מאגר סיפורי מורשת

The piece of music that Elan composed is called Di Zeyger, or the “The Clock” in Yiddish. Although his piece is very sad and melancholy at times, in the end his composition becomes more joyous and bittersweet. The first movement opens with a sad tune that reflects the struggle and strife that Jews faced living in the USSR and Eastern Europe. Constantly being oppressed and bombarded with pogroms, their life was very difficult, yet his great-grandfather, Ikhil Yablochnikov, was always happy. The piece then goes on to have another melody, which symbolizes the beginning of the Second World War and his great-grandfather being captured and put in a Nazi POW camp. He survived for the rest of the war in this POW camp, having to hide the fact that he was Jewish. His camp moved to numerous locations, eventually ending up in Germany. When the war was over and he was liberated, he went back to his hometown of Vinnitsa, only to find his whole family dead. The first movement closes with a sad and woeful tune, symbolizing his sadness and sorrow. Although he was ruined, with no family or job, he started a new life. The final melody is inspired by a Jewish prayer, called Etz Chaim. The prayer says that even if you face adversity, you should always find G-D and be loyal to Him. The second movement unfolds with the sound of a clock being wound up; his great-grandfather was constantly repairing broken clocks, since he was a watchmaker. The melody is very slow and careful; the tune is yearning for more. The melody then breaks into a happy and fast-paced dance that sounds very similar to other Russian-Jewish songs that were popular at that time. Even though Elan' s great-grandfather endured many hardships, from losing his family to being placed in a POW camp, his family always describes him as being a man who was always happy and having a big smile on his face. Not long before he passed away, he was standing next to the window and he said "Is not life beautiful?". When Elan goes to school every day, he is always very proud to put on his Tefillin, daven, and learn Torah; something that his great-grandfather could not do.

הזוית האישית

Elan Bashyrov participated in My Family Story 2022. My Family Story is an experiential and fun Jewish heritage program that involves Jewish youth from 30 countries around the globe. Students research their roots, conduct family interviews and use their creative skills to design original, artistic installations that capture the essence of their family history. Top entries are selected for display in an international exhibition in Memory of Manuel Hirsch Grosskopf, displayed at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People.