The sites we saw in Kiev awakened memories of stories learned many years ago. These memories are not altogether conguent with the people we see today and create quite a conflict for me. We met a people in  the flush of new found independence from their Soviet masters. Although this independence was gained in 1991, 22 years ago, there has not been time for all the habits of being soviets to have passed from the older generations who still play an active role in government.  Witness the imprisonment for Timoshenko for crimes related to keeping gas flowing from Russia for the winter while she was prime minister.  There are ethnic Russians who want to rejoin Mother Russia and and there are many Ukrainians who think the future tied to Russia is better than that tied to the West.  This tension is palpable when talking to people about local politics,  something we were encouraged to do when we found an English speaker.

As we walked through a square Tania pointed out a statue of a Cossak on horseback who was a defender of the state.  All I could see was a murderer of Jews.  We talked about how the Cossaks were feared by the ordinary people, and all I could think of was how much more so by the Jews.  We toured several Ukrainian Orthodox churches which have been rebuilt more glorious than before the Soviet takeover and destruction.  I saw houses where hatred of the other was condoned if not taught.  I suspect my paranoia is showing. But somehow this was not always a happy home for our ancestors.

In 1932-33 over a million Ukranians starved to death when the  collectivization of successful private farms resulted in two years of crop failures from attempting to follow a government plan and orders ignored good farming practice.  Thinking more about Chernobyle, which is yet another blood letting on Ukrainian soil imposed by the Soviets and full of secrets  which made the initial disaster even worse by hiding the nature and cause of the accident and denying its ramifications.  How much blood can a land absorb?  Why is this piece of land among the bloodiest? Why do I get shivers up my spine when I see a Cossak being honored as a warrior?

As we neared the end of our stay in Kiev, we got to visit a synagogue not far from our hotel.  I do not know its history. We walked in, 8 of us,  three Jews and 5 whose experience of Judaism was very limited. As we entered, the small congregation was nearing the end of afternoon service,  Ma’ariv and we listened as several men chanted Kadesh.  Carol lead the women to the balcony and I took the men onto the main floor.  They were short of yarmulkes, so I let the guests used the offered yarmukes and I merely kept my hat on,  indicating to the gabbai that as a Jew my head was covered and he merely nodded.  Carol and I used the time to explain the ritual and the nature of the worship they were witnessing.  It was enlightening for all.

And so we move on to Vilnius in Lithuania to find more blushed and horrors along with smiling people and a neat old town,  more in my next post.
I am posting as we pack to move on again.