JANICE CHARACH GALLERYJewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit

D. Dan & Betty Kahn BuildingEugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus

6600 W. Maple RoadWest Bloomfield, MI 48322

www.jccdet.org

“Let My People Go” THE SOVIET JEWRY MOVEMENT 1967-1989

Featuring an exhibit from Israel’s Beit Hatfutsot Museum Exclusive Midwest engagement. Plus the story of Metro Detroit’s Russian-Jewish community, events, lectures, theatre, films, a Russian Tea Room party and more.

June 8 - July 25, 2013Exhibition and sale

Please join us for

“Let My People Go!” The Soviet Jewry Movement 1967-1989

EXHIBIT ION AND SALE

Opening reception: Sunday, June 9, 1 p.m.

• Photos, posters and documentary film clips that tell the story of Jewish life in the former Soviet Union

• Portraits and stories of Detroit’s Russian-Jewish families

• Samovars from throughout the years • A collection of matryoshka (nesting) dolls• You are there! Experience what it was like

to be a Russian immigrant to Israel• The story of Russian graffiti

• The “Lost and Found Project,”a Russian- Jewish theatre troupe

• “Eastern European Political Evolution of Jewish Identity,” lecture by Dr. Zvi Gitelman

• “The Spray Can Is Mightier Than The Sword,” lecture by Alexis M. Zimberg

• “A Chelm Story” by the Detroit Puppet Theatre • Russian Tea Room, with dessert reception

and entertainment• A showing of the extraordinary film “Refusenik”

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

“Let My People Go!” depicts a heroic chapter in Jewish history, and especially Metro Detroit history, and a powerful example of Jewish solidarity. On loan from the Israel Beit Hatfutsot Museum in Israel, this exhibit tells the struggle by and on behalf of Soviet Jews to make aliyah and the sacrifices they made to assert their Jewish identity and gain religious freedom.

Thank you to our sponsors

Alan Amcheslavsky – Home One RealtyOleg AmcheslavskySilvio Guglielmo BenvenutiJeffrey CharachNatalie & Manny CharachDimitry Selector – Home One RealtyNeal & Esther ZalenkoRaymond & Atara Zimmerman FoundationCentral Carpet Wholesale – Belogolvsky Family

GALLERY HOURS

Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday: Noon-4 p.m.

The Gallery is open to the public at no admission.

Visit the Gallery opening livestream at https://livestre.am/3tixs

248.432.5579

www.charachgallery.org

Local HeroesJanice Charach Gallery Throughout the exhibit

Learn how an extraordinary group of men, women and children left the Soviet Union and arrived in Metro Detroit with virtually nothing – then went on to become some of the city’s most successful business people and involved community leaders.

A Sampling of SamovarsJanice Charach GalleryThroughout the exhibit

The first recorded samovar makers in Russia were brother Ivan and Nazar Fyodorovich, who registered their samovar-making factory in Russia in 1778. Since then, samovars have become an important fixture in virtually every Russian home, popular both for their beauty and practical use of providing hot water for tea during the long winters.

“Let My People Go!”Films, photos and posters from the Beit Hatfutsot CollectionJanice Charach Gallery Throughout the exhibit

The Jews of the former Soviet Union were trapped in a totalitarian state that not only forbade the existence of Jewish life but would not allow them to leave the country - and then denounced them as traitors. Ultimately, the struggle waged by Soviet Jews captured headlines throughout the world and garnered support from political leaders, public figures, Jews and gentiles.

These historic images, on loan from Beit Hatfutsot, tell this unforgettable story.

Oh, You Beautiful Doll!Janice Charach GalleryThroughout the exhibit

A matryoshka, or nesting doll, consists of a series of figures that fit one inside another until the last, tiny shape emerges. The first Russian matryoshka consisted of eight dolls and made its debut at the Exposition Universelle in 1900 in Paris.

Don’t miss the Gallery’s exquisite collection that includes more than 30 one-of-a-kind dolls created by local artists and available for purchase.

