An unexpected twist of destiny

Hello,

It may seem very funny, but learning the history of Jewish people in the Czech Republic opened a new page in my aesthetic and cultural life - I started painting pictures.

Howdid  it happen?

How all happens in life-it just comes from somewhere and occupies your mind.

Now, instead of telling people about the history of Jews in Bohemia, I spent most of my time with finding motives for my future pictures.

And, clearly enough, I arrived at a good number of painters of Jewish origin.

First, being a Russian myself, I was interested in painters worked in Russia.

First of all of course I tried to find about painters born on the territory of present Republic of Belarus. This is how I came close to such big names as Mark Shagal and Abram Manevich.

The collection of my first works which I painted in the way children do their pictures: they just put colors to the forms of people, animals and other things.

Of course they could hardly be qualified as true paintings, but at least I made efforts to create some nice pictures.

Here you can see some of them published.

Enjoy!

George

Future Plans, First Steps

Shalom,

As promised, a few basic ideas for starting a new career.

First I believe is necessary to collect as much information as I can about the objects of Jewish Museum in Prague: 

The Old-New Synagogue

The Maisel Synagogue

The Spanish Synagogue

The PInkas Synagogue

The Klaus Synagogue

The Ceremonial Hall

The Old Jewish Cemetery

                                                    Seven Objects altogether

Next, as soon as I receive the guide certificate, I will go to these places and will make a plan of the route of guiding my guests from one object to another, and from exhibit to exhibit.

I may also think of any questions my customers ask when they go with me.

Nothing spoils the image of an instructor more than her inability to answer randomly asked questions.

After that I may think of getting in touch with Jewish communities in various countries and let them know about my offer of guiding tours in the Jewish Museum in Prague.

I will surely contact local agencies and bureaus where Prague guests may address with the requests for getting a professional guide.

The following will be a website or at least a blog with the description of my services.

And last but not lastest :-) I will regularly tell you about my guiding adventures in this blog.

Well, that's about it for the moment.

If there's something else comes in my mind I will let you know.

Till next post

Yours

George

51 out of 54

7 November, 2013, Thursday, 9.00 local time.
( On the day of 7th November in the former Soviet Union millions of people went on demonstrations to celebrate the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.)
--------------
On that day I got up very early and went to home bima to pray. I asked the Creator to help me to answer correctly the first question.
Then I repeated the same humble request fifty more times.
Fifty one times altogether: I asked the Lord to provide me with the right answers to 51 out of 54 test questions.
I went to the test with strong decision to write the test successfully.
The test was written on Thursday, then Shabbat day, then weekend.
I knew the result of the first try on the next day.
On Tuesday,12 November I called the office and asked about the results of the test.
Believe it or not, the instructor said to me that I had passed the test with only three mistakes-51 correct answers out of 54.
Can you believe it?
You should!
A day later I received an official confirmation of the test results.
A new exciting career of a guide in the Jewish quarter in Prague with inviting horizons has become real and visible.
Dear friends,
In my next message I will tell you about my future plans of sharing with you all I have and am going to learn about the history of Jewish people that have been living in Prague for eleven centuries.
Till next time
George

Repetition est Mater Studiorum

Repetition is the Mother of Study
After the first attempt to pass the test, I  thought a lot about my result: different ideas, explanations, reasons, excuses.

Every time the situation was seen from another angle.
Most of the resolutions brought me to the resume:
                    The Creator knows what is good to me. 

The Czechs interpret the Latin quotation which I had chosen for the title of the message as : "Repetition is the mother of wisdom" 

They believe that if one wants to become wise, they have to do things repeatedly.

Then, we may ask a natural question:

"Who does the process of repetitions in life start with?"

With parents, of course. Mother wants her baby repeat the words after her, then Father wants his son repeat some actions/works done according to his Father's example properly and as a parent and educator only he defines the right number of repetitions/times before things are done properly.

I remembered how it was with me when my Dad told me to do things repeatedly, or to learn school subjects again and again.
Naturally enough I ended my kaleidoscope of thoughts in my present situation. I at once saw the explanation of my situation as if it was written on a piece of paper in front of my eyes: The Father wants me to repeat as many times as it is necessary so that I could be ready to start a new career of serving His people.

He wants me to become wise and therefore makes me repeat things as many times as He considers it is necessary...

