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A Synagogue and Jewish Cultural Centre
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When I decided to write about Moscow churches, the last thing I wanted was to focus the entire feature on Orthodox churches. After all, there are Old Orthodox churches in Moscow, and that’s somewhat different from the “mainstream” Orthodox tradition. Likewise, there are Catholic and Protestant churches, mosques, synagogues and the churches of other denominations, so it would be unfair on my part to only write about “Russian” churches.
The other day I had a walk in the city centre, and while strolling down Bolshaya Bronnaya St I and my friend-guide came across the building of the oldest synagogue in Moscow. I’ve never been to a synagogue before, so I couldn’t resist walking in.
The current building incorporates the older establishment, which explains why the frontal view looks so contemporary. Because the same building houses a Jewish cultural centre, you have to have your bag scanned. The “chapel” itself is very small, and we were surprised that the air conditioner was working too loudly. This didn’t stop an old Jew from sitting in the chapel, reading his Tora. Tora editions stand everywhere on the shelves, pretty much like the Bibles in Protestant cathedrals. What would be an altar wall in a Christian church and would either be decorated with stained glass or iconostasis appears as a replica of the Wall of Tears in Jerusalem. The inside of the chapel’s dome is decorated with a gigantic David’s Star.
As we went in at the time when there was no service, nobody stopped us, noticed us, paid attention to us. However, the sensation of immersing oneself into a mysterious experience which traces go back to A.D. times is palpable. Later we were studying the book titles in the bookcase in the hall, and one book had this rather lengthy name: “You may put a Jew into a prison and surround him with bricks, but he will never be broken, for his God is always with him“.
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| A Russian Doll: a Jew |
“The Jewish question” has been a cornerstone subject of discussion in Russia for years, if not centuries. I’m writing this post on 19 August, exactly 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. God knows, both the origin and the death of this historic state were credited to the Jews. And even now, when Russia is painstakingly building its democracy, a lot of failures are explained by the “Jewish factor”.
Being Russian, I cannot help but marvel at people’s shortsightedness in such matters. Indeed, the longer we find the Jewish people repulsive and conspiring, the longer we will not be able to get out of our conundrum. Personally, I agree with Maxim Gorky who argued that Russians have a lot to learn from the Jews, including smart work, dedication, and being money-savvy.
In fact, I don’t think it’s just the Russians who can learn this from the Jews. And it’s not only the Jews who display these wonderful skills. Last year I had the pleasure to learn the same things from the Indian and Pakistani guys. Some of these “Eastern” guys, including Jews, seem to have innate “money” and “sales” skills.
By the way, I have learnt recently that someone was looking for a matryoshka painted as a Jew. There were two at the synagogue’s shop, but only one picture came out well.