facebook   linkedin   goodreads    Buy the Book
  • Home
  • Authors
    • Sister Authors
    • Meet Leslie
    • Meet Meryll
  • Book
    • About the Book
    • Discussion Questions
    • Beyond the Pale
    • Behind the Scenes
    • More about the Dedication Page
    • Reviews
  • Blog
    • Latest Blogs
    • Featured Books
    • Blog Archive
  • Extras
    • Deleted Chapters
      • Choose Your Beginning
        • The Missing Introduction
        • Alternate Chapter 1
      • Ballerina Alla
      • Baubie Chapters
        • Celestial Tea and Essig Flaish
        • Celestial Tea and Mandelbrot
        • Celestial Tea and Poppy Seed Cookies
    • Recipes from Baubies
      • Recipes from Grandma Rae
        • Essig Flaish
        • Mandelbrot
        • Mohn Cookies
  • Press
    • Press Kit
    • In the Media
    • Reviews
  • Events
  • Contact
Font size: + –
Print
Bookmark |

Driven Crazy by Putin or Driven by Crazy Putin

Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Leslie
Jewish Luck Blog
4977 Hits
0 Comments

 

In our book, Jewish Luck, Vera describes a morose chauffeur, Ivan, whose spirits cannot be lifted by any favor, big or small.  After giving Ivan money for his children’s education, finding him an apartment, and increasing his wages, this benevolent boss asks what more he can do for Ivan. 

“I want to be driven,” Ivan answers.

Vera used this story to illustrate the lack of initiative in Russian culture- Russians want the perks without the responsibility.  The story may reveal something deeper and more disturbing in the Russian psyche. 

On a lovely Saturday afternoon in West Rogers Park visiting my second and fourth cousin, Joanie[1] and her wonderful family after a few decades of not being in touch, a guest rapped on the door.  In strolled Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern[2] with great energy and pomp and took his place at the Shabbat table.  Both of us were passionate about the books laid out on the table- one mine and one his. He was the heavyweight.

We arrived at the topic of Putin. As a man raised in Kiev, Petrovsky-Shtern had strong opinions, and I agreed with most of them.  Moving to the topic of Putin’s mental health, I diagnosed Putin as grandiose, narcissistic and, no doubt, sociopathic and then became confused about possible redundancy of my terms, which led me to an internal tangent on the problems with DSM V[3].  I couldn’t judge as to paranoid traits, but I wouldn’t be surprised.  Yohanan’s answer (after the first argument I considered us on first name terms) was that

  1. Putin was sane (according to the legal definition).

2. He was not behaving markedly differently than his predecessors dating back to Imperial days.

3. I overestimated the desire of the Russian people to participate actively in political decision-making.  They support a strong leader. 

Let’s begin with the last point.  I considered how my city council representative routinely knocks on our door or calls my husband Harry, the perennial delegate to district conventions. We expect politicians to engage us in conversation and to listen to what we say.

This also holds true for members of congress and senators.  Frankly, I am naïve enough to believe if I wrote President Obama about an issue dear to my heart, he might care.  We anticipate that our opinion matters. There is no doubt that as a responsible citizen, I must exercise my right to vote and be  politically active, though the latter is delegated to my husband, who has more free time. 

I have been brainwashed by democracy.  What if none of this really mattered in the end?  Perhaps, if you watch the Netflix drama, House of Cards, or if you’ve spent enough time under Putin’s rule you might believe this.

In Soviet days, Russians were required to vote in order to give the unopposed Communist Party the veneer of a popular mandate.  For the last decade or so, Vera and Alexei have exercised their freedom by refusing to vote.  They did not want to sanction a mock democratic process where genuine political opponents are still eliminated one way or another. At first, I was appalled by the lack of civic participation; but, now I am beginning to understand.  They don’t want to be driven.  Alexei wants to drive himself, and Vera wants to be the one to give directions. 

Grandma Rae proclaimed “It doesn’t matter where we’re going as long as we’re on our way.”[4].  This phrase could not apply in Russia, it very much matters who the driver is and what the destination is. Unfortunately few but the driver know.  


[1] Joanie is both my second and fourth cousin.  You read that correctly.

[2] Check out our book review of Petrovsky-Shtern’s new book, The Golden Age Shtetl (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014)

[3] The DSMV is the latest rendition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders. (Our book is a much better read.)  Aren’t all sociopaths narcissistic and grandiose?

[4] Adler, Leslie Levine and Meryll Levine Page, Jewish Luck, p. 7

Tags:
Putin Petrovsky-Shtern Putin popularity Russia
St. Louis Park Magazine
Read about us in the Dispatch - Visit us on Sunday...

