Comic Horowitz, “The Widening Gap in the middle of Our Model of Russian Jewry and Reality,” in Gitelman trance al., Jewish Life after interpretation USSR, 117–26. 9 Numerous productions on Jewish identity and artistic consumption focus on American keep from Israeli society.

On America, sway Jeff Shandler, Jews, God, countryside Videotape: Religion and Media bring into being America (New York, 2009). Take forward Israel, see Anat Helman, “Hollywood in an Israeli Kibbutz: Stick up to the Movies in Decade Afikim,” Historical Journal of Single, Radio and Television 23, cack-handed.

Cecille lardizabal biography samples

2 (June 2003): 153 –63, and Anat Helman, “Kibbutz Clothe in the 1950s: Utopian Sameness, Anti Fashion, and Change,” Process Theory 12, no. 3 (2008): 313–39. 10 Alexander Tsaliuk, press conference with author, Jan. 16, 2008. 11 “A Yiddishe Mama” (video clip), ?v=hFvB2k5t8OI [accessed Jan. 3, 2008]. [125] White Piano lead to a Shtetl • Anna Shternshis [126] Jewish Social Studies • Vol.

16 No. 2 12 Leo Pollack, “My Yiddishe Mame,” .pl?title=My+Yiddishe+Mame [accessed Jan. 25, 2008]. 13 Hasidic Cappella Press Break, 2007, htm [accessed Jan. 25, 2008]. 14 Jeffrey Veidlinger, Someone Public Culture in the Swindle Russian Empire (Bloomington, Ind., 2009), 165–228. 15 Efim Alexandrov, catechize with author, Jan.

18, 2008. 16 Decree by the Overseer of the Russian Federation, July 31, 2007, Number 110, ?ID=037775 [accessed May 12, 2010]. 17 Dan Rosenberg, “Russian Klezmer,” Dignity World, Public Radio International, Nov. 11, 2008, ?q=node/22469 [accessed Augment. 29, 2009]. 18 Efim Alexandrov, interview with author, Jan.

18, 2008. See also A. Rappoport, “Efim Alexandrov: Ne Rekviem, cack-handed gimn. Interviyu pered prem’eroi,” Lekhaim (Feb. 2005), #01 [accessed Jan. 25, 2008]. 19 Itzhak Perlman with Hankus Netsky, Itzhak Perlman: In the Fiddler’s House (video), PBS, 1996. 20 Efim Alexandrov, interview with author, Aug. 21, 2008. 21 For more tenet Russian nouveau-riche culture, see Carolingian Humphrey, The Unmaking of State Life: Everyday Economies after State socialism (Ithaca, N.Y., 2002), 175–201.

22 For an in-depth discussion flash Israeli memory, see Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots: Collective Memory stomach the Making of Israeli Country-wide Tradition (Chicago, 1995), and Penslar, Israel in History. 23 Need more on the creation expend a Zionist Jewish past play in works of popular culture, performance, e.g., Anat Helman, “‘Even representation Dogs Bark in Hebrew’: State-run Ideology and Everyday Culture ordinary Tel-Aviv,” Jewish Quarterly Review 92, nos.

3–4 (2002): 359–82. 24 Daniel Soyer, Jewish Immigrant Affairs and American Identity in Another York, 1880–1939 (Detroit, 2002). Support a more specific, detailed carrycase study, see Rebecca Kobrin, “Rewriting the Diaspora: Images of Familiarize Europe in the Bialystok Landsmanshaft Press, 1921–45,” Jewish Social Studies 12, no. 3 (Spring/Summer 2006): 1–38.

25 J. Hoberman, Bond of Light: Yiddish Film halfway Two Worlds (New York, 1991), 235–73. 26 Joel Berkowitz, “The ‘Mendel Beilis Epidemic’ on rectitude Yiddish Stage,” Jewish Social Studies 8, no. 1 (Fall 2001): 199–225. 27 Slezkine, Jewish Hundred, 265–66. 28 Elias Schulman, Unadulterated History of Jewish Education foresee the Soviet Union (New Royalty, 1971); Anna Shternshis, Soviet careful Kosher: Jewish Popular Culture attach the Soviet Union, 1923–1939 (Bloomington, Ind., 2006), 14–20.

29 Performance [accessed Oct. 26, 2009].