In the Shadow of the Shtetl: Small-Town Jewish Life in Soviet Ukraine

5. The Sanctuary of the Synagogue

107 S 5 The Jewish women’s choir of Vinnytsya meets regularly in the Jewish community center not far from the center of town. In 2002, Liudmila Shor invited us to the community center where this group of fifteen elderly and energetic ladies sings together. We were served a brunch of black bread and cheese, after which Shor began to gather the women together for a special performance just for us. As they rose from their tables , an elderly woman with large round turtle-shell glasses approached the camera. Speaking directly into the lens, a bit too close to the camera, she announced: “I was in the war. I am an invalid of the second group. I received the order of bravery.” Ignoring Shor’s calls to assemble in the auditorium, she continued her monologue in clipped sentences: “I go to synagogue. Every Sabbath I go to synagogue. My last name is Katz, Nesye Sulimanovna. I was born in Brailiv. I was left an orphan without any parents. And my uncle raised me. We sing Yiddish songs. We gather together, we sing, we dance, and we are joyous. My parents were all killed here by the Germans.” Katz’s deliberate speech to the camera, juxtaposing her youth as both a war orphan and a war hero onto her current life of singing, dancing, k The Sanctuary of the Synagogue 108 in the shadow of the shtetl and joy is an inspiring statement of perseverance. She spoke without conjunctions, but nevertheless powerfully asserted that despite what she has suffered—despite what the Germans did to her and her family—she comes here, to this community center, to sing Yiddish songs, to dance, to be merry, and to socialize with other Jewish women. Despite everything, she has maintained her community. Buried within her barrage of assertions , was her divulgence that she goes to synagogue every Saturday. For Katz and so many others, synagogue attendance remains a defining element of Jewish identity. Once Shor managed to assemble the women to the stage, we took our seats in the last of about five rows of stackable aluminum frame chairs. The choir performed some of the best-known Yiddish songs, including the drinking song, “Lomir ale in eynem,” (Let us all together) and “Shabes zol zayn,” (Let there be Sabbath). The women seemed to be competing with each other to sing the loudest, but amidst the shouting a few vibrant voices emerged. When the drinking songs ended, the divas among the group took turns taking breakout solos. With the light glimmering off the purple highlights in her hair, Asya Barshteyn began in a sonorous and commanding voice: Oy, oy, oy Rebbe, Reb Shneyer S’hot mir getrofn Zeyer a groyser zeyer Di shkheyne iz a shiksl Nit vaksn zol zi greser Z’hot opgeshnitn di puter Mit’n fleyshikdikn meser. Bin ikh gekumen tsu dir rebbenyu Rebbe, Reb Shneyer Ir zolt mir paskenen Di dozike deye. Hot der rebbe ofgehoybn di oygn tsum himl Un hot ongemakht a rash mit a timl. Shat, shat, vaybele, nisht veyn Shik dos shiksele tsu mir aleyn. Un vus zol ikh tun mit’n meser? Nemt a bisele ash Un git dos meserl a vash. Un tut zikh gornisht foyln. The Sanctuary of the Synagogue 109 Un brut es up af koyln. Tif in der’erd zolt ir es araynshtekn Nemt a bisele shtroy, zolt ir es tsudekn In tsvey sho arim vet es kosher vern. Oy, oy, oy, oy Rebbe, Reb Shneyer A very great [sorrow] Happened to me. My neighbor is a shiksa [gentile woman] She shouldn’t grow anymore She cut her butter With a meat knife. I am coming to you, Rebbe Rebbe, Reb Shneyer You must pass judgment On this matter. The Rebbe raised his eyes toward heaven And made a great big stir “Sh, sh, dear, don’t cry Send the shiksa to me alone.” —and what should I do with the knife? —Take a little ash and give the knife a wash And don’t be lazy Roast it over coals. You must put it deep into the earth Cover it with a little bit of straw. And in two hours it will be kosher! The other women seemed displeased at the song; they probably felt that Barshteyn was stealing the show. Perhaps they were also embarrassed by the content of the sacrilegious song, which suggests that the rebbe had...