Hellfire and Revolution: The Jews of Odessa and the Works of Isaac Babel<\/h3>\n![\"isaac-babel](\"http:\/\/ellisoncenter.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/isaac-babel-for-blog-post1-209x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIsaac Babel (1894 \u2013 1940) was a journalist, playwright, and short story writer with roots in both Ukraine and Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Matthew Cotton<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nIn his presentation, Matthew Cotton provided a brief history of Odessa as the capital and cultural\/commercial center from Catherine the Great\u2019s New Russia to\u00a0the turn of the 20th<\/sup> century. Located on the shores of the Black Sea, central to European and Asian markets and boasting a pleasant Mediterranean climate, Odessa became a prosperous port city (primarily for Russian wheat exports) and a \u201cbeacon of opportunity\u201d for Jewish and gentile populations. Amidst this cosmopolitan setting, a new liberalism developed (made famous by the popular claim “Odessa\u00a0 \u00a0<\/del>a city\u00a0surrounded by seven miles of hellfire”) that included secularized education and social mobility for skilled and connected Jews, as opposed to the quiet life of the traditional shtetls<\/em>. However, many were unable to participate in the new found prosperity and succumbed to a life of organized crime or poverty, which became the focus of Babel\u2019s first writings. Odessa Tales<\/em> is his semi-fictional description of the city\u2019s culture, economics, revolutionary politics and emergent anti-Semitism.<\/p>\nThe era of the Bolshevik revolution found Babel living in Petrograd, where Maxim Gorky became his radical-left literary mentor. During this time, Babel\u00a0became the \u201cpreeminent literary spokesman of Jewish supporters for Lenin\u2019s revolution.\u201d His best known works throughout the Soviet period are the Red Calvary<\/em><\/a>\u00a0stories about the Polish\u2013Soviet War, which focuse on the confusing dichotomy of Russian anti-Semitism in the Soviet military.<\/p>\nUnwilling to tone down his gritty realism when Stalin came to power, Babel was arrested in 1939 and was executed on January 15, 1940 in a Lubyanka prison cell. During the Thaw, his works regained much of their popularity, especially among the dissident community.<\/p>\n
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Jewish Identity in the Russian Cinema of the Early 1990s<\/h3>\n
Anatoliy Klots<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nAnatoliy Klots explained that during \u201cperestroika\u201d (1985 \u2013 1991), Soviet filmmakers hurried to use new found freedom of expression by producing films on topics previously forbidden in the Soviet Union, many of which focused on the Jewish experience including the Holocaust and Stalin\u2019s anti-Semitic campaign. He specifically discussed the placement of Jews in Soviet culture, as depicted in two award-winning films produced in the early 1990s, Get Thee Out!<\/em> and To See Paris and Die<\/em>.<\/p>\n![\"Jewish](\"http:\/\/ellisoncenter.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Izydi_01-1-240x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Film Izydi! (Get Thee Out!) by Dmitriy Astrakhan reflects Jewish struggles in the late Soviet period by way of the stories of Babel and Aleichem.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Influenced by the works of Isaac Babel, Sholem Aleichem, as well as Alexander Kuprin, the film portrays, in parable form, the constant fear of violence felt by Jews during the deterioration of the Soviet Union. The Jewish main character, Motl, is presented as a symbol of masculinity (handsome, virile, dark haired and bearded) that runs counter to the typical depiction of Jews as victims. Throughout the movie, Motl is haunted by premonitions of pogroms and rumors of future ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As a Soviet Jew (vs. a more traditional shtetl Russian Jew), Motl is highly assimilated into the Russian culture and language and conspicuously devoid of any distinctive Jewish symbology, such as wearing a yarmulke, speaking Yiddish or being seen praying. When an actual pogrom is revealed at the end of the film, Motl chooses to not hide and, with the support of his gentile neighbors, takes up arms against the perpetrators. This final atypical scene reflects the belief of the filmmaker in the old international solidarity ideals espoused by Soviet propaganda, in that Russians will reject the emerging fascism and oppose its related violence.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"To](\"http:\/\/ellisoncenter.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/To-See-Paris-And-Die-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAleksandr Proshkin’s film “To See Paris and Die” is set in 1960’s era Moscow and details the efforts of a mother set on getting her son out of the country. She hides his Jewish identity from him, but the secret is revealed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The second film that Klots discussed, called “To See Paris and Die,” was a popular early nineties production directed by Aleksandr Proshkin.<\/p>\n
Set in 1960s Russia, Elena is the main character who manipulates her musically talented son, Yuri, to enter a concert pianist competition in Paris \u2013 a destination she had always longed to visit but couldn\u2019t otherwise afford. When Elena discovers that her son\u2019s rival was disqualified for being a \u201cconcealed\u201d Jew, she uses her overt anti-Semitism as a defense mechanism to protect against discrimination. As such, Elena strongly opposes Yuri\u2019s engagement to a Jewish girl and, when he marries her, commits suicide. After which, Elena is exposed as being an ethnic Jew.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The film deals with Russian-Jewish relations in society, where Jewishness is considered an \u201cincurable infectious disease.\u201d In an attempt to counteract the effects of this perspective, many Jews tried to \u201cRussify\u201d themselves by changing their names, altering ethnic identification in documents and adopting Russian religion, culture and language to protect their children from discrimination. This was the antithesis of the approach recent generations took during the Bolshevik Revolution, as described in previous literary and cinematic works. Viewers, however, are left with hope of a free society when the film ends showing the revived flag of the \u201cnew\u201d Russia and posters announcing Yuri\u2019s upcoming performance in Red Square.