creative jewish mom

Very Early Spring In Uman, Ukraine

I am still sharing with you photos from our Passover trip to the Ukraine, which is fortunate as I've been so busy with graphic design work that I have not had even a moment to craft, though I am dreaming of it! On our adventures in the Ukraine our home base was Uman, not the most beautiful city I must say as the Ukraine is very depressed generally except in the large cities like Odessa and Kiev. Uman is a total mish mash of new and old pre-war, post-war, you name it, though it is home to a very lovely park called Gan Sofia (in Hebrew) which is a must. We visited the park on a day when I could not take photos, so none of that loveliness to share with you. Instead I share with you a few little glimpses of beauty from amidst the bare trees and amidst the rubble. Not to get me wrong, Uman in a very very beautiful place, but not the kind of beauty that shows up in photos.......rather the kind of beauty that brings around 75,000 or more visitors for the Jewish holiday of Rosh HaShana for a spiritual experience at the gravesite of Rebbe Nachman. You can google Rebbe Nachman to learn about his teachings that while written more than a hundred years ago are more relevant than ever. In the mean time, lets take a little walk in Uman!

The Farmer's Market In Uman, Ukraine

On our trip to the Ukraine this past Passover, we were based in Uman, and one of the things I wish I had been able to do more thoroughly was really truly spend time exploring the entire market, which is part farmer's market and part household goods and clothing market. Ah yes, not to mention that of course you can also purchase small animals as well to stock your backyard! The market is I believe three times a week, and since some of those days fell on holidays there was only one day that we actually had time to go to the market......and we got there on the late side and without sufficient funds to actually buy much. I felt a bit self conscious taking photos, so you'll just have to imagine for yourself the vendors selling dried fish, home grown produce and carefully weighed very often by folks with a smile full of gold fillings.

I saw lots of home canned goods as well as dried apples (which explains the 6 or so models of dehydrators in the local home goods store), and the one thing I did buy was a few hand made wooden cutting boards for around $2 each, and a really big and gorgeous hand made rolling pin for around $4, which is truly a nice souvenir, if I can just figure out where to keep it! Okay, shall we enter the market? Lets go, come it will be fun! Oh and by the way, if you brush up on your Ukranian or Russian you'll be much better off as almost no one speaks English. They do however show you the price on their calculator, which works just fine!

A Visit To The Odessa Ferris Wheel And A View Of The Black Sea

If you find yourself in Odessa, with kids in tow, or maybe those who prefer amusement parks to museums, why not pop on over to the little amusement park and take a rid on the ferris wheel? I of course did check it out before allowing my loved ones to consider climbing aboard, and it is relatively new, and so hopefully safe and sound. And for those of you, who like me, really don't like amusement park rides, this one is bareable, so join your family and squeal just a bit. Ah yes, and with any ferris wheel ride there is a view, so make sure to enjoy the view of the Black Sea! In the mean time, come along with me for a little ride, won't you?

Stunning 19th Century Architecture In Odessa, And Tourist Information!

If you love architecture, and especially historic architecture, a visit to Odessa, Ukraine should certainly be on your bucket list if you are ever in that part of the world! On our Passover trip to the Ukraine we took a day trip to Odessa, and I can't wait to go back, next time with a guide book and some idea of where to go! This time I did not prepare at all, and did not have internet to do research, so we just sort of improvised and fortunately did see some of the important sites, phew. I have more photos to share of this interesting city on the Black Sea, though for now how about taking a little walk with me in the Primorsky Boulevard neighborhood, shall we?

Bare Trees In The Ukraine: Inspiring Photos Taken From The Car Window

On our recent trip to the Ukraine we spent many hours traveling by car, and I was mesmerized by the patterns I saw in the bare trees. Field after field after field, lines and lines and lines of bare trees that beckoned to be sketched into a pattern, to march along the fabric I was designing in my head........I kept thinking about sketch books and the idea of recording such inspiration, and fortunately thought to just take some photos, blurry or not, from the window of the car. Knowing that I had captured this inspiration gave me great comfort, and hopefully I'll have some time to use these images for some creative exploration. In the mean time, maybe you'll find my images inspiring, or maybe just the idea of capturing inspiration from the car window will lead to some interesting photos on your next adventure?

Note: Most of these photos were sharpened in photoshop, a necessity when taking photos from a moving car! Enjoy, ah yes and there is a surprise image at the end of the post, so keep on reading......

Swans On An Early Spring Day In The Ukraine

On our trip to the Ukraine this past Passover we visited the The Mezhyhirya Residence, an estate near Kyiv, in the Ukraine, where Viktor Yanukovych lived (and spent tons of money on himself) when he was Prime Minister and then President of Ukraine. The Estate is now a park open to the public, and while our visit occurred during the very early Spring, when the gardens were still sleeping, we had a wonderful time just watching the beautiful swans, and photographing them as well. For those of you who are swan lovers, or never really gave swans much thought, enjoy my photos and don't forget to spend some time just enjoying the great outdoors. I vote for sitting next to some water, you may prefer a mountain view, either way, take a mini vacation right now and join me for a few moments just watching swans! Shall we........?

