No photos of Simche or Moisei exist.
You can find more information on my web site http://www.levins.info
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Remembering 18 August 1941
On this tragic day 71 years ago more than 100 adult men of Lapichi were executed by the Nazis and the polizei. Among them were my great-grandfather Simche Levin and his eldest son Moisei Levin. The rest of the Jews of Lapichi, several hundred women, children and the elderly, including my great-grandmother Chaya Levin, her daughter Dasha and her 3 little sons, her daughter-in-law Fanya (Moisei's wife) and her 2 little boys, were murdered in April 1942. Their memory will forever live in my heart.
No photos of Simche or Moisei exist.
You can find more information on my web site http://www.levins.info
No photos of Simche or Moisei exist.
You can find more information on my web site http://www.levins.info
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Remembering Grandma Sonja and Grandpa Semyon
Today is my late maternal grandmother Sonja's birthday. It's good to remember her. She would have turned 98, but she died 6 years ago. To tell the truth, I was always a bit afraid of her. I probably thought she was too strict, or actually too distant. I always said "Вы" to her, never "ты" (respectful "you" instead of casual "you"). But at the same time, I liked to visit her, liked her dinners and her compotes. Of course, I came also to visit my Aunt Natasha and my dear cousin Zhenya, who lived together with grandma.
As a kid, I was proud that she and her husband (my grandfather) Semyon were Communist Party members, the only party members in our family. Grandpa would tell me his war-time stories, how he, as an artillery officer, would go on reconnaissance missions with his men, and how they would have to hide somewhere for days and eat horse meat. Grandpa was the head of the department of Geodesy and Cartography at the Technological Institute in Minsk. He never completely recovered from his wounds sustained during the war and died in 1984 when I was 11 years old. I guess I was even more afraid of him than of my grandma.
Grandma didn't say much. She would read her newspapers or watch TV. She'd inquire about how things were going with me. But she wasn't the kind op person I'd turn to to talk about my inner life and things that were really important to me. She was a strong personality, highly respected by everybody. I heard the stories of how she, in her late 20's, struggled and worked hard in evacuation during the war with two half-starved small kids, how she'd spend most of her free time after the war to study and learn.
I liked the food that she cooked, especially the fruit compotes with dried apricots and raisins. This is one of my most vivid memories from childhood :) Another memory of her is how I would enter the backyard of their house and see her sitting on a bench with a neighbor, while my then small cousin Zhenya would be playing outside. And the characteristic smell in the hall of the house, and how in the last years of her life she could barely walk and would lie down on her sofa for hours and think her thoughts. She remained very clear-headed until the end.
Rest in peace, dear grandma.
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| Aunt Natasha, grandma, my mother Lora Levina 15 July 1999, grandma's 85th birthday |
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| me, grandma, my mother Lora Levina 15 July 1999, grandma's 85th birthday |
As a kid, I was proud that she and her husband (my grandfather) Semyon were Communist Party members, the only party members in our family. Grandpa would tell me his war-time stories, how he, as an artillery officer, would go on reconnaissance missions with his men, and how they would have to hide somewhere for days and eat horse meat. Grandpa was the head of the department of Geodesy and Cartography at the Technological Institute in Minsk. He never completely recovered from his wounds sustained during the war and died in 1984 when I was 11 years old. I guess I was even more afraid of him than of my grandma.
Grandma didn't say much. She would read her newspapers or watch TV. She'd inquire about how things were going with me. But she wasn't the kind op person I'd turn to to talk about my inner life and things that were really important to me. She was a strong personality, highly respected by everybody. I heard the stories of how she, in her late 20's, struggled and worked hard in evacuation during the war with two half-starved small kids, how she'd spend most of her free time after the war to study and learn.
I liked the food that she cooked, especially the fruit compotes with dried apricots and raisins. This is one of my most vivid memories from childhood :) Another memory of her is how I would enter the backyard of their house and see her sitting on a bench with a neighbor, while my then small cousin Zhenya would be playing outside. And the characteristic smell in the hall of the house, and how in the last years of her life she could barely walk and would lie down on her sofa for hours and think her thoughts. She remained very clear-headed until the end.
Rest in peace, dear grandma.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
70 years ago on this day ...
... my grandfather Aron Levin was killed in action at the age of 34 while serving as a private in the Soviet Army at the Volkhov-Leningrad Front. I related what I know about grandfather Aron in my previous post about my father a few days ago. Since then I spoke to his niece and my aunt Sofiya Kozlova, who told me what she heard about him from her mother and Aron's sister Berta Levina. I learned from her that Aron was a playful boy who used to make and play jokes on other kids.
I also possess letters that Aron sent to his wife Dasha from the front line.
Aron Levin (born 1908) is said to have inherited his father's entrepreneurial skills. But his life was cut short at the age of 34 as he was killed in action on June 28, 1942, at the Leningrad-Volkhov Front after drafting into the Soviet Army as a private. He didn't know that his father Simkhe (68) and his elder brother Moishe (39) were executed by the German Wehrmacht (regular armed forces) in August 1941 together with some 60 other adult Jewish men of Lapichi. In August 1942 the rest of the Jewish population of Lapichi (mostly women and children) were executed by the Nazis and local collaborators. Among them were my father's grandmother Chaya (64), Moishe's wife Fanya (28) and her 2 sons Genya (4) and Zyama (1), my father's aunt Dasha (31) and her 3 sons Gerik (5), Roma (3) and Zyama (10m), and some other relatives.
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| Aron Levin |
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| Aron (left), his wife Hana, and his siblings Musya, Samuil and Berta Levin Vitebsk, 8 September 1936 |
I also possess letters that Aron sent to his wife Dasha from the front line.