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Becoming a Baqshy: Indigenous Healers in Rural Kyrgyzstan<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nIsaac Babel (1894 \u2013 1940) was a journalist, playwright, and short story writer with roots in both Ukraine and Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Matthew Cotton<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In his presentation, Matthew Cotton provided a brief history of Odessa as the capital and cultural\/commercial center from Catherine the Great\u2019s New Russia to\u00a0the turn of the 20th<\/sup> century. Located on the shores of the Black Sea, central to European and Asian markets and boasting a pleasant Mediterranean climate, Odessa became a prosperous port city (primarily for Russian wheat exports) and a \u201cbeacon of opportunity\u201d for Jewish and gentile populations. Amidst this cosmopolitan setting, a new liberalism developed (made famous by the popular claim “Odessa The era of the Bolshevik revolution found Babel living in Petrograd, where Maxim Gorky became his radical-left literary mentor. During this time, Babel\u00a0became the \u201cpreeminent literary spokesman of Jewish supporters for Lenin\u2019s revolution.\u201d His best known works throughout the Soviet period are the Red Calvary<\/em><\/a>\u00a0stories about the Polish\u2013Soviet War, which focuse on the confusing dichotomy of Russian anti-Semitism in the Soviet military.<\/p>\n Unwilling to tone down his gritty realism when Stalin came to power, Babel was arrested in 1939 and was executed on January 15, 1940 in a Lubyanka prison cell. During the Thaw, his works regained much of their popularity, especially among the dissident community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anatoliy Klots<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Anatoliy Klots explained that during \u201cperestroika\u201d (1985 \u2013 1991), Soviet filmmakers hurried to use new found freedom of expression by producing films on topics previously forbidden in the Soviet Union, many of which focused on the Jewish experience including the Holocaust and Stalin\u2019s anti-Semitic campaign. He specifically discussed the placement of Jews in Soviet culture, as depicted in two award-winning films produced in the early 1990s, Get Thee Out!<\/em> and To See Paris and Die<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Film Izydi! (Get Thee Out!) by Dmitriy Astrakhan reflects Jewish struggles in the late Soviet period by way of the stories of Babel and Aleichem.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Influenced by the works of Isaac Babel, Sholem Aleichem, as well as Alexander Kuprin, the film portrays, in parable form, the constant fear of violence felt by Jews during the deterioration of the Soviet Union. The Jewish main character, Motl, is presented as a symbol of masculinity (handsome, virile, dark haired and bearded) that runs counter to the typical depiction of Jews as victims. Throughout the movie, Motl is haunted by premonitions of pogroms and rumors of future ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a Soviet Jew (vs. a more traditional shtetl Russian Jew), Motl is highly assimilated into the Russian culture and language and conspicuously devoid of any distinctive Jewish symbology, such as wearing a yarmulke, speaking Yiddish or being seen praying. When an actual pogrom is revealed at the end of the film, Motl chooses to not hide and, with the support of his gentile neighbors, takes up arms against the perpetrators. This final atypical scene reflects the belief of the filmmaker in the old international solidarity ideals espoused by Soviet propaganda, in that Russians will reject the emerging fascism and oppose its related violence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Aleksandr Proshkin’s film “To See Paris and Die” is set in 1960’s era Moscow and details the efforts of a mother set on getting her son out of the country. She hides his Jewish identity from him, but the secret is revealed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The second film that Klots discussed, called “To See Paris and Die,” was a popular early nineties production directed by Aleksandr Proshkin.<\/p>\n Set in 1960s Russia, Elena is the main character who manipulates her musically talented son, Yuri, to enter a concert pianist competition in Paris \u2013 a destination she had always longed to visit but couldn\u2019t otherwise afford. When Elena discovers that her son\u2019s rival was disqualified for being a \u201cconcealed\u201d Jew, she uses her overt anti-Semitism as a defense mechanism to protect against discrimination. As such, Elena strongly opposes Yuri\u2019s engagement to a Jewish girl and, when he marries her, commits suicide. After which, Elena is exposed as being an ethnic Jew.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The film deals with Russian-Jewish relations in society, where Jewishness is considered an \u201cincurable infectious disease.\u201d In an attempt to counteract the effects of this perspective, many Jews tried to \u201cRussify\u201d themselves by changing their names, altering ethnic identification in documents and adopting Russian religion, culture and language to protect their children from discrimination. This was the antithesis of the approach recent generations took during the Bolshevik Revolution, as described in previous literary and cinematic works. Viewers, however, are left with hope of a free society when the film ends showing the revived flag of the \u201cnew\u201d Russia and posters announcing Yuri\u2019s upcoming performance in Red Square.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\u00a0 \u00a0<\/del>a city\u00a0surrounded by seven miles of hellfire”) that included secularized education and social mobility for skilled and connected Jews, as opposed to the quiet life of the traditional shtetls<\/em>. However, many were unable to participate in the new found prosperity and succumbed to a life of organized crime or poverty, which became the focus of Babel\u2019s first writings. Odessa Tales<\/em> is his semi-fictional description of the city\u2019s culture, economics, revolutionary politics and emergent anti-Semitism.<\/p>\nJewish Identity in the Russian Cinema of the Early 1990s<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nBecoming a Baqshy: Indigenous Healers in Rural Kyrgyzstan<\/h3>\n
![\"Kyrgyz](\"http:\/\/ellisoncenter.washington.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Kyrgyz-Women-Islam-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n