|
Home
About JCA
History
Mission
Board of Directors
Staff
Rabbinic Advisors
Organize!
Affordable Housing
Community Reinvestment
Congregational Organizing
Immigrant Rights
Racial Justice
Indie
Jews
Seeds of Justice Fellowship
Hekhsher Tzedek
Postville
Progress by Pesach
Central Corridor
Health Care
Kol - Voice - Golos
Publications
Quarterly Newsletter
Annual Report
Calendar
Contact
JCA
Join
JCA
Links
Photos
and Press
|
Kol -
VOICE - Golos
VOICE: Community Building Initiative is a Sabes JCC and Jewish Community
Action project funded by the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
VOICE Diary for August 5, 2009
By David Zarkin, JCA volunteer
MINNEAPOLIS -- On a beautiful summer day in Minneapolis’ Loring Park
neighborhood Lyudmyla Petrenko has arranged for Diana Yefanova to speak
on the differences in teaching approaches in the homelands of Russian
speaking immigrants as compared to the United States.
Lyudmyla is a community organizer and
programmer for Sabes Jewish Community Center and Jewish Community
Action, and Diana is a doctoral candidate in education at the University
of Minnesota. The audience includes senior members of VOICE, which
helps these immigrants who live in high rise buildings near Loring Park.
These gatherings for VOICE members help stem isolation they may
experience due to their age, language skills and other circumstances.
Through outings and guest speakers arranged by Lyudmyla they are
learning about the greater Twin Cities community and Jewish traditions
that they never knew in the former Soviet Union.
Lyudmyla moved to the United States six
years ago from Ukraine, and Diana eight years ago from Russia. They
both speak Russian, which is how they communicate with the VOICE
members, but for Lyudmyla her native language is Ukranian. She learned
Russian by reading books as a student.
In addition to speaking Russian, English and
German, Diana is learning to speak Japanese in preparation for research
she will be doing in Japan on comparative educational systems. She
volunteered with JCA to help with the VOICE program, and this was her
first event. Their language accomplishments alone are massively
impressive.
Many of those attending today have a background in teaching and are
interested in the American approach to education, which rewards critical
thinking and different viewpoints, as opposed to Russian schools where
students are expected to memorize and recite “facts,” which is
stressful. The unconventional is more likely in American universities
than in their Russian counterparts, Diana said.
One of the VOICE members who has impeccable educational credentials is
Faina, who moved here 17 years ago from Russia, where she taught high
school chemistry for six years in a high school and 33 years at a
university. In Russia, she did research in the biochemical department
of a university on molecular deterioration and authored texts on these
topics. Here she has been a volunteer senior companion for Jewish
Children and Family Services and serves on the VOICE leadership
committee, helping plan events for the group. Faina gained
English-speaking skills through classes at Minneapolis Technical College
and helps translate flyers for VOICE events.
Faina is proud that she brought intelligent children to this country who
are educators and grandchildren who have advanced degrees and teach at
universities in pharmacy and chemical engineering. The desire to
educate brings students’ respect and that is why she sought an education
degree in Russia, Faina said.
Much has changed in 90 years when my father came from Russia to
Minneapolis at age eight and was taunted with the name “green horn”
because he spoke only Yiddish. Social programs and benefits for retired
immigrants make a difference. But long-held suspicions of immigrants,
anti-Semitism and jealousy between people of different cultures
continues to some extent. Kamil, the VOICE photographer and a computer
professional, said his coworkers jest that because he has a Russian
accent he must have vodka in his coffee mug.
My day with VOICE was most rewarding and I look forward to learning more
about the Kitchen Stories Film Project, which will collect and preserve
memories of the last surviving Jewish witnesses of World War Two and the Holocaust. Work on this documentary starts this month and I will
keep you posted on this intriguing project.
|
VOLUNTEERS AND VIDEO CAMERA NEEDED
JCA is involved with a
documentary on World War II veterans and Holocaust witnesses from the former Soviet Union. The videographer
is a professional who is volunteering his time for this project, and he
needs a skilled videographer to help him
complete the documentary.
We also welcome volunteers.
We have particular needs for Russian speakers, educators, interviewers,
artists and performers.
|
