Chai Podcast Sharon Shimonova

Ending off Season 2 with this lil' mini episode. Who doesn't love a good clap back? I hope this episode helps clarify some of the pillars of what Chai Podcast is meant to represent, in addition to respond to some of the misunderstandings murmuring through the grapevine. Love you all, thank you for the continued support. See you next season, bachim.

On today’s episode, I have a conversation with my partner/best friend/boyfriend about the pressures of dating within the Bukharian community. We discuss the toll that the idea of dating had on each of us growing up, the categorical and mechanical way that relationships in the community seem to feel, how cautious we've always been in approaching romantic relationships within the community, and of course the work we've put in to unlearn stereotypical patterns of Bukharian romance. We speak at length about the importance of individualization, learning more about yourself through personal relationships, and checking in with ourselves to ensure that we are putting ourselves first when making major life decisions, including those about marriage, career goals, etc. We pick away at the toxic dating culture that has been prevalent in our community, and the desperate need for change to relieve some of the overwhelming pressure that lies on the shoulders of teens and people in their early 20s as they just try to do their best. 

It was my absolute honor to speak with Dr. Alanna Cooper, who was my first non-Bukharian guest who undoubtedly knows more about the roots, dynamics, and origins of the Bukharian culture than most of us these days! I stumbled on a YouTube video of a lecture that Dr. Cooper was giving and was immediately curious to know more about her, since it isn’t often that you hear about someone in the academic world studying the Bukharian Jews of Central Asia, especially in the framework of Global Judaism. By perusing through her various publications and her book Bukharan Jews and the Dynamics of Global Judaism, I was enamored by her work but, more so, her ability to connect with the experiences of Bukharian Jews from an out-of-bubble perspective. 

Alanna E. Cooper holds the Abba Hillel Silver Chair in Jewish Studies at Case Western Reserve University, housed in the department of religious studies.  Prior to this position, she served as director of Jewish Studies at CWRU's Lifelong Learning program. She holds a PhD in cultural anthropology (from Boston University, 2000) and has held teaching and research positions at Harvard University, Boston University, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, University of Michigan and University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Dr. Cooper is currently working on a second book, Preserving and Disposing of the Sacred: American Jewish Congregations. We talked about what prompted her interest in the Bukharian Jewish community, her travels to Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara during the time of mass migration in the 1990s, and the way that her anthropological research influenced her relationship with her Judaism.

To learn more about Dr. Cooper's work and her career, visit http://www.kikayon.com/

Access information on her book Bukharan Jews and the Dynamics of Global Judaism on http://www.bukharanjews.com/ 

In today’s episode I talk with Avi Benjamin, co-founder of Yuhan’s Way, a non-profit organization geared toward rehabilitating victims of addiction in the Bukharian community. Avi’s uncle Yuhan, is a beloved member of our community and has long functioned as an advocate and counselor for opioid-dependent Bukharian youth. Avi talks us through the organization’s goals, the difficulties that they’ve faced in bringing the topic of drug addiction to the forefront of the conversation, and the importance of prevention in the fight against addiction, specifically with the younger generation. Being the same age, Avi and I were able to talk about the difference between our experiences growing up and those of teenagers today. I hope that this episode is able to inform listeners about the very real and growing opioid epidemic that is tragically affecting so many of our fellow community members and the true necessity of having an organization like Yuhan’s Way. I’m truly passionate about the betterment of the Bukharian community and it was an honor to have the opportunity to use the Chai Podcast platform to emphasize the importance of de-stigmatizing the discussion of drug dependency and mental health in our community.

If you or a loved one is struggling with drug addiction, if you would like to learn more about Yuhan’s Way, or make a donation to their cause, please visit yuhansway.org or call (917)710-6440. You can also reach them by email at yuhansway@gmail.com.

I urge all listeners to please know that by taking the time to ask someone how they’re doing or reaching out to someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and drug addiction, you will be saving a life. If you see something say something. Silence and complacency only furthers the problem of drug dependency, and a simple text or phone call can make all the difference. The fight against substance abuse is only successful when we all come together.

Meet Susanne Zirkiev, the Bukharian plant queen realness and social media connoisseur you didn’t know you were missing in your life! It was so exciting to have the opportunity to speak and hang out with Susanne earlier this year when we recorded this episode. How often do you meet a Bukharian Plant Stylist and Influencer?? Her positive energy, aura, and passion for her craft was enticing to be around and left me buzzing with a smile long after we stopped recording. We spoke about her presence on social media, specifically TikTok where she has 95.7k followers and Instagram that has 24.8k followers. She walks us through the back end of content creating and the way that she was able to kickstart her career in plant styling, the pressures of being consistent with content, and the importance of staying true to yourself as you navigate through today’s society and the double edged sword of social media. I was able to connect with her through the Progressive Bukharians Facebook group, that Rafael Shimunov from the previous episode actually created, so if anything is a testament to the amazing connections that can be forged through this type of community building it’s this episode. Through our discussion of the intricacies of social media platforms, we talked about the unique experience of growing up in the Bukharian community, the way that framed her view of herself, and how she was able to take charge of her life through manifestation.

To learn more about Susanne and stay up to date on her content, follow her @susannezirkiev on both TikTok and Instagram!

Welcome to Season 2, Chai Podcast family!! I am so excited so pumped to finally be sharing the first episode of this season! I had the pleasure of starting Season 2 by speaking with Rafael Shimunov, who is a digital and creative strategist, he’s worked with a countless amount of grass roots organizations over the past 15 years of his career, and is a social justice warrior. He’s honestly a twitter icon, boasting a casual 54k followers and uses his social media presence to spread awareness about powerful and important social movements, in addition to satirical and pop-culture related content. We talked a bit about his family’s migration to the United States, the difficulty with fitting in when he was in grade school, and the creation of the Progressive Bukharian Facebook group that actually allowed me to connect with him, and to many other Bukharians with similar sentiments. We also discussed the importance of grass roots organizations, groups, and how projects like Progressive Bukharians and Chai Podcast are creating a safe space for resources and conversations to flourish organically, while also serving as a communal space for so many unique and exciting people.

To stay up to date with Rafael’s latest social justice ventures and interests, follow him on Twitter @rafaelshimunov. To learn more about Progressive Bukharians join the Facebook group, @Progressive Bukharians.