ON THE ROAD AGAIN -THE UKRAINIAN TREK

I like to thank Gleb Shuraev (Personal assistant to Chief Rabbi of Central and Western Ukraine) For without him I wouldn't have been able to make this trip a reality!
Adapted from Letters Of Thought By Mordy

On the Road

We made our way post-haste to Warszawa Centralna (the Central Train station) . . .
Before we continue, however, as I'm sure all of you have been tracking the weather that we nine shluchim must endure here in Poland (and as mentioned on the various blogs of my (esteemed) colleagues) we were hit by the cold spell that plagued Russia as it drifted westward. So with chapped hands and frozen noses (I learnt in Montreal that there are three ways to tell when it's cold 1. You can feel your nose hairs freeze 2. The water in your beard freezes within a few seconds of being outside 3. Rabbi Yarmush puts on a sweater) we set off . . .

The train pulled up, dressed its own winter coat of ice and snow, and heated from with in by coals(!) -only further stressing the anachronistic fear of being deported deep into Siberia brought out by the Cyrillic letters that bedecked the train- or at least that was the first emotion that I felt upon seeing the train . . .

The Train Ticket

I tried to sleep but that never happened. After I davened Shachris, i told Chaim Mordechai van Halem who told Mordy that there was another Jew in our wagon (as well as a Dutch couple traveling with their rather musical child )

Mordy spoke to him, and found out that his name was Gavriel from Baku, Azerbaijan and that the only thing worse then his English was Mordys Russian . . . he did however speak German, so we Schprach'd away. He put on Tefillin and agreed to later daven Mincha with us, making the Minyan.

Tefillin on the train


We passed through Lublin and made a stop in Chelm (yes, that Chelm)


Chelm


We then cleared the border . . . for a three hour tour, a three hour tour . . . or rather wait.
You see, besides the Polish border guards, we also needed clearance from the Ukrainians, who took their sweet time in stamping our passports (unlike the Poles, they took them away and returned mine with a stamp on the very last page where stamps do not belong! -I did have my fun though when it came to dealing with the guards . . . )
If that weren't enough, we had to then wait as they changed the wheels of our train . . .
that's right, the wheels. In Russia, for some odd reason, the railroad tracks are considerably wider then those used in the the rest of Europe. We had to wait as they used hydraulics to pick up each wagon individually and change the wheels . . .




The border.
from warsaw to kovel was 10 hour train ride 350 kilometers
Upon arriving in Kovel, our first stop in Ukraine, we waited to take care of the return tickets (In Poland they couldn't make a reservation for us)
Meanwhile the rest of them (i took care of the tickets) mulled around the station; only to realize that we had become the subject of interest for a group of Ukrainian teenagers -they even took pictures of us with their cell-phones (as if we wouldn't notice). Our driver, Sergey, then whisked us off to Zhitomer . . . our home base. Kovel to Zhitomer was five hours a 350 kilometers trip!
Roomates and Sleeping accommodations:





Good morning -in Zhitomer

Davening

Our grounds


We Woke up very early in the morning and after davening, were treated to a hearty (Ukrainian) meal of potatoes and eggs, with tea. Oh yah . . . gourmet food at its best.








The Shul in Zhitomer


In the car -Notice van Halem's breath


Our first stop was Berditchev -hometown of the one and only Reb Levi Yitzchok Berditchever . . .

Berditchev



Inside the Ohel





Our van then took us on towards Mezhibuzh, site of the Ba'al Shem Tov and others . . .
The trip took place on a long stretch of (rather bumpy) road, flanked on both sides by sparse trees and empty fields.


On the road

All seemed well, as we were making good time, despite the occasional stop when Sergey would dash from the car to fiddle with some bolt or other under the hood of the car . . . until . . .
Sergey turned to us and while already sliding out of the car, said "Uh oh, Problema!"
At first his exact words were subject to debate (If he had said only Problema, or Nie Problema -that in fact there was no problem) however the Problema group of Bochurim quickly one out . . . the amount of time we had to wait was their best evidence.

