|
Recording Content:
This recording begins with a continuation of a formal interview with Semyon Semyonovich Krotsh (b. 1922 in Stefanesti). Another AHEYM interviewee, David Abramovich Vider (b. 1922 in Sighetu Marmatiei), is also present. (Part 4 of 4. See MDV 521, MDV 522, and MDV 523) [00:00:00 - 00:27:29]
The camera cuts to a formal interview conducted in Russian with Roman Bileichuk (b. 1963 in Kolomyya), an aspiring convert to Judaism. [00:27:29 - 01:02:31]
Cities and towns mentioned on this tape: Stefanesti, Kolomyya.
|
00:00:00
|
This tape is a continuation of a formal interview with Semyon Semyonovich Krotsh (b. 1922 in Stefanesti). Another AHEYM interviewee, David Abramovich Vider (b. 1922 in Sighetu Marmatiei), is also present. Krotsh answers questions from the AHEYM sociolinguistic and dialectological survey. |
|
00:07:13
|
Krotsh discusses folk medicine and tells a personal story from his childhood of how his leg was healed by a blind folk healer woman named Molke Spodik. |
|
00:12:22
|
Krotsh answers questions from the AHEYM sociolinguistic and dialectological survey. |
|
00:27:29
|
The camera cuts to a formal interview conducted in Russian with Roman Bileichuk (b. 1963 in Kolomyya), an aspiring convert to Judaism. Bileichuk shares his basic biographical information, describing his childhood without a father, and his education and early career path. After an extended period of religious exploration, Bileichuk recalls how one sleepless night after reading the Torah he somehow wandered three kilometers to Kolomyya’s synagogue, a place he was totally unfamiliar with before, and joined the Rosh Hashone (New Years) services that were then taking place. Despite conflict with his family, Biliechuk has been attending the services at the synagogue and observing Judaism for about 2.5 years, and has written to several rabbis in Kyiv about the possibility of formal conversion. Meanwhile, he states that he is trying to follow all Jewish religious laws and reads Jewish journals and traditional texts, trying, “like everybody else” to find Truth in the world. |
|
00:34:30
|
Bileichuk discusses his family life and shares his attitudes towards Subbotniki, Christian Protestant sects and other faiths. He also discusses why he sees as the inherent truth in Judaism, the “stealing” of its principles by other faiths and his personal religious journey. |
|
00:45:14
|
Bileichuk states that he knows how to pray Jewishly and does so at home when there are not services in the synagogue. Bileichuk also shares his attitudes toward Israel, noting that “New” Israel is not as good as “Old” Israel, since the new state lacks the Temple in addition to being filled with morally questionable people and problems, such as unbelievers and prostitution. |
|
00:50:33
|
Bileichuk further details the conflict he has had with his family over his new faith and notes the paradox of how the commandment to “honor thy mother and father” in this case would compromise his faith. He also describes how he prays at home with a homemade “bima” (prayer lectern). Bileichuk states that he keeps all commandments to the extent possible, and reports on what he calls the deceptive nature of the Catholic & Christian Bible, wanting the world to recognize the truth in Judaism. Bileichuk began his religious journey 4-5 years ago starting asking these religious questions, noting that he had a very Christian upbringing and was always of a very spiritual orientation. He also comments on his relations within the community, and, comparing himself to Abraham who took on G-d’s covenant at a late age, states that he will let no one deny him his right to convert. Bileichuk mentions his relationship with a non-Jewish woman who is also an aspiring convert and with whom he has a son. Bileichuk also complains about the politics of conversion and its connection to bribery in Israel. |
|