inside the Moscow subway system
a meat and cheese stand on the streets of Moscow
walking around Moscow with friends
inside a subway station - there were stained glasses in this station that represented cities in Russia
the long escalator heading up from the metro
a bookstore in Moscow (with Anya, Emma, and Leonid)
Jordan and David, two of Daniel's classmates, me, Daniel, and our interpretors Emma and Anya having a “goodbye to chametz” dinner
inside the Moscow Metro system - each of the men in the tree represent a region of the Soviet Union
That's Russia.
Emma explaining the history of the subway
Old Arbat Street, Moscow
Daniel's favorite chocolaterie
statue of Pushkin and his wife
inside the first-ever MacDonalds in Moscow
picture on the wall in the MacDonalds - where we had a history lesson
peeling quail eggs for a seder at the center for progressive Judaism in moscow. The girl in the middle is our translator, Emma, and to the right of Emma is Katya, a youth group coordinaor, and next to her is the cantor
Red Square, Moscow
Red Square
the Kremlin, from Red Square
inside Red Square; restaurants and shops
the cool-looking building is St. Basil's Cathedral
Resurrection Gate
Kazan Cathedral
street performers outside Red Square
the building where we had the JEEPS seder
at the JEEPS seder
inside the train to Lipetsk
me and Emma in the train
going for a walk in Lipetsk. Behind us (you can't see it in the picture) is the steel plant for which Lipetsk is famous
Viola, Katya, and Emma
a church in Lipetsk
a statue in Lipetsk
in Lipetsk - sulphate water here is believed to be good for health
Emma drinking the water - it tastes like rotton eggs
a park in Lipetsk
a community center in Lipetsk - older people come here to play chess and shoot the breeze
statue of Peter the Great
Peter the Great founding Lipetsk
that great old Peter again
Emma: “Peter the Great was really great... but he was also quite cruel”
siging the charter for Lipetsk
the Chabad synagogue in Lipetsk
Lipetsk - the building you can see is the theater
heck of a car, isn't it?
billboard
the Lipetsk town symbol (the tree on the shield)
the Lipetsk theater
monument to the current regional governor of Lipetsk
inside the Lipetsk museum - Daniel thought this chicken was wicked cool
this tractor reminded me of the Yiddish song Dzshankoya
inside the Lipetsk museum - some political cartoons and artifacts from the USSR
Daniel and Emma looking at the display
political cartoon about corruption of religion
inside the museum
some Soviet anti-fascist cartoons
staircases in the Lipetsk museum
at the seder in Lipetsk
Maggid skits - here an Egyptian taskmaster is beating an Israelite slave
video of the youth group doing their maggid skit
the parting of the red sea
an Egyptian soldier running after the Israelites
the Israelites walking to safety
dancing at the seder
singing at the seder (Olga with guitar)
me and D with the Lipetsk youth group
prizes for finding the afikoman
cutting the rug
my very impressive looking moccacino
D enjoying is chocolate
lunch with Emma (the translator) and Mattve (youth group coordinator in Lipetsk)
the office building where the progressive Jews of Lipetsk meet
Olga, the head of the Lipetsk Jewish community
eating after kabbalat shabbat, and singing
singing “I will marry Jewish” (the talking in the background is our terrific translator)
A song that Olga wrote
me on the overnight train
subway monkey business - Moscow
apparently it's good luck to pet the dog's nose in the partisan metro station
Leonid falling asleep while we pet the dog in the metro station
selling antique (Soviet-era) pins by the Red Square
inside the historical museum in Moscow
royal family tree on the ceiling of the hsitorical museum
Peter the Great
St Basil's Cathedral
bronze statue commemorating Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who rallied Russia's volunteer army against the Polish invaders during the Time of Troubles in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Daniel “being Russian”
big church - there used to be a swimming pool where the church now stands. The government had once tried to erect a statue of Lenin here but never quite got around to it.