Aron Levin (born 1908) is said to have inherited his father's entrepreneurial skills. But his life was cut short at the age of 34 as he was killed in action on June 28, 1942, at the Leningrad-Volkhov Front after drafting into the Soviet Army as a private. He didn't know that his father Simkhe (68) and his elder brother Moishe (39) were executed by the German Wehrmacht (regular armed forces) in August 1941 together with some 60 other adult Jewish men of Lapichi. In August 1942 the rest of the Jewish population of Lapichi (mostly women and children) were executed by the Nazis and local collaborators. Among them were my father's grandmother Chaya (64), Moishe's wife Fanya (28) and her 2 sons Genya (4) and Zyama (1), my father's aunt Dasha (31) and her 3 sons Gerik (5), Roma (3) and Zyama (10m), and some other relatives.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Tribute to My Father on His 75th Birthday
My dad was a quiet, kind, pensive person. I remember he would often sit and look into the distance, oblivious to what was going on around him, thinking his thoughts. I remember how I, as a small boy, was climbing all over him, listening to his heartbeat, exploring his beard. He was rather short, rather full-bodied, not the kind of father to brag about to your school friends. But he had beautiful big eyes and beautiful long black eye-lashes (that both me and my sister and my daughter inherited from him).
But above all he was a decent man. He never complained, never shouted at us kids, never said bad things about people in their absence, was polite and considerate in his dealings with people, yet firm in following his principles.
My dad was born on June 22, 1937 in Vitebsk to Aron Levin and Hannah (Dasha) Pukhovich. His grandparents Simkhe and Chaya Levin lived in the small Jewish shtettl of Lapichi, some 100 km south of Minsk. Simkhe had an entrepreneurial spirit. In 1904 he went to work in New York City as a laborer for 2 years together with his two younger brothers, but came back to his family in Lapichi. Together with his wife they set up a small shop. Simkhe travelled around to buy agricultural produce from local peasants, he also set up a small candle manufacturing business and sold candles to churches. Simkhe and Chaya had 6 children: Moishe, Aron (my grandfather), Dasha, Bertha, Samuil and Musya. After the Russian revolution Simkhe and his family were declared lishenets, which meant that they couldn't vote, couldn't be employed by the government, couldn't receive higher and technical education and were subject to other restrictions.
My grandfather Aron Levin (born 1908) is said to have inherited his father's entrepreneurial skills. But his life was cut short at the age of 34 as he was killed in action in late June 1942 (almost exactly 70 years ago) at the Leningrad-Volkhov Front after drafting into the Soviet Army as a private. He didn't know that his father Simkhe (68) and his elder brother Moishe (39) were executed by the German Wehrmacht (regular armed forces) in August 1941 together with some 60 other adult Jewish men of Lapichi. In August 1942 the rest of the Jewish population of Lapichi (mostly women and children) were executed by the Nazis and local collaborators. Among them were my father's grandmother Chaya (64), Moishe's wife Fanya (28) and her 2 sons Genya (4) and Zyama (1), my father's aunt Dasha (31) and her 3 sons Gerik (5), Roma (3) and Zyama (10m), and some other relatives.
The Germans invaded Soviet Union on the day of my father's 4th birthday. They swept over large areas of Belorussia and Ukraine in a matter of days. My father and his younger sister Polina survived thanks to their aunt Musya (then 20 years old), who rushed to Vitebsk from the burning Minsk and persuaded Aron and Hannah to evacuate immediately to the East. Misha and Polina were the only children in our family who were born before the war and survived the war and the holocaust, their 11-month-old brother Solomon died of typhus in November 1942.
My father's maternal grandfather David Pukhovich was arrested by the NKVD secret service shortly before the war. He presumably died in custody, date and cause of death remain unknown.
My father's family returned to Minsk in 1944. His mother was trained to be a Yiddish (Jewish language) teacher before the war, but she couldn't find a job after the war as the teaching of Yiddish was effectively banned. She had to settle for a job as a shop assistant. My father's surviving aunts Bertha and Musya and uncle Samuil were supporting them in all possible ways.
He was a good student excelling in most subjects, but above all in math and physics. One of his former fellow students related to me that my father didn't have many friends at school because he was very serious and far ahead in his studies. Once he met my father just the day before an exam as my dad was going to the movies. When asked: how about the exam?, my father simply replied that he had already learned everything. According to this fellow student, my father was quite uncompromising at school and quite bold towards some teachers. He never participated in any official committees.
After school he applied to the prestigious MFTI (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology). He had all the needed qualifications but was not admitted based on the application interview. He had to apply to the Technological Institute in Minsk, where he started his scientific work in Theoretical Mechanics. As a student he volunteered to the Virgin Land Campaign (Целина) in Kazachstan, where he contracted malaria and barely survived.
Apart from science he had a passion for music and played the violin in an amateur symphony orchestra. He married my mother Lora Barshay in 1964 and my sister Lena was born in 1965. By the time he was already a Candidate of Technical Sciences (degree equivalent to PhD) and was working on his Doctoral thesis, which he completed in 1973, the year that I was born. However he was not allowed to defend the thesis as the communist party committee of the Polytechnical Institute refused to give him a positive characteristic.
In the late 1970's he had a chance to emigrate to the United States, but he decided not to, probably out of fear of becoming a refusenick, fear of not being able to find a job and reluctance on the part of the rest of the family.
All this time he taught Theoretical Mechanics at the Belarusian Polytechnical Institute in Minsk, often teaching some 20 hours a week. Although some students would laugh as he would introduce himself and his foreign-sounding Jewish name: Moisei Aronovich, I heard from many of his former students (some of whom were youth leaders at the summer camps that I went to) that they really liked him, because he was respectful and fair to them. My father once told me that the purpose of an oral exam (which was a common practice at the time) is not to show the student what he doesn't know, but to discover what he knows about the subject.
