Glory to the Metallurgists

Finally! Plans are confirmed for my first assignment to begin next month in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. I will be there for approximately 4-5 months working with the local community on several JDC-related projects. Turns out, I’m also “just lucky.”

When he first heard the news, my great uncle Stan called and asked whether I was that smart or just lucky. He told me that my maternal great-grandfather, who I never knew, was born in a place called Yekaterinaslav. Yekaterinaslav was built in the late 18th century for Catherine the Great and was later renamed Dnepropetrovsk after the civil war in 1926. My family left the area prior to the war, eventually making their way to the Portland, Oregon (a story for another time). But, this twist of fate makes the journey that much more exciting for me personally!

A few facts: Ukraine is situated in Eastern Europe and borders Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. The country itself is just slightly bigger than France but slightly smaller than Texas. There are more than 47 million Ukrainians of which roughly one million live in Dnepropetrovsk (also known as Dnepro). Orthodox monks founded the first settlement in Dnepro in the 9th century and it is now the third largest city in Ukraine. It sits on the Dnepr River and is home to more than 50,000 Jews. It rose to be the primary city in the Soviet Union for metalwork, engineering and a leader in the Soviet space program. For decades, metal pipes were the local specialty and still carries the tribute to its industrial workforce (Glory to the Metallurgists).

Ukraine has a very deep and rich ancient history that I look forward to exploring!

My best, Joy

Go to Yourself

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my (first-ever) blog! I hope we can use this as a way to stay in touch while I am living abroad during my fellowship year. I look forward to this as an informal opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences; and, I welcome your comments here or to my personal email.

Exactly nineteen years (yikes!) to the date of my bat mitzvah, I find myself in a new coming-of-age rite in the Jewish community as this year’s JDC Ralph I. Goldman Fellow in International Jewish Communal Service. On my bat mitzvah, I read from the torah the parsha (chapter) lech lecha. This past Shabbat, we read the very same parsha and I couldn’t think of a better or more poignant way to begin my blog. In fact, both the symbolism and story were so moving to me, I choose to use it as the name of my blog so that it would serve as a signpost and constant reminder. Let me tell you why.

In lech lecha, God says to Abraham, “Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.” Hearing it as his calling, and despite that they don’t know where they will end up, Abraham and his wife Sarah pack their bags and follow God. It is also interesting to note that when God called them, they were already an elderly couple in their late 70’s.

Commentators provide various meanings of the Hebrew words lech lecha. The literal translation is, “go to yourself” or “go by yourself.” Like Abraham, I use this phrase as a directive from God. Let me be clear though, I don’t stay up at night (while Jonathan is sleeping soundly) twiddling my thumbs waiting for God to call on me! Instead, I swallowed the burden in order to fulfill this very personal mission. In “going to myself,” I hope to find this experience personally, spiritually and professionally fulfilling. I look forward to sharing more details of how that develops over time.

As a Jew, I try to bear in mind my responsibilities to fellow Jews and humankind. In Pirke Avot (Chapters of the Fathers) it is written, “It is not your obligation to complete the task. But neither are you free to desist from it.” I take this to heart; and, it helps explain how this sense of duty led me to the fellowship at JDC. Like Abraham and Sarah (and despite the fact that I am a bit older than past fellows), I have faith that this calling will take me on a very important personal journey in Judaism and Jewish peoplehood, even though I leave behind all that is familiar.

A quick note about the title of my blog, “following the signposts.” The chapter lech lecha falls in the book of Genesis which opens with, “in the beginning.” This too is the beginning of a new chapter in my life. However, I am acutely aware that in my pursuit of self, there are countless others who have already made a version of this journey. In the words of Nachmanides, “everything that happened to the Patriarchs [and Matriarchs] is a signpost for their children.” This is why the Bible takes particular pains to explain certain events and tasks in detail, so that we can recognize the successes and failures of those who preceded us. I intend to look for those markers which Ralph Goldman (pictured above with me) and past fellows have left for me. I look forward to adding my own layer of history as well.

I would be remiss in not expressly thanking my husband Jonathan for making this dream a reality. Not only did he support the decision to apply and accept the fellowship, he encouraged me to do so. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. I love and miss you already.

My best, Joy