Sergey meanwhile took out several tools (he certainly was prepared for such an event, it makes one wonder how often it happens . . .) and set to work.
Fixing the car




At first we passed away the time joking, singing and taking pictures.
But as one hour moved into the next, and the heat in the car slowly left . . .
Suddenly someone turned around and shouted,
"Hey! There's a frum guy outside!"
We all dashed out, except for those guys who were "too cold", who instead opted to complain that by leaving the car we were letting in cold air, and ran to see our new guests.
The man told us a story he had with the Rebbe, (Some guy was trying to sue him in court for some fraudulent damages, and the Rebbe gave a Brocha. K'muvin, the Brocha came through, but the clincher was, that upon returning to the Rebbe to let him know how everything turned out, the guy told the Rebbe "We won!" to which the Rebbe responded (something to the extant that) "But when will all of the Jewish people 'win' and be taken out of Gulos!"
Meanwhile, the other passengers in the car came out . . . a husband and wife (the husband learnt in Brunoy and the wife spoke Polish (she didn't fall for our Polish however)
The car then drove off to Mezhibuzh, leaving us until the driver managed to flag down a passing truck, using a rope tied to both vehicles in order to get the car driving again (the battery had since died and being that it was a manual car, we only needed to start moving to get things running again)
One thing is for sure, they don't build Russians like they do other people . . . while we were complaining about the cold brought in by opening doors, Sergey was working under the car for over two hours!Might I add that the problema had been that the gas had frozen in the car . . .
Dancing

Heichal Ba'al Shem Tov

In the Shul

The Ohel

The Ohel inside



Matzevah

Our Friends from the road













The Ohel Setup Diagram
(which Kever is who this was needed before they put the new Matzevas up)


We finally arrived in Mezhibuzh, which might I add, is a rather Scenic graveyard, as graveyards go that is, being built on a hill over looking the town. The Heichel and Ohel were nice, but had that slightly tacky Israeli look . . . I half expected to find a giant crown on top of the ohel -if you know what I mean. Our roadside friends were there, and they enlivened our time spent in the Ohel . . . shouting out every saying that they'd ever heard from the "Ba'al Shem Hakadoish".
Besides davening at such a holy spot, I also used the time to pick me up one of those nifty Russian hats.

Where I got the hat

mordy



Mezhibuzh

We left with the setting Sun, in hopes of making it quickly to Anipoli, where the Magid of Mezritch, Reb Zusya and Reb Yehuda Leib Hacohen are . . .
However Sergey had other plans. We needed to stop off in an auto repair place to fix the gas problem once and for all.
Upon nearing the auto shop, we needed to push the Van into the garage . . .
As we neared the entrance I turned to Y. on my right, and told him imagine you're pushing something that you don't like. He looked at me for a second and began to push the car with all of his might. I glanced to the left for a second, and then again to my right, only to see that Y. had disappeared
He'd fallen into the long trench used by the mechanics to repair the car (see the picture bellow) Baruch Hashem, Y. was fine.

Pushing


In the shop



the chevra

The mechanics at first gave us strange looks, but then again, a bunch of Jews strolling into some hick Ukrainian auto repair shop all wearing fur caps, (which by the way, scream tourist just as much as those straw Venezia hats do in Venice or an "I love NYC" shirt in New York) is rather odd . . .
At first Sergey enjoyed taking a brake, but after seeing the minimal progress made by the workers, he whipped out his work smock and began to fix the car himself . . . and after all was said and done, they still had the Chutzpah to charge him!


at work


By this time it was after Ten and we were zonked . . . but we continued on with our journey, making our way to the Mezritcher Magid and co. From Mezhibuzh to Anipoi was 3 hour drive 250 Kilometers.We got there at 12:15 in the morning!


Anipoli



In the ohel




The Original Matzevah Of Reb Zusia





Anyhow that night we arrived,back in Zhitmoyr that is, at 3:45 in the morning the time we finsihed eating supper and seeing how late it was and that Breakfast was at 6:00 and we had to leave by 6:15 most of us opted to stay awake.



It's cold in here!


