Blog

By Amy Cohen
TI member, Trustee, teacher, world traveler, explorer and hiker, singer in TI’s volunteer Chavurat Shira Choir, sister, aunt, and friend 

As a lifelong member of Temple Israel, I have a multitude of memories of where my family, faith, and friends have intersected at congregational events. Having an active role at TI has been an important part of my life. But stepping out of the comfort zone of West county has also influenced my Jewish identity. Some of my formative religious travel experiences were because of TI. My sister, dad, and I were part of a Congregational trip to Israel; and a few years later I attended a summer session at Alexander Muss High School in Israel just north of Tel Aviv. As my travel destinations spanned different continents, my desire to learn about Jewish history in foreign countries became an integral part of my journeys. Learning about different communities of the Diaspora helped me feel connected to my faith and my place in the Jewish world. Here are a few experiences from one of my adventures abroad.

While in Armenia visiting friends, we took a road trip through the countryside. We found an ancient Jewish cemetery from the 13th century. Prior to its discovery, there was no history of Jews in Armenia. It’s believed they were Iranian Jews traveling along the silk road. The graves were carved with both Hebrew and Aramaic and were a rounded dome shape — something I hadn’t seen before. The graveyard was heavily overgrown. Yet there were many stones placed on some graves and even some burnt Yahrzeit candles. So clearly this place has been visited. We then drove towards the border with Turkey to see Mount Ararat. According to the Bible, this is where Noah’s ark landed. Armenians consider themselves direct descendants from his great-grandson and Ararat is their national symbol.

After Armenia, I went to the neighboring country of Georgia. Christianity is a huge part of Georgian history but during my travels I visited a town where throughout the years it had been ruled by Muslims or Christians. Nearby was a synagogue which is usually closed because there are only three Jewish families left. Luckily my guide found a man to unlock it. Going inside was like going back in time. The original wood and murals were from almost 300 years ago. He opened the ark to show me the Torahs which are from Babylon from 500 years ago and showed me a Hanukiah over 200 years old. And in a combination of Georgian, English, Russian, and Hebrew we had a conversation about the history of this place and about my congregation at home. He told me that usually services aren’t held here unless there’s a group from Israel. During Soviet times the Synagogue was only closed for one year. In the 1970s when he was a child, there were so many worshippers that they had to stand in the yard. And though technically Georgian Jews were a sect of Sephardim, when Russian Jews came to escape the pogroms, Ashkenazi and Sephardi worshipped together. He explained, holding one finger up towards the sky, “Echad Adonai,” (One G-d).

Completing the trifecta of Caucasus countries, I then journeyed to Azerbaijan. Though it is a Shia Muslim country, the northern town of Quba has had a Jewish population for centuries. Their part of town is across a bridge, separate from the Muslim part. But only because that’s the plot of land the Khan gave them when they were seeking refuge. On average there are about 3,500 Jews. But it increases in the summer when relatives come back from Russia or Israel. They have a winter Synagogue and a summer Synagogue. The summer one has no heat. Their ancestors are neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardi; they came from Persia. Three cemeteries overlook the town known for its Mountain Jews. The tombstones are inscribed in Hebrew and Russian, and often include large pictures or statues of the deceased. There is a tradition that the larger and more ostentatious the tombstone, the more important the person was, so families often compete for which gravesite stands out the most. I was told many times that there is no anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan. In fact, in Baku, it is not uncommon for Muslims and Jews to marry. Considered a modern and secular country, the only sign it was Ramadan while I was visiting was the reminder on my calendar.

As I travel to unique places around the world, feeling connected to the history and traditions of Judaism through my faith has become very meaningful to me. Though my Jewish journey began here at Temple Israel, seeing the various ways Jews have embedded themselves in different cultures and countries has helped me realize that the bond Jews have can be universal.
 

See more pictures from Amy's recent trips on pages 12-13 of the June/July 2021 Dateline!