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VOICE Diary for August 5, 2009
by David Zarkin, JCA volunteer
MINNEAPOLIS -- On a beautiful summer day in Minneapolis’ Loring Park neighborhood Lyudmyla Petrenko has arranged for Diana Yefanova to speak on the differences in teaching approaches in the homelands of Russian speaking immigrants as compared to the United States.

Lyudmyla is a community organizer and programmer for Sabes Jewish Community Center and Jewish Community Action and Diana is a doctoral candidate in education at the University of Minnesota. The audience includes senior members of VOICE, which helps these immigrants who live in high rise buildings near Loring Park. These gatherings for VOICE members help stem isolation they may experience due to their age, language skills and other circumstances. Through outings and guest speakers arranged by Lyudmyla they are learning about the greater Twin Cities community and Jewish traditions that they never knew in the former Soviet Union.

Lyudmyla moved to the United States six years ago from the Ukraine and Diana, eight years ago from Russia. They both speak Russian which is how they communicate with the VOICE members, but for Lyudmyla her native language is Ukranian. She learned Russian by reading books as a student.

In addition to speaking Russian, English and German, Diana is learning to speak Japanese in preparation for research she will be doing in Japan on comparative educational systems. She volunteered with JCA to help with the VOICE program and this was her first event. Their language accomplishments alone are massively impressive.

Many of those attending today have a background in teaching and are interested in the American approach to education which rewards critical thinking and  different viewpoints as opposed to Russian schools where students are expected to memorize and recite “facts” which is stressful. The unconventional is more likely in American universities  than  in their Russian counterparts, Diana said.

One of the VOICE members who has impeccable educational credentials is Faina who moved here from Russia 17 years ago where she taught high school chemistry for six years in a high school and 33 years at a university. In Russia, she did research in the biochemical department of a university on molecular deterioration and authored texts on these topics. Here she has been a volunteer senior companion for Jewish Children and Family Services and serves on the VOICE leadership committee, helping plan events for the group. Faina gained English speaking skills through classes at Minneapolis Technical College and helps translate flyers for VOICE events.

Faina is proud that she brought intelligent children to this country who are educators and grandchildren who have advanced degrees and teach at universities in pharmacy and chemical engineering. The desire to educate brings students’ respect and that is why she sought an education degree in Russia, Faina said.

Much has changed in 90 years when my father came from Russia to Minneapolis at age eight and was taunted with the name “green horn” because he spoke only Yiddish. Social programs and benefits for retired immigrants make a difference. But long held suspicions of immigrants, anti-Semitism and jealousy between people of different cultures continues to some extent. Kamil, the VOICE photographer and a computer professional, said his coworkers jest that because he has a Russian accent he must have vodka in his coffee mug.

My day with the VOICE was most rewarding and I look forward to learning more about  the Kitchen Stories Film Project which will collect and preserve memories of the last surviving Jewish witnesses of  World War Two and  the Holocaust. Work on this documentary starts this month and I will keep you posted on this intriguing project.