Like laundry, revisions can be a never-ending cycle. Leslie and I make sure to do our laundry weekly and also make sure that our book is as error free as possible.
While Leslie and I have enjoyed positive reviews and little criticism from our readers, we appreciate a close reading and suggestions like those from an eagle-eyed reader. Marat Grinberg, a professor of Russian and Humanities at Reed College, wrote: I did like [Jewish Luck] quite a bit: it's engaging, smart and really does provide a pretty accurate window into many aspects of Soviet life and the place of Jewishness in it. I do obviously have certain reservations about some aspects of the book, but they're minor - overall I thought it was fantastic.”
Marat eventually emailed us an extensive list of all the corrections—mostly corrections of Russian transliteration of our epigrams. If you want to read those corrections and revise your...
Researching Jewish Luck led Leslie and me down many academic paths as we pieced together the Jewish world of Vera and Alla. If you glance at our extensive bibliography, you’ll discover that we investigated newer academic findings as well as checking sources written before the opening of the Soviet archives in the early 1990s.
When I began to read Yaacov Ro’i’s compilation of 14 scholarly articles in The Jewish Movement in the Soviet Union, I felt like the actor in the V-8 juice commercial—“I shoulda had access to this volume before we began researching!”
I enjoy a good novel, a thrilling mystery and a compelling memoir but I revel in an academic work that clarifies and explains. I raced through the articles soaking in the data and analysis and checking the footnotes to see if Leslie and I had read the same sources. About halfway through the volume, I began to wonder what...
Perhaps because I was a high school teacher, the Soviet school system fascinated me. I enjoyed listening to Alla and Vera tell tales of their lives in their English language schools. Once we captured their stories, it was time for more objective research.
Although I’m grateful for the ability to research from my computer at home, I still feel the need to check the stacks at the university library just in case there’s a treasure awaiting discovery. Indeed, within fifteen minutes of arriving at Wilson Library, I felt like shouting “eureka!” There sat Inside Soviet Schools by Susan Jacoby—a study she conducted while Vera and Alla were students in their Leningrad special schools.
The detail Jacoby provided such as the curriculum guide and daily schedule for kindergarten offered context for Vera and Alla’s memories. Schools, Jacoby writes, “prepare for the serious business of life.” (73) Jacoby, however, does not write in...
The Ukraine and now the murder of Boris Nemtsov? What’s happening in Russia?
Everyday we read the news from Russia, we are very relieved for Vera that she has left Russia for good and we’re certain Alisa feels vindicated in her move many times over.
For me, the murder of Nemtsov(photo on the left) brought back memories of Sergey Kirov’s (photo on the right) 1934 murder. In December 1934, Pravda (Truth) alleged it was a young man named Nikolaev who was guilty of killing Kirov and the organs of state successfully captured, tried, and convicted him. But, when Soviet archives were opened in 1994, the truth was not so clear. Nikolaev may have pulled the trigger, but it seems Stalin and the NKVD (forerunner of the KGB) were behind the plot. After playing the role of chief mourner at Kirov’s funeral, Stalin initiated new laws and orders that launched the purges...
Last year at this time we were anxiously anticipating our trip to New York City for the Jewish Book Conference where hundreds of Jewish authors present a short, oral synopsis of their book for an audience representing Jewish book fairs across the country. We focused on our presentation but we didn’t anticipate how it would feel to meet Jewish authors. After we received our name tags and directions, I looked up and saw David Laskin. The only other time I was as star-struck was at a US History Conference where I saw David McCullough descending on the escalator. Imagine teenaged girls spotting Paul McCartney in 1967 and you will have a sense of my excitement level. David Laskin, even jet lagged, is very approachable. He had just returned from a trip to see the Israeli branch of his family and was willing to talk to me. He also calmed my nerves...
February 5th, the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Sh’vat is the yahrzeit of Alisa's mother, Bella. Like others of her generation, Bella endured hardship after hardship in her life in Russia until Alisa ensured that she and Naum emigrated to Stockholm. In her final months Bella was trapped within her body, unable to speak her thoughts. It was her lovely eyes that spoke and her graceful hands that declared her emotions as she touched Alisa or photos of her family. Leslie and I were moved when we met her and saw her eyes light up as we talked about Alisa. We’ve reprinted the eulogy given at her funeral by a rabbi who did not know her well but gathered the story of her life from her family. The English translation is followed by the original Swedish.
The English Translation of the Eulogy
Bella Chrapkovskaja was born in 1928 in Leningrad, the only daughter...
During the question and answer at my appearance at the Lawrence JCC in La Jolla on January 15, a very astute audience member asked, “how do you market your book when you publish independently?” The answer is “by any means possible.” But, one way is to approach independent bookstores and ask them to stock our book. We’ve had some success in the Twin Cities, but our first success came from a more unexpected locale—Sedona, Arizona.
At Well Red Coyote Books one would expect to find the usual Sedona material—crystals and vortex, trails and nature. But owners Bill and Kris Neri are the best kind of bookstore owners who search for books beyond the obvious. Sadly, their Sedona bookstore will close on Feb. 15. Leslie and I won’t return to Sedona until May so we won’t be able to thank them in person for taking a chance on Jewish Luck.
We will mark the...
What do Hanukkah and Jewish Luck have in common? To me, they both represent the great do-over.
And here’s why.
As I learned in Hebrew School in the dark ages of the 20th century, the Maccabees couldn’t celebrate Sukkot because they were fighting Antiochus’s army for their lives. (to check, see II Maccabees 10:6-7). The Maccabees saw Hanukkah as a do-over of Sukkot, hence the eight days. Some of you may be familiar with the idea of a second Pesah that’s prescribed in the Torah in case you had to miss Pesah in the month of Nissan. In Jewish Luck, both Alla and Vera seek a do-over of their lives under the Soviet system and they take complete charge of their economic makeover with great success. They also are focused on ensuring their children’s lives are replete with opportunities that were denied to them.
I like this idea of the do-over. As we learn...
Medvedev deserves a shout out just for endurance. He was born in 1925 and survived even with the epithet of “dissident historian.” His father was not so fortunate and was caught up in Stalin’s purges of the 1930s. Medvedev was born in Georgia, but is not a Georgian. He is Jewish and his father was a professor in Tbilisi when ROy was born. Medvedev is the consummate outsider;yet, he attended Leningrad State University.
The Medvedev book we consulted for Jewish Luck was Let History Judge, a book published in 1969 that earned Medvedev expulsion from the Communist Party. In Russian the book is entitled, К суду истории, which translates as Before the Court of History. We also consulted an interview of Medvedev in 1977 on dissidents. His definition aligned well with the feelings of Alisa and Vera that they were not dissidents even though they felt imprisoned and spoke to each...
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.
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"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
"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
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