Thank God It'a Fritag!

We are settling in. Fran and Susan are my buddies. They live a few doors down and around the corner. In our part of the Old Town, we have a 5 star hotel, shops and cafes. We sit out and do homework, then segue for dinner to the inexpensive café outside the hotel. From there we watch a parade of Lithuanian celebs and VIPs get in and out of half million dollar limos. They are dressed to the nines, although given the general state of fashion here, I’d give it a six. The light has changed some, more slanted, more yellow than white. The evenings are still long, bright and breezy.

Thursday we went to the opening of an exhibit at the Museum of Tolerance, which seems to be a Jewish Museum as it is in a beautiful old building which was a Jewish theater. However, it is not THE Jewish Museum. The politics elude me. The exhibit was “The Power of Civil Society: the Fate of Jews in Bulgaria.” The opening program had many speeches in many languages! I hadn’t known, but during WWII, which is when so much of this program lives, the Head of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria actively lobbied against removing Jews from their lives and from Bulgaria. Bulgarian Jews were saved, although they were forced to leave Sofia and lost everything material. From an Israeli film that was shown, most Jews emigrated to Israel after the War of Independence. I introduced myself to the Bulgarian ambassador and chatted briefly.

During the reception in the lobby, an exhibit featured “Lithuanian Americans.” They include Moshe and Samuel and Levi, the Three Stooges, Aaron Copeland, Jascha Heifitz, Bob Dylan (a grandmother) and Victor David Brenner, a sculptor who designed the sheaf of wheat Lincoln penny. I feel a little Adam Sandler! After the film, we were in a somber mood. Some of the oldest students left during the film, remembering parents who were deported. There are dead people everywhere. In everyone’s personal history, in exhibits, in talks, in tours. Like the child in “The Sixth Sense,” everyone sees dead people. Can one fight the pain with study?

An die Musik! My performance today went smashingly. I faked a solo with “Oyfen Pripichek,” and sang with an enthusiastic choral group of fellow students. Our audience was most appreciative. (the price was right!) As we are at a first grade level in one class, and perhaps a third grade level in the other, our teacher uses songs and children’s books for our lessons. A favorite song: “Bulbes” (Slavic for potatoes, although I think the German Kartoffle is ok too.) It's a day-of-the-week naming song which states every meal of every day as "bulbes" (potatoes.) except for "Shabbes" the sabbath which, as a novena ( novelty) features bulbes kugele (potato casserole). Ah, potatoes! Personally I love them, sad that they have been vilified from their high esteem in the 80's to evil white starch in our current thinking. A charming catchy tune which I will sing upon my return.