But his real passion was research, which he conducted mostly in his spare time behind his desk in our small 1-bedroom apartment. He wrote some 70 scientific articles, was awarded several patents, and wrote a book summarizing his research. He was one of the first scientists in Minsk to use computers (ALGOL and FORTRAN programming languages) for his research and calculations.
He eventually managed to defend his thesis in Leningrad in the late 1980's and to publish his monograph The theory of deformable wheel rolling with the prestigious Moscow "Science" publishing house. Yet all the troubles he had to go into undermined his health. He died abruptly in March 1993 at the age of 55. His Professorship Certificate came in by post after his death.
I owe a lot to my father. My interest in science, computers and foreign languages, which played probably the most significant part in my success in life, were due to a large extent to him, as I often went with him to his computer center, learned from him to program our micro-calculator, and we would often listen together to the BBC World Service in English on our short-wave receiver. He was also instrumental in helping me develop my musical abilities.
But to be frank, as a teenager I didn't pay much attention to my father. I was busy with my own life, my own growing up, my own interests, which is probably typical of that age. At times I was disrespectful. I was taking him for granted.
His death was a severe shock and left me with a profound sense of loss and guilt. I missed him badly. I missed his warm hands, his embrace, his presence. Those were difficult times with the Soviet Union having collapsed and new economic realities taking place. I lacked self-confidence. Who could I go to for advice, love, understanding? How was I to navigate the rough seas of life?
I lamented the fact that I was given so many opportunities while he with his talent for science was denied so many. It's so unfair that he couldn't realize many of his ideas and inventions, that he didn't live long enough to enjoy deserved retirement and rest, to watch his grandchildren grow.
Yet I believe that his legacy will live in his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And I see it as my duty to pass on his memory and the memory of our forefathers to the future generations of our family.
P.S. For more information about the Levin family of Lapichi, please take a look at my website http://www.levins.info/
Monday, May 21, 2012
Kiting on the Beach
Yesterday late afternoon Anne Sophie and I went for our favourite walk through the dunes of Wassenaar to the beach north of The Hague/Scheveningen. It was about 5 o'clock, and most beach goers already left, as it started to cool down after the hot and stuffy day.
It takes us 15 minutes to drive to the Meijendel Farm and another 25-30 minutes to walk the 2km trail through the woods and dunes to the beach. It should of course take less time, but Anne Sophie likes running around and playing all kinds of games that she makes up along the way. This time I was supposed to be a calf and she a goat kid :) And then she started to draw crosses on the path with a stick to warn people not to walk there. And then we would draw the letters of her name, one letter every 20 meters or so. And then we were throwing the ball forward and trying to get to the ball first. When you walk like that, time really flies.
The sun was shining and the dunes were majestic. We hardly ever met anyone along the way, except (what a coincidence) some of our good friends Nadya, Volodya and Sergey, who were returning from the beach! Anne Sophie took Volodya's hand, even though she hadn't seen him for a couple of years, and started telling him stories from her school life. (To tell the truth, I am amazed how she trusts people that she hardly knows. I think it's a fine quality, even if some people may find it dagerous.) Sergey told of their trip to Mont St. Michel in Normandy, France. On Friday, he and Nadya and another friend were driving on the motorway, and then they thought they'd go to Brugge in Belgium. They had nothing with them except money, not even a tooth brush. But they thought what the heck! When close to Brugge, they missed the exit and decided to go on to France. They got home late Saturday night. That's a real adventure!
Except for a couple of walkers, the beach was virtually empty when we got there. It was sunny, but there was a cool breeze from the sea. Because of the haze we could neither see The Hague in the south nor Katwijk in the north. It felt like we were on some distant stretch of beach away from civilization.
And then we assembled our first kite that we bought on Queen's Day this April for a couple of Euros. It is a simple but beautiful triangular kite in rainbow colors. It is easy to get and keep flying in the wind, but it doesn't give you much steering control. We were running up and down the beach for almost 2 hours, and I must say I fell in love with kiting! What an intense felling of joy and freedom! I hope to be back soon with a more professional kite!
The sea water was very cold, but we did play Anne Sophie's favourite game of running away from the waves! And we would also draw on the sand. We drew Anne Sophie's name in Dutch and Russian (Аннушка) and also the word "Papa".
And then we got hungry and it was time to go home. We walked back through the dunes, and after Anne Sophie scratched her ankle and got really tired I carried her the rest of the way on my back. On the way back we called on Roderick to borrow his extension ladder so that Luda can paint the window frames tomorrow :)
It was a beautiful evening, something to cherish and remember for a long time!
It takes us 15 minutes to drive to the Meijendel Farm and another 25-30 minutes to walk the 2km trail through the woods and dunes to the beach. It should of course take less time, but Anne Sophie likes running around and playing all kinds of games that she makes up along the way. This time I was supposed to be a calf and she a goat kid :) And then she started to draw crosses on the path with a stick to warn people not to walk there. And then we would draw the letters of her name, one letter every 20 meters or so. And then we were throwing the ball forward and trying to get to the ball first. When you walk like that, time really flies.
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| From Kiting on the Beach of Meijendel! |
The sun was shining and the dunes were majestic. We hardly ever met anyone along the way, except (what a coincidence) some of our good friends Nadya, Volodya and Sergey, who were returning from the beach! Anne Sophie took Volodya's hand, even though she hadn't seen him for a couple of years, and started telling him stories from her school life. (To tell the truth, I am amazed how she trusts people that she hardly knows. I think it's a fine quality, even if some people may find it dagerous.) Sergey told of their trip to Mont St. Michel in Normandy, France. On Friday, he and Nadya and another friend were driving on the motorway, and then they thought they'd go to Brugge in Belgium. They had nothing with them except money, not even a tooth brush. But they thought what the heck! When close to Brugge, they missed the exit and decided to go on to France. They got home late Saturday night. That's a real adventure!
