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The Detroit
Jewish News
speaks to your
interests and
your conce rns
Travel
Mother Russia
Visiting the revitalized Jewish community in the
former Soviet Union is eye-opening.
"
SUSAN TAWIL
house where Golda Meir lived.
Poklonnaya Gora, the Russian War
Museum and Memorial Park in
en Frank, author of A
Moscow, is a must-see, Frank says.
Travel Guide to Jewish
Honoring the memory of the 25-32
Russia & Ukraine (Pelican
million Russians killed in World War
Publishing, $19.95), mar-
II, the park contains a synagogue and
vels at the renaissance of Jewish life
Holocaust
that has occurred in the former Soviet
memorial muse-
Union in the few years since the
um.
downfall of Communism.
Frank encour-
"Today, it's a miracle," he said,
ages visiting Babi
speaking at the 48th annual Jewish
Yar in Kiev, and
Book Fair at the Jewish Community
synagogues, day
Center of Metropolitan Detroit in
schools, Hillel
November.
houses and
Frank describes attending a con-
"Cheseds" (Jewish
cert by popular Israeli singer Dudu
Family Service-
Fisher, held in a concert hall five min-
type organiza-
utes from the Kremlin: "There was a
tions), which can
Russian flag on one side of the stage,
now be found in
and an Israeli flag on the other!"
Ben Frank
all the major
He tells of 15,000
Jews attending Rosh
HaShana sere ices in a
sports arena in
Moscow and incredu-
lously recalls a
Chanuka menora
lighting ceremony,
right near Red Square.
Conducted by the
Chabad Jewish
Community Center in
Moscow, the candle-
lighting was followed
by a performance of
the Russian Army
Band playing Hebrew
songs.
Except for some of
the old synagogues
that survived the war,
such as the magnificent
Choral Synagogue in
St. Petersburg, built
under the czar, "every-
thing you see Jewish-
wise is new," says
Frank. There is now a
statue of Sholom
Aleichem in Kiev, and
tourists can visit the
Special to the Jewish News
B
The Leningrad
Synagogue
To order your subse [ion or a ilft su
for family or friend*I
124,
cities. "It is important for Jews to come
and keep a Jewish presence," he says.
For those interested in genealogy,
Frank suggests using the big cities as
a base, and searching for shtelach
from there. "It's not easy to trace
roots," he says. You have to be a
detective. Follow leads and talk to
lots of people.
Frank advises tourists to hire a
guide, or at least go in groups of four
or five couples. He recommends
Intourist and a travel group called
Zekher Avotainu which, he says, can
arrange kosher meals and accommo-
dations.
Although expensive, he says there
are good hotels and good food avail-
able. Otherwise, accommodations are
at least adequate. ,,
Although tourists no longer need
to worry about being followed by the
KGB, Frank stresses that all travel
arrangements must be in place before
arrival. "You need to do everything
(visas, hotel reservations, etc.) in
advance," he says. Make sure all your
papers are in order."
Other tips: Bring your own medi-
cine, adequate clothing and snacks, and
don't plan tight travel connections.
The flight from New York is 10
hours, by Delta or Aeroflot direct
to Moscow, or by Finn Air to
Helsinki, and from there, a one-
hour trip to St. Petersburg (for-
merly Leningrad). Frank recom-
mends traveling in June or July,
when the weather is mild and
tourists can enjoy the "white
nights" in St. Petersburg, when
daylight lasts until midnight.
The author of two volumes of A
Travel Guide to Jewish Europe,
Frank is widely regarded as an
authority on Jewish travel. A Travel
Guide to Jewish Russia es. Ukraine
took Frank several trips and nearly
five years to complete. It is filled
with sightseeing information, in-
depth historical background of -
sites covered, and copious biblio-
graphical suggestions for further
research.
The book is thus equally useful
to "armchair travelers." Frank real-
izes that most people will not
choose to vacation in the former
Soviet Union. However, although a
trip to Russia cannot offer a luxury
vacation experience, for those inter-
ested in exploring their heritage, or
for those with an interest in history;
Frank highly recommends going.
"Russia is not on the other side of
the moon!" he laughs. 11