About the author

Leslie

Leslie

  http://morejewishluck.com
View author's profile More posts from author

Leslie Levine Adler, PhD visited Russia in the summer of 1976 as part of her undergraduate Russian Studies program. She returned in 1977 to pursue her friendships from the previous summer. After teaching ESL at university, she became a psychologist.

Author's recent posts
Sunday, 07 February 2021 American Kompromat
Sunday, 31 January 2021 Alexey Navalny: Intrepid SuperHero of Russia
Sunday, 28 June 2020 Earthquake
Sunday, 07 April 2019 Mirror, Mirror
Saturday, 26 May 2018 The Regina Monologue or Feh! on Calling Me A Black Widow

Related Posts

Why Everyone Hates Putin (Except Putin and Colbert)

Jewish Luck Blog

A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova

Highlighted Books

Weighing in on Nemtsov's Murder

Jewish Luck Blog

Absurdist Sculpture—Russian style

Jewish Luck Blog

Being Mindful of Mindlessness: From the Personal to the Political

Jewish Luck Blog
 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Tuesday, 20 May 2025

Captcha Image

Recent Blogs

Meryll
Meryll
09 April 2021
Jewish on the Down Low
I snapped up the invitation to speak at a zoom meeting for the Jewish Affinity Group from Columbus School for Girls. Self-quarantining for almost a year has made me hungry to talk about Jewish Luck. It's certainly clear from the news that Vera and Alla's perceptions about the "New" Russia are just as relevant now as they were when Vera first encountered Putin in Leningrad.More than the intellectua...
Read More
Leslie
Leslie
07 February 2021
American Kompromat
What I learned from American Kompromat by Craig Unger (2021) Dutton: NYC has prompted me to write a blog. Trigger Warning: This book contains potentially distressing content that could trigger trauma that we have experienced regarding the previous US President. I whisper this mantra to myself: "We're safe now. He's gone. We're safe now." The purpose of this exercise is to reduce my blood pre...
Read More
Leslie
Leslie
31 January 2021
Alexey Navalny: Intrepid SuperHero of Russia
"Faster than a speeding bullet." .Organized anti-government rallies in 109 cities across Russia from jail for January 23 and January 30, 2021. Watch each weekend. "More powerful than a locomotive."  Able to make a miraculous recovery from Novichok poisoning on Aug. 20, 2020 after remaining in a coma for nearly a month. His is the only known case of survival of that strain of Novichok. "...
Read More

Invite Us To Speak

invite

We were featured speakers at Hadassah Brandeis Institute and Levy Summer Series. Our speaking engagements include JCCs, synagogues, libraries, book groups, retirement communities, schools, and organizations (e.g. ORT, Hadassah, and Women's League). References are available. 

Invite Us To Speak
 

Talk Review

"I was very fortunate to be able to hear Meryll and Leslie speak at a Hadassah event in Israel. Each of the ~50 participants really enjoyed the event because Meryll and Leslie were so engaging. While they had a natural rapport with the audience, you could also tell they had prepared well so they could connect with our particular group's interests. I learned a lot from listening to them, and I found their sisterly interaction unique and fun. If you want an enlightening and uplifting experience, attend one of their book talks."
Lisa Shimoni, Modiin Israel

Book Review

"Truly, you have written a story that makes accessible the reality of existence in Russia, through the eyes of individuals who lived through the various regimes and dictates.  It is fascinating and very well told.  As I read Vera and Alla's story, I learned more Russian history than I had known from a textbook.  That's a big deal, women!  You tell the tale with vivid detail and hook us on the two women and their stories, then weave in the history to illuminate their journeys. It is such a necessary book.  I am thrilled that the two of you collaborated, as I can see the uniqueness of your personalities come through in the stories, and that, too, makes the book a gem."
Margaret Leibfried, Danielson Group consultant

Buy the Book

Online:

Click here to order your copy of Jewish Luck: A True Story of Friendship, Deception, and Risky Business on Amazon.com.

The Kindle version is available here

In Stores:
cgb250
logo-sholom
Make a donation to Sholom Home and enjoy Jewish Luck at the same time. Jewish Luck is now available at the Sholom Home West gift store. Meryll and Leslie will donate 50% of the proceeds back to Sholom Home. Enjoy!

Tasting Torah

Nourish mind, body, and soul with Meryll's Tasting Torah, which will bring oneg (joy) and limmud (learning) to your Shabbat, broaden your culinary horizons, and draw your Shabbat guests closer together.

logo tasting torah

Highlighted Books

Meryll
Meryll
02 July 2017
July Book of the Month:  Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
July Book of the Month: Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
Leslie and I began writing Jewish Luck with an underlying question in our minds—what would life have...
Read More

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved by More Jewish Luck

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Login

Site created by LiveSites