Except for a couple of walkers, the beach was virtually empty when we got there. It was sunny, but there was a cool breeze from the sea. Because of the haze we could neither see The Hague in the south nor Katwijk in the north. It felt like we were on some distant stretch of beach away from civilization.
And then we assembled our first kite that we bought on Queen's Day this April for a couple of Euros. It is a simple but beautiful triangular kite in rainbow colors. It is easy to get and keep flying in the wind, but it doesn't give you much steering control. We were running up and down the beach for almost 2 hours, and I must say I fell in love with kiting! What an intense felling of joy and freedom! I hope to be back soon with a more professional kite!
The sea water was very cold, but we did play Anne Sophie's favourite game of running away from the waves! And we would also draw on the sand. We drew Anne Sophie's name in Dutch and Russian (Аннушка) and also the word "Papa".
And then we got hungry and it was time to go home. We walked back through the dunes, and after Anne Sophie scratched her ankle and got really tired I carried her the rest of the way on my back. On the way back we called on Roderick to borrow his extension ladder so that Luda can paint the window frames tomorrow :)
It was a beautiful evening, something to cherish and remember for a long time!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
School Camp and Free Olympic Games
Monday through Wednesday this week Anne Sophie went to her first school camp! And I went with her! We were both quite excited. She was excited about the camp, because she had no idea what it was. Anne Sophie at her age of 4 is the youngest child at her school, so I was excited about how she would cope for 3 days away from home and from mama. I was also looking forward to getting to better know other children, parents and facilitators from our school De Vrije Ruimte (a democratic school for natural learning).
The camp took place at a wonderful location in the woods outside Eindhoven. We were lucky to get a room for the two of us with a bunk bed, and Anne Sophie immediately claimed the upper bed, which she would climb up and down multiple times.
The camp theme was the Olympic Games, and the kids called it De Vrije Spelen (The Free Games) and designed a logo for the camp that combined the school logo with the Olympic Games logo. So you can imagine that we had 3 days of games and sports, interspersed with creative activities, a disco, a film, meals, camp fires, guitar playing and plenty of leisure time. The location had everything one needs for a sports weekend: footbal fields, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, a big children's playground, and a huge open air climbing facility!
The sports instructors team (Karin, Willem, Bram & Tamara, all physical training students) did a great job facilitating the sports activities. They brought the whole inventory of ball, rackets, bats, sticks, ropes, and even a slack line! We played football, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, cricket, hockey. There was also athletics (long and high jumping and running), and newspaper-running and sack-racing, and much more. Kids higher than 1.30m did the open air climbing parkours in the trees in the rain. There was so much to choose from, and there was so much freedom to do what you wanted or not do anything special! Anne Sophie was enjoying the camp so much during these 3 days that she hardly ever remembered her mama :)
Anne Sophie kept practicing her jumping and even got a gold medal in the age group of 4-5 years old :) Watch here the video:
It was fun watching how the kids played and interacted with each other. I really felt that education through freedom works. Everybody seemed so at ease and relaxed and accepted and accepting of other people. Everybody could be completely themselves!
I was also impressed by Anne Sophie, by how she interacted with other, often much older children, how she trusted her friends and would do things I wouldn't even imagine she could because of that trust, how brave she is talking to different people and even talking publicly in a large group setting. I am very happy we sent her to this very special, small and unconventional school!
The camp took place at a wonderful location in the woods outside Eindhoven. We were lucky to get a room for the two of us with a bunk bed, and Anne Sophie immediately claimed the upper bed, which she would climb up and down multiple times.
The camp theme was the Olympic Games, and the kids called it De Vrije Spelen (The Free Games) and designed a logo for the camp that combined the school logo with the Olympic Games logo. So you can imagine that we had 3 days of games and sports, interspersed with creative activities, a disco, a film, meals, camp fires, guitar playing and plenty of leisure time. The location had everything one needs for a sports weekend: footbal fields, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, a big children's playground, and a huge open air climbing facility!
The sports instructors team (Karin, Willem, Bram & Tamara, all physical training students) did a great job facilitating the sports activities. They brought the whole inventory of ball, rackets, bats, sticks, ropes, and even a slack line! We played football, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, cricket, hockey. There was also athletics (long and high jumping and running), and newspaper-running and sack-racing, and much more. Kids higher than 1.30m did the open air climbing parkours in the trees in the rain. There was so much to choose from, and there was so much freedom to do what you wanted or not do anything special! Anne Sophie was enjoying the camp so much during these 3 days that she hardly ever remembered her mama :)
Anne Sophie kept practicing her jumping and even got a gold medal in the age group of 4-5 years old :) Watch here the video:
It was fun watching how the kids played and interacted with each other. I really felt that education through freedom works. Everybody seemed so at ease and relaxed and accepted and accepting of other people. Everybody could be completely themselves!
I was also impressed by Anne Sophie, by how she interacted with other, often much older children, how she trusted her friends and would do things I wouldn't even imagine she could because of that trust, how brave she is talking to different people and even talking publicly in a large group setting. I am very happy we sent her to this very special, small and unconventional school!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Tribute to Aunt Musya Levin
My late father's dear aunt Musya Levin passed away yesterday in New York City at the age of 90. In June 1941 she essentially saved my grandfather Aron's family by rushing to Vitebsk from the burning Minsk and putting her sister Berta, brother Aron, Aron's wife Hannah and their small children Moisei (my father) and Polina on one of the last trains to the East.
Within a few days all of the present-day Belarus was flooded by the Nazis. Almost none of the remaining Jews survived the war. Among the victims were many dear members of our family, including Musya and Aron's parents Simche and Chaya, their brother Moisei, his wife Fanya and their 2 little children, their sister Dasha and her 3 small children.