Making Aliyah: Saying Goodbye to Eastern EuropeShalom Street MuseumThroughout the exhibit

Come on a fantastic voyage to explore how 1 million Eastern European Jewish families made aliyah. Experience what it was like to be a new immigrant as you walk in the footsteps of someone making a new life in Israel. Participants will receive their own Shalom Street passport to be stamped along the tour.

The Lost & Found ProjectSaturday, June 8 - 7 p.m. Sunday, June 9 - 1 p.m.

The Berman Center for the Performing ArtsTickets: JCC members: $16 / Non-members: $19To purchase: 248.661.1900, theberman.org or at The Berman box office.

The Lost & Found Project is an experimental theatrical production performed by a cast of 10 Russian-Jewish actors who were born in the 1970s and ’80s in the former Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States.

Founded and produced by Ann Zicer and based in New York, the program incorporates elements of experimental theatre, movement and voice techniques. The play is presented in snapshots, depicting a dialogue between the past and present.

The goal of this project, which held its premiere in March 2012, was to give young Russian-Jewish actors an opportunity to become more aware of their family stories through a process of personal research and investigation.

The troupe is making plans to tour the United States, Canada, Russia and Israel.

The Writing on the WallJanice Charach GalleryThroughout the exhibit

Graffiti artists have long been a part of Russia’s underground and, over the years, their unique works have come to be celebrated both as art and political statement. Today, both Moscow and St. Petersburg host festivals for the country’s leading graffiti artists, who often freestyle and even work blindfolded.

This impressive collection of photos will chronicle the way in which graffiti in Russia has served as a voice for many who otherwise would remain silent.

TICKETS $20 CLICK TO BUY TICKETS

TICKETS $20 CLICK TO BUY TICKETS

334 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 24 Bond Street, New York, NY

MARCH 8 AT 8PM MARCH 14-18 AT 8PM

For tickets, reservations, and information visit WWW.LOSTANDFOUNDPROD.COM

OR CALL 347 366 7529

The JCC in Manhattan GENE FRANKEL THEATRE

Rediscovering the past through the present:

A THEATRICAL EXPERIMENT

LOST&FOUNDp r e s e n t s l a u n c h e v e n t

An interactive play that explores personal family stories and immigrant experiences through narratives and

dramatic snapshots.

Directed byConceived and produced by

Co-produced by Written by

Honorary artistic director Score composer

Contributing author

Featuring

BEN SARGENT ANNA ZICER MARINA REYDLER LOST&FOUND CAST BRYNA WASSERMAN DMITRI ‘ZISL’ SLEPOVITCHSOPHIA ROMMA

ALYA ADELMAN, JORDAN ELIZABETH GELBER, RUVYM GILMAN, MARIYA KING, SERGEY NAGORNY, JANE TUV, RUSSELL VERKHOVSKY BORIS ZILBERMAN

OROGA TICKETS $20 CLICK TO BUY TICKETS

TICKETS $20 CLICK TO BUY TICKETS

334 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 24 Bond Street, New York, NY

MARCH 8 AT 8PM MARCH 14-18 AT 8PM

For tickets, reservations, and information visit WWW.LOSTANDFOUNDPROD.COM

OR CALL 347 366 7529

The JCC in Manhattan GENE FRANKEL THEATRE

Rediscovering the past through the present:

A THEATRICAL EXPERIMENT

LOST&FOUNDp r e s e n t s l a u n c h e v e n t

An interactive play that explores personal family stories and immigrant experiences through narratives and

dramatic snapshots.

Directed byConceived and produced by

Co-produced by Written by

Honorary artistic director Score composer

Contributing author

Featuring

BEN SARGENT ANNA ZICER MARINA REYDLER LOST&FOUND CAST BRYNA WASSERMAN DMITRI ‘ZISL’ SLEPOVITCHSOPHIA ROMMA

ALYA ADELMAN, JORDAN ELIZABETH GELBER, RUVYM GILMAN, MARIYA KING, SERGEY NAGORNY, JANE TUV, RUSSELL VERKHOVSKY BORIS ZILBERMAN

OROGA

Photos by Alexis M. Zimberg

Lecture by Dr. Zvi GitelmanSunday, June 16 - 2 p.m. Janice Charach GalleryRSVP by June 13 to 248.432.5449

Zvi Gitelman is professor of political science and Preston R. Tisch Professor of Judaic at the University of Michigan. He is an expert on ethnicity and politics, especially in former Communist countries, as well as Israeli politics, East European politics and Jewish political thought and behavior.

