January 28, 2009
Recording History
Back on the November 14, 2008 Tzedakah Diary entry we shared the work of Alice Jonah and the residents of the old Diplomat Hotel in Jerusalem. The hotel is now home to hundreds of (mostly) Russian Elders who arrived in Israel hoping to live a life of freedom in the Holy Land. Alice has been their dedicated companion, providing for their social as well as physical welfare through both her volunteer and paid work there. Aside from a beautiful chorus, ulpan, field trips and many, many other meaningful activities, Alice has also facilitated a very special project that was the idea of a creative mitzvah-thinker we know. When our friend learned about Alice’s work with the Russians he realized almost immediately how important their past lives were and how their experiences were a mirror of history in Russia. Many of the residents took part in significant World War II events and other actions of equal historical significance, and as they pass on so does an irreplaceable part of history. The idea that grew out of this was to facilitate the recording of many of the residents’ memories so that a permanent record would be created.
Today, we received the following update from Alice which clearly shows how very important these interviews were. We are happy to report that our friend will send us funds so that even more recordings can be made and history will not be forgotten after all.
The interviews went very well, and for some of the people, it was the first time which they actually spoke in a structured manner of their very difficult experiences before, during and after the war years. Some have told their stories in the past, but not in this fashion. It was definitely therapeutic for most of the participants…
Luba, who conducted the interviews, was very moved by the experience. There are such incredible stories – and each one so different. She is prepared to carry on, though her situation is such that she worked very slowly. Altogether, twenty-five interviews were completed. The people she spoke with know her well, and have trust in her, and thus were able to speak volubly and openly.
One of our student population, Ruthie Yanovsky, transferred the taped material to computer, so we have both versions…