Musya, Berta and Aron's family settled in a small village of Yurgamysh, Kurgan region, east of the Ural mountains. Aron drafted into the army and was killed in action in 1942 at the Volkhov/Leningrad Front. When they returned to Minsk in 1944, Musya and her late husband Zalman Lelchuk (as well as her sister Berta and brother Samuil) took good care of Aron's family. She was a unifying force in the family, a warm, caring person, always ready to help. In the early 2000's she emigrated to the US, where she died yesterday.
Deep gratitude and respect. And may she rest in peace.
To read more about those events, please visit http://www.levins.info
Here follows in Russian a tribute to Musya's life from her children Anna and Arkady and from her niece Sofa Kozlova, daughter of Berta Levin:
Дорогие родные !
Within a few days all of the present-day Belarus was flooded by the Nazis. Almost none of the remaining Jews survived the war. Among the victims were many dear members of our family, including Musya and Aron's parents Simche and Chaya, their brother Moisei, his wife Fanya and their 2 little children, their sister Dasha and her 3 small children.
Musya, Berta and Aron's family settled in a small village of Yurgamysh, Kurgan region, east of the Ural mountains. Aron drafted into the army and was killed in action in 1942 at the Volkhov/Leningrad Front. When they returned to Minsk in 1944, Musya and her late husband Zalman Lelchuk (as well as her sister Berta and brother Samuil) took good care of Aron's family. She was a unifying force in the family, a warm, caring person, always ready to help. In the early 2000's she emigrated to the US, where she died yesterday.
Deep gratitude and respect. And may she rest in peace.
To read more about those events, please visit http://www.levins.info
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| Musya Levin and her husband Zalman Lelchuk Minsk, 1969 |
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| Levin-Lelchuk family, Minsk, 1987 Musya Levin is 3rd from the right |
Дорогие родные !
С глубокой печалью сообщаем, что любимая всеми Муся Симховна Левина закончила свой жизненный путь 5 мая 2012 года в Нью Йорке не дожив месяца до 91 года.
Трудно найти слова, чтобы отдать дань глубокого уважения этой энергичной,красивой, жизнерадостной женщине, преданной матери и жене, труженице, лидеру большой и дружной мишпохи Левиных и Лельчуков.
Ее готовность помочь близким и неблизким людям являет редкий образец доброты.
Она в 20 лет ушла из горящего Минска и добралась до Витебска, где жила семья брата Арона и сестра Берта, и заставила их эвакуироваться.
Она вместе с мужем помогала встать на ноги Мише и Полине, была всегда рядом с сестрой Бертой , Софой, Максимом и Любой.
Она вместе с мужем помогала встать на ноги Мише и Полине, была всегда рядом с сестрой Бертой , Софой, Максимом и Любой.
Вместе с Залманом Ароновичем вырастили отзывчивых, дружных детей,радовались внукам.
У каждого из нас в памяти много примеров ее заботы, добра и отзывчивости.
Светлая память !
Аркадий Лельчук
Aннa Лельчук
София Козлова
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Life is beautiful!
Last week was again full of life! Apart from work, which I enjoy very much these days, I did a lot of interesting stuff:
Monday: 1 hour of spinning lesson and 45 minutes of strength exercies
Tuesday: DevNight at Delta-N about Windows Azure cloud application platform
Wednesday: My Russian friends Konstantin and Sergey came over. We had a great sushi meal, and then talked a lot about programming, so that they left at midnight! It was a very enjoyable eveing!
Thursday: The book club at our local library. We talked about "Het Diner" by Herman Koch. A masterly written novel with a great plot, but, in my opinion, still lacking the depth of the Russian classics. The club was led by journalist Dolf Dukker, who did it very well. His theory why this book becase a best seller, contrary to other Koch's book is that it combines the 4 essential elements of human nature: food, territory, procreation and one other that I forgot. We had a great discussion, and the time flew! The next book is "Two Caravans" in June.
Friday: Went with Anne Sophie to the Ridvan celebratioin in The Hague. Anne Sophie mad herself at home and played with many different people. But she was dead tired when we got home.
Saturday: First a great workout, then shopping, and then I spent the whole evening playing with the kids on the playground opposite our house. And there they were: my Belarusian-Ukrainian-Jewish daughter, a Moroccan girl, a Hindustan girl, 3 Dutch kids and another boy (I'm not ever sure of his origins), all playing together having fun, oblivious of any ethnic or age differences. We played tag and charades and even danced (they asked me to bring some music, so I brought a portable radio receiver). I often take part in their games, because my daughter is still too small to play unattended. But it also creates a fine feeling of community as I'm getting to better know the people in the neighbourhood (both kids and adults).
Sunday: Cleaned and washed the car, then a spinning workout. Then off to Amsterdam to meet an old Oslo University friend from Lithuania, Sarunas, who was visiting Amsterdam for a weekend. We talked a lot (as did Anne Sophie) and enjoyed a nice lunch at the Vondel park, after which I took them to the airport. Then we went to Lena's birthday in Leiden, ate some good food, talked and played some games with our Russian-speaking friends.
And now a brief summary of my sporting stats:
- 3 home-to-work commutes
- 6 hours of fitness
Monday: 1 hour of spinning lesson and 45 minutes of strength exercies
Tuesday: DevNight at Delta-N about Windows Azure cloud application platform
Wednesday: My Russian friends Konstantin and Sergey came over. We had a great sushi meal, and then talked a lot about programming, so that they left at midnight! It was a very enjoyable eveing!
