The Ghetto Cabaret

Last Sunday we visited Kadimah - Jewish Cultural Centre in Melbourne - CLICK.

The reason is shown on a poster above. It was also some extension of emotions experienced at the movie The Zookeeper's Wife - see the previous entry. To see this world from the other side.

First impression confirmed out expectations.

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Yellow Stars of David, general commotion, expressive mimic and gesticulation.

The performance hasn't started yet, but the climate around the stage was an integral part of it. Stage manager was full of worries:
- Bronia did not come yet.What happened to her? - she looks helplessly at the actors and we realize, that terrible thing could happen to people in this place, at this time.
- The show must go on! - nobody has doubts about it.
Yankele, a clown - character based on Yankele Hershkowitz from Łódź Ghetto - is cruising between rows of chairs
- Give me ein Grosch, I will tell you a secret.
Not everyone knows what ein Grosch means.

Finally the show starts. It surprised me. I expected to hear some songs from suburban Warsaw, from Eastern parts of pre-war Poland. Like Małe miasteczko Bełz (Majn sztetele Bełz) - CLICK. But no, the show was based on tradition of Jewish cabarets in Berlin and Amsterdam.
MC of the show played a bit in the style of unforgettable Lisa Minelli (movie Cabaret).
All songs were sang in Yiddish which reminded me a book by Isaac Bashevis Singer - Love and Exile - memories from writer's life in Warsaw. Only then I realized, that Jewish diaspora in pre-war Poland led completely self sufficient life, without any need for contact with social and cultural life of Poles.

The show ended, actors mixed with the crowd and I felt a bit like in Warsaw, and in Melbourne.

I asked musicians and somebody from the crowd if they know Yiddish - only few words - was the answer. Same as me.

Webpage of the show HERE.

Polish version HERE.

The Zookeeper's Wife

When I was about 10 years old at least once a year I visited Warsaw. I stayed in my uncle's home, usually for one week, and every time it was an opportunity to visit Warsaw ZOO.

I did not enjoy these excursions. On the first time of course there was strong curiosity, but there was a disappointment from the first glance. These were not animals, which I remembered from adventure books. Behind bars, lethargic, in prison.

These memories returned few weeks ago while watching movie The Zookeeper's Wife. The movie is based on a book written by Diane Ackerman, which in turn is based on memories of Mrs Antonina Żabińska, wife of pre-Second World War director of Warsaw ZOO, dr Jan Żabiński.
Movie trailer here - CLICK.

The movie tells the story of Warsaw ZOO during the 2nd World War.
First ruined during barbaric bombing of Warsaw by Germans. Then all valuable animals were robbed by dr Lutz Heck, director of Berlin ZOO, personal friend of Goering, member of SS.
After the war he continued his work as Berlin ZOO director.

Director of Warsaw ZOO, dr J. Żabiński put a proposal to convert ruined Warsaw ZOO into a pig farm. The food for the pigs were to be scraps from Warsaw Ghetto. Practical Germans bought the idea. In this way dr Żabiński got access to the Ghetto and under the scraps of food smuggled out Jews, who were later hidden in the ZOO, in tunnels for animals, in the cellar of Żabińskis home. They stayed there until false ids were produced for them and when Polish families were found, who would keep them in hiding to the end of the war.

It might be worthwhile to mention, that Poland was the only country in German occupied Europe where for hiding a Jew a whole family of the host was sentenced to death.
Dr Hans Frank, a governor of German occupied Poland, stated: "In Prague, big red posters were put up on which one could read that seven Czechs had been shot today. I said to myself, 'If I had to put up a poster for every seven Poles shot, the forests of Poland would not be sufficient to manufacture the paper." Source Wikiquote - CLICK.

In this way Żabiński family smuggled 300 people. After the war they were awarded a title Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel - CLICK.

The movie concentrates on directors wife - Mrs Antonina Żabińska - which highlights a sharp contrast between the cruel world and charm of animals and gentleness of director's wife.

Great movie. It brought back memories from my childhood. Relations of the people around me, who witnessed the war. Sad relations, but so valuable.

Brain gymnastics

Lately we have more contact with our oldest grandson - Felix - 13 years.
He attends an artistic school, which combines high school program with ballet training.

As a principle students do not have any homework, they should complete all tasks in normal school hours. No wonder, he returns from school at 5, very tired and hungry. He is in bed by 8 pm. Morning alarm at 6.

Old habits do not die easily. I ask him regularly what was at school, what homework he has.
Answer is always the same: nothing Dziadzia (Grandpa). Doesn't matter.

Still few days ago he was searching for a Maths homework.
- What was it about, Felix?
- Something about angles. Does't matter Dziadzia.

But I already put my foot in the gap in his defense.
- Do you know how many degrees is a sum of all angles of a triangle?
- 180 degrees Dziadzia.
- And of quadrangle?
- 360 degrees. We learned all this Dziadzia.
- And of pentagon?
- Also 360 degrees. Cannot be more as full circle has 360 degrees.
- Well, angles of a polygon is something different, look here:

- You see? 3 triangles. How many degrees?
- 3 times 180.
- Right, 540 degrees. And hexagon?
We both focused on drawing. My drawing looked like this:

Felix smiled and showed his sketch;

- What is this Felix?
- Simple. I stretched your hexagon into two straight lines. In fact they are not parallel like in this drawing, they overlap into one line. On both ends (A, D) there are angles of ZERO degrees. And remaining 4 are straight angles - 180 degrees. 4 of them Dziadzia.
The only thing I could do was to multiply (720 degrees). This I learned well in a primary school. But to stretch polygons into straight lines?
For this you need a ballet dancer flexibility. Of the brain.

Polish version here - CLICK.

Seven years itch

If it was a first Sunday of June, and it was, then I participated in MS Walk.
For a seventh year  - thus the title.
This time the weather was the best possible.

As for walk there is not much to say - just easy stroll in beautiful surrounding.
Instead of words I will use photos...

As usual large colourful crowd...

Approaching start

Eastward view of Albert Lake

Friendly volunteers.

Westward view of Albert Lake

Some characters.

My companion from a ski club

End of fun.

To be continued next year.

PS. The only negative was a failure of my fundraising efforts. I set my target extremely low, just $450 and reached barely 70% of it. I understand that people are worn out by constant appeals for help from various sources. Apparently I am less and less attractive source.