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Author: Renny Shapiro
ISBN: 1-4208-5288-4

Have you ever dreamed of flying yourself  around the world in a small Cessna aircraft ?

No need for courage, you can experience this incredible voyage traveling vicariously through the pages of Eastbound, Our Flight/Our Mission authored by Renny Shapiro. 

All aboard with the crew, Renny and Bernie Shapiro and Evy and Martin Lutin!

After much preparations and anticipation, the two couples, who were in their
sixties, began their journey eastbound from Van Nuys, California. They
eventually returned to their home base in 65 hours and five minutes of flying
time, sixty-three days, and 18, 814.2 nautical miles later.

Dividing their adventures into four parts, Shapiro describes their extensive
preparations, their journey from Van Nuys, California to Istanbul and then onto
Russia and ultimately returning to California. The final chapter, Afterward,
presents Shapiro's afterthoughts.

With trepidation, we share the author's humor and excitement such as their
episode in Scotland where "every place is pronounced "Hle Gurgle Gurgle in
Kitchee by Taunt."

Peppered throughout the book are historical facts, sometimes entertaining while
other times quite tragic, such as their visits to the concentration camps where
their guide presented them with a copy of Elie Wiesel's poem:

"Never shall I forget that night The first night in camp, Which has turned my
life into one long night... Never shall I forget these things, Even if I am
condemned to live As long as God himself, Never."

The chapter decscribing Bodrum, a seaside resort, lifts the mood somewhat as
Shapiro narrates their delightful experiences cruising the Cleopatra Coast and
where they enjoyed the succulent meals prepared by their chef Sada. They even
had the opportunity to be treated to an Anniversary party complete with a belly
dancer!
 
It is in Istanbul they meet up with Ali Gutelkin and his driver
Hamish and they visit the luxurious Blue Mosque and the Aya Sophia. They also
had the opportunity to admire the 80 karat diamond and the Topkapi dagger, and
visited a real Harem.

As for the history of the Jews in Turkey, Shapiro reminds us that in 1492 with
the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, Turkish Sultan Bayazid II welcomed them
saying: "Ferdinand has made his country poor and enriched ours!"

Unfortunately, today, The Synagogue of Neva Shalom is heavily guarded as the
result of a bombing committed by Arab terrorists in 1986, that resulted in the
death of the local rabbi, the cantor and twenty-two Jewish worshipers.

When asked what is the present relationship between Turkey and Israel, the reply
was that they both had differences but that as we are both democracies, we
maintain a relationship.

Next on the agenda was their trip to Russia. Despite the fact that the
Shapiro/Lutin crew previously traveled here at the beginning of  1993, the year of Jewish revival
in the Soviet Union, their spirits this time were somewhat shattered when they
visited Babi Yar, the site of the slaughter of thirty thousand of Jews.

Alex Bernstein, the couples’ guide and who was the Director of JAFI, at the
time, narrates how his aunt, who was a survivor of Babi Yar, “was but a
schoolgirl when she  was separated from her family during the roundup of Jews by
Ukranian police and Nazi sympathizers, and like the rest she was marched to the
ravine, stripped naked and shot.  Then, while badly wounded, she managed to
survive by hiding amongst the bodies of the dead until she was able to crawl out
and find refuge with non-Jewish friends who helped her flee the country." And as
he points out to them, this is why he came to help the Jews of Russia.

During the course of their voyage, the couples never missed an opportunity to
reconnect with fellow Jews residing in several countries, particularly Ukraine
and Siberia. As they note, it was quite an experience! Although they discovered
that anti-Semitism is still prevalent in some regions, Jews are not as terrified
as in the past. At least they now have a choice of doing "Aliyah" (immigrating
to Israel) or to practice their religion in peace, if they chose to stay in
Russia.

The crew's experience in Russia is riveting and full of exciting happenings. The
presence of Israelis guiding Russian Jews to do Aliyah or helping the elderly
with food and medication was incredibly courageous. Especially commendable was
British-Born Israeli Stuart Saffer, Director of the Joint Distribution Committee
in Odessa which serves 250,000 Jews living in 'South Ukraine, Belarus and
Moldova. As the author states: "Without any question, what we've found most
memorable are the miracles being wrought by the JDC and JAFI. Evy and I have
spent years educating ourselves and others about these agencies and helping to
raise funds for their work. But nothing prepared us for seeing with our own eyes
how this work is being carried out here or for witnessing first-hand the immense
and dramatic impact it is having on the lives of their recipients."

When the crew happily returned home, they had their work cut out for them.
For one, they kept in touch with most of the people they met during their
ventures.  And in 1994 Renny and Evy Lutin together with friends
and family returned to Kiev to attend the International Conference of Jewish
Women. It was an event whose objective was to bring together for the first time
ever 350 Jewish women from Ukraine, Russia, Siberia and the West in order to foster the
spirit of sisterhood, to promote connection, and to open an avenue of learning
that will flow both ways.

The Jews in Russia still survive in the face of anti-Semitism and are rebuilding
their lives in spite of overwhelming odds. Why they don't get out of Russia?Some are held back by family ties, some are just afraid of the unknown, some of them are courageous enough to make "Aliyah".

Eastbound, Our Flight-Our Mission by Renny Shapiro is a must read by those who
dream of flying and those who dream of peace.

The above review was contributed by: Lily Azerad-Goldman: Artist:

CLICK TO VIEW Lily Azerad-Goldman's Reviews

To read Norm Goldman's Interview with Renny Shapiro CLICK HERE

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