Thursday: The book club at our local library. We talked about "Het Diner" by Herman Koch. A masterly written novel with a great plot, but, in my opinion, still lacking the depth of the Russian classics. The club was led by journalist Dolf Dukker, who did it very well. His theory why this book becase a best seller, contrary to other Koch's book is that it combines the 4 essential elements of human nature: food, territory, procreation and one other that I forgot. We had a great discussion, and the time flew! The next book is "Two Caravans" in June.
Friday: Went with Anne Sophie to the Ridvan celebratioin in The Hague. Anne Sophie mad herself at home and played with many different people. But she was dead tired when we got home.
Saturday: First a great workout, then shopping, and then I spent the whole evening playing with the kids on the playground opposite our house. And there they were: my Belarusian-Ukrainian-Jewish daughter, a Moroccan girl, a Hindustan girl, 3 Dutch kids and another boy (I'm not ever sure of his origins), all playing together having fun, oblivious of any ethnic or age differences. We played tag and charades and even danced (they asked me to bring some music, so I brought a portable radio receiver). I often take part in their games, because my daughter is still too small to play unattended. But it also creates a fine feeling of community as I'm getting to better know the people in the neighbourhood (both kids and adults).
Sunday: Cleaned and washed the car, then a spinning workout. Then off to Amsterdam to meet an old Oslo University friend from Lithuania, Sarunas, who was visiting Amsterdam for a weekend. We talked a lot (as did Anne Sophie) and enjoyed a nice lunch at the Vondel park, after which I took them to the airport. Then we went to Lena's birthday in Leiden, ate some good food, talked and played some games with our Russian-speaking friends.
And now a brief summary of my sporting stats:
- 3 home-to-work commutes
- 6 hours of fitness
Nutritious & Delicious!
I'm starting to wake up really early (about 6 a.m.), and getting a lot done. Almost every morning I make a delicious breakfast for my family, before I get off to work. Here are some of my healthy breakfast recipes, which me and Luda and Anne Sophie enjoy very much:
- 2 bananas
- an orange
- half a mango
- 1 cup (frozen) wild blueberries
- 1 table spoon ground flax seeds
- a celery stick
- some organic (frozen) spinach and kale
- half a cup of pomegranate juice
Mix all of this in a high powered blender. Takes 15 minutes to make. Nutritious and delicious! I make this for my whole family 2 times a week. My daughter loves it and calls it "daddy's cocktail"!
- 1 cup of frozen wild blueberries
- 1/2 cup of rolled oats (havermout, овсяные хлопья)
- 2 table spoons of ground walnuts
- 1 table spoon of raw sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup of pomegranate juice
- 2 sliced bananas
Combine everything in a cereal bowl and microwave for 3 minutes. It's really delicious and very healthy. All three of us love it!
Fruit & Berry Smoothie
- 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup strawberries
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 2 bananas
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
Blend all this in a high powered blender until creamy and smooth! M-m-m ... A real feast for your palate! I was hesitating whether to add a celery stick, but decided not to.
Enjoy these recipes and let me know what kind of delicious and healthy food you make!
Blueberry Smoothie
This is my favorite breakfast. Ingredients vary slightly depending on what is available. This week's ingredients include:
- an orange
- half a mango
- 1 cup (frozen) wild blueberries
- 1 table spoon ground flax seeds
- a celery stick
- some organic (frozen) spinach and kale
- half a cup of pomegranate juice
Mix all of this in a high powered blender. Takes 15 minutes to make. Nutritious and delicious! I make this for my whole family 2 times a week. My daughter loves it and calls it "daddy's cocktail"!
Quick Banana Breakfast to Go
We love this, and it only takes 8 minutes to make! So if you're in a hurry, try this:
- 1/2 cup of rolled oats (havermout, овсяные хлопья)
- 2 table spoons of ground walnuts
- 1 table spoon of raw sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup of pomegranate juice
- 2 sliced bananas
Combine everything in a cereal bowl and microwave for 3 minutes. It's really delicious and very healthy. All three of us love it!
Fruit & Berry Smoothie
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup strawberries
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 2 bananas
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
Blend all this in a high powered blender until creamy and smooth! M-m-m ... A real feast for your palate! I was hesitating whether to add a celery stick, but decided not to.
Enjoy these recipes and let me know what kind of delicious and healthy food you make!
Monday, April 16, 2012
What a Week!
This past week has been great in many respects, including social life, sports and work! Here is a brief summary of the events:
- Starting from Saturday, April 7, we made 4 visits to friends and got one visit ourselves:
- Hedda's birthday at Hedda & Jasper's place was really "gezellig" (nice). Anne Sophie didn't want to leave at 9:30 pm :) She was talking to everybody and reading books with different people!
- Sunday April 8 we went to Yura, Lena & Vadim for the Easter dinner! Vadim got to use my car to practice his driving skills! Anne Sophie couldn't wait for Vadim to get back and she played all evening until 11 pm.
- Monday, me and Anne Sophie went to Yura, Lena and Vadim to play more games and for Vadim to practice some more driving.
- On Thursday after work, Delta-N (my employer) arranged for an info evening and delicious meal at Flamengo's, on the beach of Kijkduin.
- On Friday we had a friend over from Leiden.
- Saturday and Sunday was the museum weekend, so we went to Naturalis, a science museum in Leiden, with Anne Sophie's school friend Yanna, and the next day to the Museon in The Hague with Yanna's sister Paula. Both museums were great fun, with lots of kids activities, but also a lot of interesting information and exhibits for adults. In the Museon, there were also workshops about plants and planting your own flowers and vegetables!
- We spent the Sunday evening with Marty and Peter, parents of Yanna and Paula. We had a superb dinner and great conversation, while the three girls were having a great time playing together.
- Sports:
- 1 bike commute to work
- 5h 15min of fitness!
- Work: I am currently working on a very interesting project, developing a web service for a customer. I am employing some innovative technologies and writing a lot of unit tests, which I enjoy very much!