statue of Engels, I think
Moscow youth group. Across from Daniel (next to Emma) is Leonid, the rabbi for the Moscow progressive Jewish community
monument to the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee
learning the history of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee before doing Havdalah near the plaque
Havdalah with Moscow youth group
Emma and friends
the market near our hotel
the Russian souvenir section of the market
matroyshka dolls
Gzhel pottery
in the antique area of the market
a silver yad we saw at the antique market
and a menorah hiding amidst the knick knacks
Poliakov synagogue - you can see the original synagogue through the window
plaque in remembrance of Solomon Mikhoels, in front of the Theater where the Moscow Yiddish Art Theater once performed
the theater
want to see a show?
Jordan taking a picture of the no trumpets (I mean no car horns) sign
the bread looks pretty terrific... too bad it's passover
the changing of the guard, Kremlin
we don't know who these guys were, but they sure knew how to walk in a line
bridge to get into the Kremlin
view from bridge
Daniel and Jordan
The graceful neoclassical Senate building, commissioned by Catherine the Great, is one of several fine works in Moscow by the architect Matvey Kazakov. The building was intended by Catherine to serve as a meeting place for an advisory council, but it is better known for having been the location of Lenin's office after the Revolution. In a recent modernization, however, his preserved offices were delivered into posterity. Today, the Senate serves as the official Presidential residence.
Tsar Pushka (Russian: Царь-пушка, literally "Tsar-cannon") is a huge cannon, commissioned in 1586 by Russian Tsar Feodor and cast by Andrey Chokhov. The cannon weighs nearly 38 metric tonnes and has a length of 5.34 meters (17.5 feet), a calibre of 890 mm (35 inches), and an external diameter of 1200 mm (41 inches). The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the largest howitzer ever made.
The Tsar Bell (Russian: Царь–колокол, Tsar-kolokol, "Tsar bell") is a huge bell on display on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin. The bell was commissioned by Empress Anna, niece of Peter the Great. The bell is currently the largest bell in the world,[1] weighing 216 tons, with a height of 6.14 m ( 20.1 ft) and diameter of 6.6 m ( 21.6 ft). It was founded from bronze by masters Ivan Motorin and his son Mikhail in 1733–1735. Ornaments, portraits, and inscriptions were made by V. Kobelev, P. Galkin, P. Kokhtev, P. Serebryakov and P. Lukovnikov. The bell was never rung — during a fire in 1737, a huge slab (11.5 tons) cracked off while it was still in the casting pit.
TheAssumption Cathedral (Cathedral of the Dormition) The oldest and largest church in Cathedral Square-Uspenski Sobor or the Cathedral of the Assumption was commissioned by Ivan the Great to be the main church of Moscow. From the 16th Century until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, all of the Russian Grand Princes and Czars were crowned here.
The Assumption Cathedral’s foundation was laid in 1326 and was rebuilt in 1479 under Great Prince Ivan III. It was the the state state and cultural center of Russia for hundereds of years – tsars were coronated here, ceremonial documents were publically read, and church services were held. Inside, grand murals decorate the walls. The church became a museum after the Revolution of 1917, and church services have recommenced there since 1990.
Ivan the Great Bell Tower Dominating the Kremlin skyline, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, on the Northeast corner of the Cathedral Square, is said to mark the exact center of Moscow.
the guard who wouldn't let us into St Basils because we were just minutes too late to enter
goofing around outside of some restaurant
the KGB building
this used to be a church and is now a shopping center
looking Russian
Kisel Street, Moscow.
Anya looking Russian
Sviet, Emma, and Anya looking Russian
Everyone looking Russian
statue in the subway
inside the subway
a funny sign in the airport
looking American
saying goodbye to Anya
what we bought with our very last rubles
goofind around in the airport
back in Israel - the bread store is closed
on ben yehuda - we've been living here almost a year and we'd never noticed that mural before!
kfp convenience store
bakery that's kosher for pesach... mmm!
another kfp conveience store (our very own 24/6!