This discovery made me feel much better, brought peace in my soul and with light heart went to another round of preparation for the test.

Tomorrow, the rest of the "Test" story.

Till then

George

The First Try

On the 23 October I went to the test.
Was I ready, or rather, did I feel prepared?
Hard to say. After a significant brake of not having any serious tests at all, this new challenge made me both nervous and excited as well as stressed and scared.
Talking about the days of having the tests, we could choose any of the following four days: 23 October, 7 November, 19 November and 2 December, the final try.
I decided to start with the first and then whatever happened, use the following all terms.
Contrary to my expectations, we were not provided with any instructions for the test, apart from the basic rule of 54-45 where the first number was the amount of test questions and the other one-a minimum correct answers to pass the test.
Another trouble-making aspect the test was the system of questions, that made the test very different from many: we were not supposed to choose from  a-b-c-d alternative answers but to briefly write sentences with correct answers to the questions put.
We also learned that the unfortunate applicants could see their works with comments of the teacher, while the successful candidates would be sent the confirmation of passing the test with the instructions of receiving the precious license for guiding tourists in the Jewish quarter of Prague. ( In the message to come, I'll try to convince you: it is the place well worth seeing.)
Several weeks of hard work passed and I went to the test.
It took me one hour and twenty minutes to answer the questions and help a couple of neighbors to write their answers too.
On the next day I received the e-mail from the secretary of the Prague Information Service that my first effort had been unsuccessful :-(
A surprise?
Hardly so.
"It happens," I said to myself. "Next time will be better!"
Was it???
Next message will give you the answer to this question!
Till next time!
Bye-bye!
George  


   

Hi again
So, I bought a book called "Jewish History and Culture" that was considered as a course textbook for
-learning the subject, then
-taking /passing the test, and
-finally earning a precious Certificate for working as a guide in Jewish town.
The course scheduled on 7, 9 October, the test - 23 October, and as I had bought the book in May, there was a lot of time to go.
Three months passed but I was still thinking of the "S" day to start studying the book.
On the last day of August I made a big decision: I started working hard on the materials and step by step with loads of notes on paper, two weeks later ended the book.
The first move was done and I looked optimistically forward to the days to come.
September went on in hard work but I still felt there was much to fix firmly in the memory: dates, names, places, events and the rest of 140 + pages book.
To make a long story short, on the first day of the course I canceled all my business meetings and went to the Jewish education center by city transport (in this part of Prague parking is a dream for many).
I was walking nervously towards the place looking on the numbers on the buildings when suddenly heard heavy steps behind me.
I let the runner pass when someone called my name just over my shoulder!
It was my friend who had recommended me to take this course half a year ago.
"I just couldn't leave you alone," he explained to me when I asked him why he had been there.
We went up to the third floor and sat in a classroom.
Two days of class lectures and terrain excursions passed quickly and we were peacefully sent home to get ready for the test.
( In accordance with the regulations applicants are allowed to take four tries: one free and three for small payment. By the way, each time a different variant).
I was travelling back home in a strange mood: there was still much to prepare for the test and, surely,  I wanted least of all to repeat the test all four times :-)
Would you like to know how it went on?
Read on :-)
Yours
Georges :-)
   

Starting a New Career

Hi Folks
Long time not see/talk :-)
As many of us who try to start new endeavors, I have come with another life-changing project of studying life of Jewish people in Prague.
Why not someone else?

If you ask such a question you may have never thought of Jewry as the nation whose history deserves perhaps more serious attention and learning than many of us got used to think.
But let me first explain how I had come to the idea of studying the history of Jewish people.
I have one acquaintance a Mr Jiri Kos, whose hobby is to find new challenges to make my life more adventurous and at the same time to earn some extra money.
Once he offered me to get a part-time job as a porter at a prestigious hotel.
I refused.
On another occasion he came with the idea of shifts at a parking spot, nights shifts.
I refused.
Then a few other proposals appeared but they all were finally declined.
One day, however he asked me to think about working as a guide at Jewish Museum in Prague.
My friend told me that I would have to take a two days course and then to pass a test before staring a new career.
I felt it was a chance to me and agreed at once.
A week later I met with a professional guide, one of my ex-colleagues and having received some advice what to start with I embarked on a new exciting endeavor: studying the history of Jewish people.
Tomorrow I will tell you how it went on :-)
Till then
Cheers
George