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| From What a Week! |
Monday, April 9, 2012
Bezieling and inspiration at the Philosophy Cafe
Last week's Philosophy Cafe evening at De Vrije Ruimte (the school that Anne Sophie goes to) was about exploring the concept of "bezieling", a Dutch word meaning something like inspiration, enthusiasm, drive, being on fire, and may well be literally translated into a non-existing English word "ensoulment", the root of the word being "ziel" or soul. Being the only non-native speaker of Dutch in the room, I had difficulty with understanding and feeling the exact meaning and context of this concept. Eventually, I settled with the closest I could come to in my native Russian: "воодушевление" (душа meaning soul).
We divided into two groups based on whether we wanted to think about "bezielen" (inspiring others) or "bezield worden" (getting inspired). As usual, the Philosophy Cafe is at least just as much about a question at hand as about how we approach the question. The method we used this time was 1) to come up with a few concrete examples of how we inspired someone or got inspired ourselves, then 2) choose one such example, 3) let the person describe the situation in as much detail as possible and explain exactly how the concept was manifested in their example, 4) ask clarifying questions about the situation, 5) try to put ourselves into the situation, and from there 6) ponder whether we felt that the situation had to do with the concept in question (bezieling) and explain why.
After 30-40 minutes, the groups joined together again to exchange ideas. Interestingly, the first group (to which I belonged) approached the subject from an individualistic perspective, while the other group was talking about getting inspired in community and solidarity with others. We were invited to think about our criteria for bezieling, resulting in something like: (let someone) discover new things from within, insight, enthusiasm, long-lasting effect, source of energy, being deeply moved, connectedness, joy, etc.
After a break, we proceeded towards attempting at a definition of bezieling, using a number of techniques:
We divided into two groups based on whether we wanted to think about "bezielen" (inspiring others) or "bezield worden" (getting inspired). As usual, the Philosophy Cafe is at least just as much about a question at hand as about how we approach the question. The method we used this time was 1) to come up with a few concrete examples of how we inspired someone or got inspired ourselves, then 2) choose one such example, 3) let the person describe the situation in as much detail as possible and explain exactly how the concept was manifested in their example, 4) ask clarifying questions about the situation, 5) try to put ourselves into the situation, and from there 6) ponder whether we felt that the situation had to do with the concept in question (bezieling) and explain why.
After 30-40 minutes, the groups joined together again to exchange ideas. Interestingly, the first group (to which I belonged) approached the subject from an individualistic perspective, while the other group was talking about getting inspired in community and solidarity with others. We were invited to think about our criteria for bezieling, resulting in something like: (let someone) discover new things from within, insight, enthusiasm, long-lasting effect, source of energy, being deeply moved, connectedness, joy, etc.
After a break, we proceeded towards attempting at a definition of bezieling, using a number of techniques:
- keeping to a concrete example and putting ourselves into a situation (see above)
- thinking of common idioms, proverbs, ideas having to do with the concept at hand
- identifying what we include in and exclude from our definition
- exploring whether our definition is necessary and sufficient
Eventually, I came up with the following definition: burning desire to do, make, practice and excel at something. Some other definitions given in the group included: "from standstill to motion", "intense drive leading to remarkable action", etc.
All in all, as always, it was a very enjoyable and thought provoking evening in a good company of special people. Bezield and inspired, I stayed for another half hour or so, talking, listening, sharing ...
Sunday, March 18, 2012
North Cyprus, March 2012
This is a quick recap of our recent trip to North Cyprus in early March. Though not a popular destination yet, North Cyprus combines very good climate, beautiful nature, relatively little tourism, and extremely friendly, unobtrusive people. It may look not so well groomed at times, but I really enjoyed the authenticity of local life and the warmth of the people.
We booked an inexpensive package tour, with a hotel right on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Lapta (Lapithos) near Girne (Kyrenia). We just wanted to escape the almost unending cold and grey of the Dutch winter and enjoy some sun, good food, nature, culture and walking. I got myself this great little book from the library: Walk and Eat in North Cyprus, and we went on a beautiful mountain walk virtually every day of our 8-day holiday.
Spring is probably the best time to visit Cyprus. There is lots of vegetation and many wild flowers, including wild orchids! There are also many oranges and lemons everywhere. The weather is supposed to be very nice, although we had one day of rain and 4 or 5 days of sun. It is also a good time for walking, which is our favourite holiday pastime.
The local food is really delicious, consisting usually of meze's (several small side dishes), chicken or lamb kebab, salads, lavash bread, local halloumi cheese, and ayran (local yoghurt drink). My mouth wets as I think back about those meals!
The locals are mostly of Turkish descent, mostly quiet, modest, warm, simple people. I managed to talk to a few of them, even though they hardly speak English. They seem not to have much, but seem to enjoy their simple life and community with others. I was fascinated by Sabo, the seemingly poor owner of a small cafe near the main square in Guzelyurt, who refused our pay for the coffee, showed me photo's of his family, gave a little toy to our daughter, and arranged for us to visit the local museum free of charge. Another old man related to me a story of his youth, how he served in the British army, and how his son died one year ago leaving two baby twins, he showed me his photographs. I was very deeply touched.
This is just a brief summary to remember what we did and saw:
Day 1: Arrival and settling in the hotel. Our hotel room was rather Spartan and needed some repairs, but it was quite big, clean and had a great view over the mountains and the sea.
Day 2: Rain, picking up our rental car, driving to Girne and then on to visit the medieval Bellapais Abbey, trying local oranges and mandarins (we ended up buying and eating oranges every day!), eating adana kebab with lavash, exploring Lapta.
