“Far and Away”...

So, I decided to take a little trip this summer … halfway around the world. And that’s why I find myself in, of all places, Novosibirsk! It’s the capital of Siberia, situated due north of east India! It’s 11 time zones to the east of the U.S. east coast, and another 5 hours by jet east of Moscow. Just a little “getaway.” Surrounded by endless forests, it was founded over a century ago as the midway point on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Its population “took off” when Stalin decided that there needed to be more people in Siberia, beyond all those he exiled here to the gulags. So, a world-class university was constructed, and substantial numbers of academicians, scientists, and captains of industry were politely “relocated” to the east. There were also quite a few Jews, who had historically lived in western Russia, whom Stalin perceived as “bait” for an attack by Hitler. So he moved them east, to Siberia. Here’s the great irony. While Stalin had no use for Jews, he nonetheless “saved” the ones he moved east, removing them from Hitler’s grasp. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to do some serious research on the Jews of Siberia during my month-long furlough to central Asia. As I said, just a little “getaway”...