Vernacular Ukrainian Architecture In The Western Ukraine Countryside

I love vernacular architecture and so I especially enjoyed viewing all the charming cottages in the Western Ukrainian countryside on our recent trip to the Ukraine. Most of the houses I saw were viewed either from the car or on days when I did not have a camera with me, though on our visit to Mezhybiz I did have a camera, so I took photos of all the houses on the one dirt road near the Jewish quarter of town that took up to the Historic Baal Shem Tov shul. Please understand it was still very much winter, and zero degrees with flurries, which is why the photos are so gray, though lovely nonetheless, and certainly timeless as you will see. Okay, lets go for a little walk, shall we?

The Gravesite Of The Baal Shem Tov, Medzhybizh, Ukraine

The father of the Jewish Hassidic movement was a very special and holy man by the name of Rebbi Yisrael Ben Eliezer, The Baal Shem Tov. For those who view Kabbalah as Jewish mysticism that is trendy, well I have news for you! Hassidic Judiasm is actually a way of Jewish Torah observance that includes Kabbalistic ideas. So while Hassidic Jews may look like the most old fashioned folks on earth, they are actually the ones truly living the Kabbalah......how's that for a fresh outlook?

The Baal Shem Tov is buried in Medzhybizh, Western Ukraine, and his burial site together with several hotels and historic and modern day shuls has become very accessible and quite wonderful. Okay, accessible is maybe stretching it a bit, as it is a four hour drive from Kiev, and a six hour drive from Uman, on roads that are most suited to four wheel drive vehicles. There is an old castle just beyond the Jewish quarter, and the Baal Shem Tov's spring fed mikveh has been turned into a modern day facility open 24 hours a day. And of course one should not miss the historic recreation of the Baal Shem Tov's shul, which I found to be completely lovely.

Come with me for a small tour, won't you?

The Historic Baal Shem Tov Shul In Medzhybizh, Ukraine

On our recent trip to the Ukraine for the Passover holiday, we made sure to save a day to travel to Medzhybizh to visit the grave site of the very holy Baal Shem Tov, who lived in Medzhybizh from 1742 until his passing in 1760, and was buried there in the old Jewish cemetary. Because the Baal Shem Tov is the father of Hasidism, he has many many many "children" who come to pay their regards from all over the world. That said, the trek to Medzhybizh, in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast province in Western Ukraine, is not simple, because of its location quite a distance from airports, and because the country roads in the Ukraine are quite simply a disaster. The drive to visit the Baal Shem Tov is 4 hours from Kiev and about 6 hours from Uman, but since time seems to have stopped in Medzhybizh, so too the time one invests to travel to and from this special place seems to just melt into thin air somehow.

Today, there are several Jewish hotels in Medzyybizh, so one can certainly stay over night there, and I would highly recommend it, especially in the summer season when the countryside is lush and green. I'm dreaming of going there sometime for the holiday of Shavous, which is also the anniversary (Yarzheit) of the the Baal Shem Tov's passing, so a very auspicious time to visit.

Lest I ramble too much, one of my very favorite places to visit is the historic replica of the Baal Shem Tov's shul, torn down during WW II for fire wood, but rebuilt recently and they did an amazing job, as you will see.......won't you join me?

Reb Nosson's Gravesite In Breslov, Ukraine

 

During our Passover trip to the Ukraine, we had the opportunity to the gravesite of the very great Reb Nosson, the student of Rebbi Nachman of Breslev. This was my second trip to this special location, and while this time winter still had its grasp on the area, the beauty and peaceful countryside location was just as lovely as I remembered. You can see my recent posts showing the Old Cemetary In Bratslav, The Soliterman Family Mill In Bratslav, and Mass Holocaust Gravesites In Bratslav, to get an even better look at our visit.

The Ukraine is a very interesting country, with lots of rich (and sad) Jewish history, and while there is prosperity in cities like Kiev, the countryside often looks as though time has just stopped.The small city of Bratslav is one of those places, sparse and empty, which makes the location that much interesting, and while it is a 2.5 hour drive from Uman, and a 4 hour plus drive from Kiev, it is well worth the drive. Just be prepared for tons and tons of potholes in the road, which slows down the journey.

Tp quote Wikipedia: "Rev Nosson of Breslov (January 22, 1780 – December 20, 1844), whose name was Nosson Sternhartz, was the chief disciple and scribe of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, founder of the Breslov Hasidic dynasty. Reb Nosson is credited with preserving, promoting and expanding the Breslov movement after the Rebbe's death. Rebbe Nachman himself said, "Were it not for Reb Nosson, not a page of my writings would have remained."

For more information about Reb Nosson, you can refer to this post from Wikipedia. And now, won't you join me as we look around a bit?