Day 3: Driving westwards along the coast, visiting Guzelyurt and the ancient remains of the Vouni palace, an 8 km walk in the hills around the Gecitkoy lake. There was quite a lot of mud on the road after yesterday's rain, so we were lucky to get back just in time before the dark. Anne Sophie enjoyed the walk, spending more than half of the time in her backpack carrier on my back :) We saw some interesting green stones and small heaps of many small caterpillars. The food at the restaurant in the center of the small village of Gecitkoy was really good and inexpensive.
Day 4: Driving westwards along the coast, a 7 km walk and climb to the medieval Kantara castle, proceeding to the rough and wild Karpass peninsula, watching sunset and eating virtually alone in the harbour of the ancient city of Karpasia, next to the remains of a beautiful 10th century basilica.
Day 5: Two lovely and quite strenuous walks near Ilgaz and Karaman. At the end of the second walk we sat down to rest on the picturesque church square of Karaman and were surrounded by 9 cats of all colors, a real treat for Anne Sophie! Then on to to the magnificent St. Hillarion Castle and then a beautiful 20km ride right on top of the Kyrenia mountain ridge towards Kozan and back to Lapta.
Day 6: Visiting the medieval fortress and port city of Famagusta. There was some kind of folk festival there, and we enjoyed some local sweets. Then on to the ancient Cyprus capital city of Salamis, playing on the beach, eating a delicious meal in Ozankoy.
Day 7: A 9km walk in the mountains of Besparmak with lavish vegetation, many wild flowers, beautiful observation points and in the end a quite recently abandoned, mysterious Armenian monastery. Then a 1-hour climb to the majestic Buffavento Castle, with Anne Sophie walking most of the way! The meal at the Buffavento restaurant was probably the most delicious we had in North Cyprus!
Day 8: Visiting the capital Lefkosa (Nicosia), taking a city walk and crossing the guarded border into the Greek part, with some Occupy the Border protesters in the no man's buffer zone. Then back to Kyrenia, enjoying a walk along the sea front, and then back to hour hotel to catch the bus to the airport.
All in all, we had a very enjoyable time in North Cyprus, and I hope we shall come back there again!
We booked an inexpensive package tour, with a hotel right on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Lapta (Lapithos) near Girne (Kyrenia). We just wanted to escape the almost unending cold and grey of the Dutch winter and enjoy some sun, good food, nature, culture and walking. I got myself this great little book from the library: Walk and Eat in North Cyprus, and we went on a beautiful mountain walk virtually every day of our 8-day holiday.
Spring is probably the best time to visit Cyprus. There is lots of vegetation and many wild flowers, including wild orchids! There are also many oranges and lemons everywhere. The weather is supposed to be very nice, although we had one day of rain and 4 or 5 days of sun. It is also a good time for walking, which is our favourite holiday pastime.
The local food is really delicious, consisting usually of meze's (several small side dishes), chicken or lamb kebab, salads, lavash bread, local halloumi cheese, and ayran (local yoghurt drink). My mouth wets as I think back about those meals!
The locals are mostly of Turkish descent, mostly quiet, modest, warm, simple people. I managed to talk to a few of them, even though they hardly speak English. They seem not to have much, but seem to enjoy their simple life and community with others. I was fascinated by Sabo, the seemingly poor owner of a small cafe near the main square in Guzelyurt, who refused our pay for the coffee, showed me photo's of his family, gave a little toy to our daughter, and arranged for us to visit the local museum free of charge. Another old man related to me a story of his youth, how he served in the British army, and how his son died one year ago leaving two baby twins, he showed me his photographs. I was very deeply touched.
This is just a brief summary to remember what we did and saw:
Day 1: Arrival and settling in the hotel. Our hotel room was rather Spartan and needed some repairs, but it was quite big, clean and had a great view over the mountains and the sea.
Day 2: Rain, picking up our rental car, driving to Girne and then on to visit the medieval Bellapais Abbey, trying local oranges and mandarins (we ended up buying and eating oranges every day!), eating adana kebab with lavash, exploring Lapta.
Day 4: Driving westwards along the coast, a 7 km walk and climb to the medieval Kantara castle, proceeding to the rough and wild Karpass peninsula, watching sunset and eating virtually alone in the harbour of the ancient city of Karpasia, next to the remains of a beautiful 10th century basilica.
Day 5: Two lovely and quite strenuous walks near Ilgaz and Karaman. At the end of the second walk we sat down to rest on the picturesque church square of Karaman and were surrounded by 9 cats of all colors, a real treat for Anne Sophie! Then on to to the magnificent St. Hillarion Castle and then a beautiful 20km ride right on top of the Kyrenia mountain ridge towards Kozan and back to Lapta.
Day 6: Visiting the medieval fortress and port city of Famagusta. There was some kind of folk festival there, and we enjoyed some local sweets. Then on to the ancient Cyprus capital city of Salamis, playing on the beach, eating a delicious meal in Ozankoy.
Day 7: A 9km walk in the mountains of Besparmak with lavish vegetation, many wild flowers, beautiful observation points and in the end a quite recently abandoned, mysterious Armenian monastery. Then a 1-hour climb to the majestic Buffavento Castle, with Anne Sophie walking most of the way! The meal at the Buffavento restaurant was probably the most delicious we had in North Cyprus!
Day 8: Visiting the capital Lefkosa (Nicosia), taking a city walk and crossing the guarded border into the Greek part, with some Occupy the Border protesters in the no man's buffer zone. Then back to Kyrenia, enjoying a walk along the sea front, and then back to hour hotel to catch the bus to the airport.
All in all, we had a very enjoyable time in North Cyprus, and I hope we shall come back there again!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
14,000 days old!
Today I turned 14000 days old! That's quite an anniversary! If you'd like to calculate how many days old you are, you can use this calculator at Peter Russell's website: http://www.peterrussell.com/age.php
Have a good spring!
Have a good spring!
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