3-16-16
In the article A "Purim Shpil" in Soviet Moscow by Maxim D. Shrayer it talks about how in the late 1980s Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union was at a near standstill. In order to sustain a hope of escape they put on the a"purim shpil," or this could be described as in the article, " A drama of victory of ancient enemies," or the story of Purim. He talks about how this brought him closer to the soviet jews , and it settled the tension in Russia at that time. He specifically quotes" For over two decades, two forces had been shaping the intellectual life of the Jewish movement in the Soviet Union. Thepolitiki (“politicals”) stood firmly on the bedrock of Zionism andaliyah. The tarbutniki or kul’turniki (“culturals,” from the Hebrew and Russian words for culture) fantasized about legalized Jewish cultural autonomy within Russia itself. Now, with Gorbachev’s reforms moving beyond rhetoric to enactment, emigration was beginning again to seem a real possibility; at the same time, though, some “culturals” were hoping for an easing of restrictions and a restoration of Jewish religious and cultural life. I find it really interesting how this form of expression has greatly helped the community connect. It shows that Jews in a way of terminal find some way to connect and some way to keep going. It goes along very well with the different Jewish communities we are talking about in class.
I really agree with what you had to say about the article! I also agree that the Jews at the time in Russia used the Purim as a way to escape from the oppression. It also allowed them to celebrate and have traditions. Even if they had to celebrate Purim in a tiny apartment, they were celebrating nonetheless.
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