The Original Babushka

Haditch!
As seen on Shmais (and COL)

Our trip to Haditch was much like the one the day before: Potatoes and beats for breakfast and lunch, lots of open fields, potholes in the ground etc.
The trip to Haditch from Zhitomyer was 450 Kilometers 6 hours and 15 minutes




Out side of Haditch


Haditch





The Ohel itself was far nicer then anything else we had seen up to that point . . . it had a Lubavitcher taste to it, as it were, a sense of simplicity and class.



The ohel



In the ohel




But the big event, though well stocked with food, seemed to be made mostly of a few Na-Nach Breslovers who seemed to have been denied entrance to Israel -and a shower, and a few of the Chabad Russian Mafia elite.


Left over from Uman


The people





From Haditich To Nyezhin was 3 1/2 Hours 250 Kilometers
Nyezhin: Buriel place of the Mittler Rebbe.






the ohel





In Nyezhin



The well -somebody said that the Rebbe Rashab used it during his visit to the Tzion
From Nyzhin To Kiev WAs 2 1/2 hours 150 Kilometers
We then went off to Kiev, where we ate in the Kosher restaurant (that's a big thing if you've been in Warsaw for the past three months)


Kiev


inside








In the shul
we were gonna got to this Restaurant but when they told me that this is the cheaper one i knew something is fishy if they have to tell me that, and it knows as being cheaper maybe i should go to the higher class one!

so went to this one King David

at our Table

eating





on the highway that we were traveling on yes there was horse's and buggy's so we pulled over and gave them a few dollars $$$ and asked them for a ride.






Even in Ukraine stop is stop . . . when will the French Canadians ever learn?



Good Bye in Kovel

To make a long story short . . . or a short story long . . . we made it back safely to Warsaw.
On the train ride back, we stopped at the border again for them to change the wheels etc.
We also met a Ukrainian boy, who lives in Berlin, but now learns in Kiev. Though he wasn't Jewish, he spent a lot of time with us . . . as we spoke in Germanized Yiddish (except for a few of the more Chassidishe guys who just didn't seem to get that a goy who speaks German will not understand a sentence like: "Efsher kenst du masber zain vus der inyun iz . . ." (for those of you who don't speak Yiddish, a third of the words in that sentence are Hebrew)
Hopefully we answered some of his questions . . .

With Denis the Men . . . uhh err . . . Ukrainian.


the sunset

The Totals:
Sunday:
Train: Warsaw To Kovel = 10 Hours 5:45 A.M. 3:45 P.M.= 350 Kilometers
Van:Kovel To Zhitomyr= 5 hours 5:30 to 10:30 =350 Kilometers
sub-total=700 Kilometers

Monday:
Van: Zhitomyr to Berdichev Half hour 10:00 to 10:30
Van: Berdichev to Mezhibush was supposed to be a 2 hour trip but we got stuck for 2 hours so we got there at 3:30 150 Kilometers.
4 Hours in the Auto Shop we left at 9 p.m.
Van: mezhibuzh to Anipoli 3 hours 9:00 to 12:00 AM. 200 Kilometers.
Van: Anipoli To Zhitomyr 12:30 To 3:30 3 hours =200 Kilometers
sub-total=550 Kilometers

Tuesday:
Van: Zhitomyr to Haditich 6 1/2 hours from 7:00 to 1:30=450 Kilometers
Van: Haddich To Nyezhin 3 and half hours 3:30 to 7:00= 250 Kilometers
Van: Nyezhin To Kiev 2 1/2 hours 150 Kilometers
Van: Kiev to Zhitomyr 2 hours 150
sub-total = 1000 Kilometers

Wednesday:
Van: Zhitomyr to Kovel 5 hours 9:30 to 2:30 =350 Kilometers
Train: Kovel To Warsaw 3:45 to 11:30 9 Hours = 350 Kilometers
Sub-total 700 Kilometers

Grand Total: 2950 Kilometers 51 1/2 Hours!
If you wanna add the taxi in warsaw from our apartment back and forth you can add another 30 minutes!