Professor Gitelman has served as associate professor and visiting lecturer at numerous institutions including

Tel Aviv University, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and Central European University (Budapest), and on the boards of the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry at Brandeis University; the Michigan Regional Advisory Board of the Anti-Defamation League; the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Council and many more.

Professor Gitelman is the author of numerous articles and books, including Jewish Identities in Postcommunist Russia and Ukraine: An Uncertain Ethnicity, published last year by Cambridge University Press.

“Against All Odds: How Soviet Jews Won The Battle For Immigration

“The Spray Can Is Mightier Than the Sword: Street Arts as a Medium for Political Discourse in Russia”Lecture by Alexis M. Zimberg

Thursday, June 20 - 7 p.m.Janice Charach GalleryRSVP by June 8 to 248.432.5449

It has been more than 20 years since the fall of the Soviet Union, yet Russia and its former republics have failed to embrace complete freedom of expression; politicians, journalists and artists continue to be subject to the party line. Yet there are places in the former Soviet Union where creativity thrives: alleys and abandoned buildings, park benches and trains form the curious palettes of the country’s secret graffiti artists.

Detroit Puppet Theatre“A Chelm Story”Sunday, June 23 - 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. performances

The Berman Center for the Performing ArtsAll tickets: Adults: $12 / Children: $10To purchase: 248.661.1900, theberman.org or at The Berman box office.

PuppetART Center is located in Detroit’s Theater District and was founded in 1998 by a group of puppeteers and artists trained in the former Soviet Union. All members of the PuppetART troupe are masters of puppetry art theater and present programs featuring hand, rod, shadow, floor tabletop and string or marionettes.

PuppetART performances have been seen through-out the state of Michigan as well as in Alabama, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

In “A Chelm Story,” PuppetART tells the story of Mendel, a man whose thoughts are often in the clouds and filled with dreams. One day, he decides to leave everything behind and make a trip to exciting Warsaw. But he is in for quite a surprise when a shepherd gets hold of Mendel’s boots.

In search of politically vocal street art and street artists, Post-Soviet Graffiti Director and former Georgetown University graduate student Alexis Zimberg spent years walking throughout Hungary, Russia, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland and Latvia. Come learn this amazing and internationally acclaimed story of defiance, courage and hope.

Photos by Alexis M. Zimberg

The Russian Tea RoomThursday, July 11, 7-9 p.m.Marion & David Handleman Hall (JCC West Bloomfield)Tickets: $5 Please call for reservations by July 1 248.432.5449

The Russian Tea Room was founded in 1927 by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet, whose principals have included Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Since its establishment, the Russian Tea Room has become New York City’s favorite spot for leading actors, writers, politicians, executives and cultural icons.

Please visit the Janice Charach Gallery’s Russian Tea Room for an elegant tea party, exquisite desserts and exceptional artistic talent as you experience the grandeur of days long ago.

This event also includes:

• “Music Around the World” by Overtime, featuring Harry Hovakimian and Peter Levitin

• Russian and Jewish folk music by Gennady Zut on balalaika and Tatyana Zut on piano

• A ballet solo by Maria Repnikova

• Viola

“Refusenik”Thursday, July 25, 7 p.m. Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue For information and to RSVP call 248.432.5449

“Refusenik,” the first documentary to chronicle the 35-year movement to free Soviet Jews, shows how a small, grassroots effort bold enough to take on a Cold War superpower became an international human rights campaign. Told through the eyes of activists on both sides of the Iron Curtain - many of whom survived punishment in Soviet Gulag labor camps – it is a tapestry of first-person accounts of heroism, sacrifice, and ultimately, liberation.

Much of the material used in “Refusenik” is exclusive to this film, including photographs and covert footage smuggled out of the former Soviet Union.