arts & entertainment

'Let My
People Go!'

Janice Charach Gallery takes guests to
the heart of the Soviet Jewish movement
with exhibits, theater, film, music, guest
lectures, a tea room and more.

Elizabeth Applebaum

War. When he refused to sign the petition,
Special to the Jewish News
the persecution began and was relentless.
Kochubievsky remained steadfast in his
ichael Brin's greatest discovery
support for Israel. He applied to immigrate
at a 1977 math conference in
to Israel and wrote an essay, "Why I Am a
Warsaw had nothing to do with Zionist:' that was smuggled out of the Soviet
numbers.
Union and appeared in the New York Times.
Brin was from Moscow. He had grown
In 1968, Boris Kochubievsky was arrested for
up limited in his educational and profes-
"anti-Soviet slander" and sentenced to three
sional options because he was Jewish. He
years in a labor camp. (Ultimately, he was
also was convinced that anyone outside the allowed to leave.)
Soviet Union was not to be trusted.
There also are photographs, one that
At the conference, Brin was able to meet,
shows a Soviet-Jewish father lighting a
for the first time, colleagues from the United menorah for his young daughters, and
States, England, France and Germany; he
posters that tell the story of gentiles and
was astonished to find there was nothing ter- Jews outside the Soviet Union — includ-
rible at all about "the enemy"
ing United Jewish Appeal National Chair
He came home and told his wife it was
Joel Tauber of Detroit — who struggled on
time to emigrate.
behalf of the refuseniks (as they came to
The Brins became part of an extraordi-
be known because authorities constantly
nary movement that captured internation- refused to allow them to leave).
al attention, garnered support from Jewish
Also showing throughout the exhibit are
and secular communities everywhere
(notably Detroit), saved the lives of thou-
sands and profoundly shaped the world
Special Events
today: The Brins were eventually allowed
Note: Tickets for events at the
to emigrate and came to the United States
Berman Center for the Performing
with their 6-year-old son, Sergey, who
Arts are available at the box office;
went on to become a computer scientist —
by calling (248) 661-1900; or online
and then co-founder of Google.
at theberman.org .
The story of the Soviet Jewry move-
ment from 1967-1989 is told in "Let
The Lost & Found Project
My People Go!" a new exhibit and sale
Saturday, June 8, at 7 p.m.; and
opening at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 9, at the
Sunday, June 9, at 2 p.m.
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan
Berman Center: $16 JCC mem-
bers/$19 nonmembers.
Detroit's Janice Charach Gallery. The
event, running through July 25, features
"Against All Odds: How Soviet Jews
the exclusive Midwest engagement of a
Won the Battle for Immigration"
collection of posters, photos and film clips
Lecture by Dr. Zvi Gitelman: Sunday,
from Israel's Beit Hatfutsot Museum and
June 16: 2-4 p.m.
includes events, lectures, a Russian Tea
Room party and more.
Janice Charach Gallery; no charge;
RSVP by June 13: (248) 432-5449.
On display throughout the exhibit are
items on loan from Beit Hatfutsot that
"The Spray Can Is Mightier Than the
tell the story not only of a movement
Sword: Street Arts as a Medium for
but of individuals — of men like Boris
Political Discourse in Russia"
Kochubievsky.
Lecture by Alexis M. Zimberg:
Boris Kochubievsky's father had served
Thursday, June 20: 7 p.m.
in the Red Army and was murdered by the
Janice Charach Gallery; no charge;
Nazis at Babi Yar. Boris became an engi-
RSVP by June 8: (248) 432-5449.
neer in the Ukraine and was secular. Yet
he was troubled by an anti-Israel petition
that circulated at work after the Six-Day

M

portraits and stories of Detroit's Russian-
Jewish families, many of who came with
nothing more than the clothes they wore
and went on to become community lead-
ers and prominent businesspeople; a
display of samovars; a program at Shalom
Street Museum that allows visitors to
experience life as a Soviet immigrant to
Israel; a collection of matryoshka (nesting)
dolls, including one-of-a-kind pieces cre-
ated by local artists that will be for sale;
and a display of photos, taken by Alexis
Zimberg, considering Russian graffiti as
political statement.
Gallery director Terri Steam says she is
especially excited about The Lost & Found
Project, featuring a Russian-Jewish theater
troupe, and a re-creation of the original
Russian Tea Room.
The Lost & Found Project is an experi-
mental theatrical production performed by
a cast of 10 Russian-Jewish actors who were

Detroit Puppet Theatre: A Chelm
Story
Featuring the skills of PuppetART of
Detroit, founded by puppeteers and
artists trained in the former Soviet
Union, this performance will tell the
story of Mendel, who goes on quite an
adventure when a shepherd takes his
boots.
Sunday, June 23:1:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Berman Center: $12 adults/$10 children.

The Russian Tea Room
Thursday, July 11: 7-9 p.m.
Marion & David Handleman Hall (JCC
West Bloomfield);
$5; purchase tickets/RSVP by July 1:
(248) 432-5449.

Refusenik
The first documentary to chronicle
the 35-year movement to free Soviet
Jews tells how a small, grassroots
effort became an international
human-rights campaign.
Thursday, July 25: 7 p.m.
Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue; no
charge; RSVP: (248) 432-5449.

A poster from the collection of Israel's
Belt Hatfutsot Museum

born in the 1970s and '80s in the former
Soviet Union and immigrated to the U. S.
Founded and produced by Ann Zicer
and based in New York, the program
incorporates elements of experimental
theater, movement and voice techniques.
The play is presented in snapshots, depict-
ing a dialogue between past and present.
The goal of the project was to give
young Russian-Jewish actors an opportu-
nity to become more aware of their fam-
ily stories through a process of personal
research and investigation.
The Russian Tea Room, founded in
1927 by members of the Russian Imperial
Ballet, became one of New York City's
favorite spots for actors, writers, politi-
cians, executives and cultural icons.
The gallery will re-create this famed
location and host a tea party with des-
serts and entertainment including "Music
Around the World" by Overtime, featur-
ing Harry Hovakimian and Peter Levitin;
Russian and Jewish folk music by Gennady
Zut on balalaika and Tatyana Zut on piano;
and a ballet solo by Maria Repnikova.
"Everyone knows about the Russian Tea
Room, but not everyone can actually get
there Steam says. "The gallery's version
will give you the chance to experience the
charm, elegance and excitement of the
original. It promises to be a spectacular
evening!"

❑

Elizabeth Applebaum is marketing director at
the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan
Detroit.

The Janice Charach Gallery
is located inside the Jewish
Community Center in West
Bloomfield. Gallery hours are 10
a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday
and noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Unless
otherwise noted, "Let My People
Go!" is free and open to the public.
See sidebar for events requiring
tickets or an RSVP. Info: (248) 432-
5579; www.jccdet.org .

June 6 • 2013

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