dagblog - Comments for "Fear Itself: Ukraine Edition"

Uh, Major League Baseball and

PeraclesPlease — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:19:06 +0000

In reply to You already tried that, in

Uh, Major League Baseball and the NFL?

Thanks to Sarah Palin, we at least know which of those upper-thingamajigs ain't Canadian provinces, and where Russia begins (where it stops might be in her purview too - is she the one who sang "Crimea River"?)

You already tried that, in

Lurker — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 06:34:42 +0000

In reply to Perhaps if we just built a

You already tried that, in 1812. Not only did you fail to achieve your objective, you riled up the Canadians so much that they put aside their hockey sticks, came down over the border, whupped your asses, and burned down your capitol. Now you want to try it again? Don't you learn anything from history?

Protect your head? Less

Resistance — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 05:56:13 +0000

In reply to Do I get a $3000.00 hat with

Protect your head?

Less flashy? Blends right in $25.00

Do I get a $3000.00 hat with

jollyroger — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 05:07:44 +0000

In reply to I would say that Bruce and

Do I get a $3000.00 hat with that?

I would say Tevye was a

Peter Schwartz — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 01:27:37 +0000

In reply to The film centers on the

I would say Tevye was a Galitzianer type.

"The nucleus of Galicia lies within the modern regions of western Ukraine:Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk near the contemporary Ukrainian city of Halych. In the 18th century, territories that later became part of the modern Polish regions of Lesser Poland Voivodeship and Subcarpathian Voivodeship were added to Galicia. There is considerable overlap between Galicia and south-west Ruthenia..."

Well, it looks like Bruce and AA are Galitzianers, too. And here comes Ruthenia!

The film centers on the

Resistance — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:51:06 +0000

In reply to I would say that Bruce and

The film centers on the family of Tevye, a Jewish family living in the town of Anatevka, in Russian Empire, in 1905. Anatevka is broken into two sections: a small Orthodox Jewish section; and a larger Russian Orthodox Christian section. Tevye notes that, "We don't bother them, and so far, they don't bother us.

As to Poland, I get it that

artappraiser — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:06:21 +0000

In reply to Galicia, that's the one I

As to Poland, I get it that it has a hell of a lot more iterations as a nation than Ukraine, going way way way way further back. But even then, I still stand with the question which really can be applied to other nations in the area as well.

I did take a Polish lit course in early in college, trying to understand my heritage and all. (Course started with Pan Tadeus, the national epic poem, ended with mid-20th century writers.) I kept the books on my shelves for years and re-read them later and added others,when I had more knowledge of surrounding cultures. My own revision after that: Poland's literature is very heavily derivative of Russian literature (and to be clear: that includes pre-Soviet, since 1800.) It's more like a regional variation than anything else. A strong variation, but still a variation. (Oddly, overall, I say it was less black, less bleak than Russian, more hopeful.)

I would say that Bruce and

Peter Schwartz — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:06:08 +0000

In reply to Hehe. Yes, I will. Life's no

I would say that Bruce and Ramona are real Galitzianers, while I'm more of a Litvak type, even though my folks don't hail from there. Nor were they very learned. Bruce can fool you only because he's a lawyer. Jolly and Resistance are Galitzianers, especially the latter. Jolly could be a Litvak, except that he's not serious enough.

Hehe. Yes, I will. Life's no

Peter Schwartz — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:02:06 +0000

In reply to Galicia, that's the one I

Hehe. Yes, I will. Life's no good unless you have someone to hate.

There was a great story at the very start of the Afghan invasion about the "last Jews of Kabul." There were two guys, one who had been there forever and a younger one, who had returned from Israel to convince the old guy to move there.

All the others had left for Israel, mostly.

The old guy would not. He had his own little synagogue of which he was the only member. The Taliban used to beat him to get him to convert, and he would not. He, ah, resisted every attempt to change him in any way.

As you can imagine, after a while, great enmity grew between these two guys. They were in a tug of war. When asked why he didn't return to Israel, the young one said something like, "I was going to leave, but now this guy is my enemy, so I have to stay."

Anyway...

So the legendary divide among Ashkenazi Jews is between those who came from Lithuania and those who came from Galicia. They are called Litvaks and Galitzianers. Litvaks are said to be highly learned (in Talmud, say) and rational, and the Galitzianers are said to be less learned and more emotional. Litvaks were a bit more upper class in a way, and Galitzianers were definitely peasant stock.

So, speaking generally, the hasidim came out of Galicia in rebellion against what they considered to be traditional, Litvakian cold rationalism. They were our version of "ecstatics." Their founder was the Baal Shem Tov, or Keeper of the Good Name. They believed more in an non-rational, direct relationship with God that anyone (Jews, we're talking about) could experience regardless of how learned or not they were. Singing and dancing were big with many of them.

To be fair, many Galitzianers were/are learned in Talmud. It's just that they make room for other, less rational approaches to God. Hard to describe, really. There's a lot written on it.

One group, the Bratzlavers, who came from Ukraine I believe, have only had one rebbe, the first one. Nachman of Bratzlav, who was a religious genius, wrote many sort of Kafka-esque, allegorical stories that are still studied by his followers. While most hasidic groups have family dynasties, where the rebbe anoints a son or follower to take his place after he's gone or too old, the Bratzlavers still follow Nachman, who lived in the 1700s. They have his chair from which he used to address his followers and they say, "Better a dead rebbe who's alive, then a live rebbe is dead."

I think the "the" implies a

Peter Schwartz — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 22:42:35 +0000

In reply to Anyone know why it's "the"

I think the "the" implies a section or a region or a place with a specific function. "The steppes..." "The bayou..." "The North..." "The Hindu Kush..."

With the USA, you need the article or it doesn't make sense: "The United States..."

We do say "The Americas," though...which is sort of a region.