The epic of getting into a Museum

 One week into the program, I typed "Jewish" and "Costa Rica" into google. I wanted to know what kind of community there is here. I found the Center, which had both a Synagogue and a Museum, so I went, hey, let's check it out on a free morning. I emailed, and am told, yes, I could visit, when would I like to? Great, and hey, other folks in the program might want to join, so I asked if anyone else wanted to join me. I emailed back that we were figuring out if later that week or early next week was better, and that's when the confusion began. Every visitor would need to send a photo of their passport and made an appointment "dentro de dos semanas."

So at this point, I am using google only for words I don't know. I understand "de dos semanas" but dentro, nope, so into translate it goes- Within. Hmm, make an appointment within 2 weeks? So I put the whole phrase into translate and now it is "in two weeks." So I asked Dinia what she thinks it means, and while she was trying to decode it, I was back on the website, this time in English, trying to see what it said. By the time I found "at least 15 days in advance" Dina had called Jose Luis over to read the email, and he said it was definitely "in the next 2 weeks." I emailed back and explained that I was learning Spanish, and very confused by this wording (I wrote every email in spanish, which I am VERY proud of myself for), could he please clarify. The next day, we learn, it is in fact, an appointment after 2 weeks. I let the other students know, they were all leaving in the next week, so I sent the asked for photo of my passport, explaining that the other students couldn't come, but now members of my host family are interested in joining. This brings me to my other favorite apparent miscommunication.

Every other email started with "Por este medio le saludo muy respetuosamente,..." This one began differently: "Le saludo nuevamente, a la vez que ruego disculpas porque creí que usted era hombre, pero veo en su pasaporte que usted es mujer."

That's when I looked back, and sure enough, the emails had begun with "Estimado Sr. Katz" and this one was "Estimada Sra. Katz." I was laughing until I saw ALL the information that was requested of Dinia to visit with me. Her full name, her cell number, her ID number (social security number), her age, her address, the phone number of the house. She was happy to send it, I was aghast, and we scheduled for exactly 15 days later. Then, radio silence. Nothing. Finally Dinia called to ask what was going on, and we learned yes, we have an appointment for Friday.

A group of us were talking about it and my teacher, who happened to be close with a few families that attend Shul there, explained it was because so many people wanted to visit the museum that they needed to do it in advance. I said ok, that is possible, but I didn't buy it. I shared that I thought it was about Anti-Semitism and that they were running a background check on us, but every non-Jewish American and Costa Rican I shared this theory with could not believe it. Spoiler Alert, I asked after the tour, and yup, it was a "proactive measure" against any Anti-Semitic attacks.

Anyway, after 3 weeks of miscommunication, we are on our way. After asking around, we learn that the property with high walls and a totally unlabeled security gate is the Center. The security guard asks us for our IDs, tells us to wait outside the gate, and comes back to take us through security. He points to the lockers for our stuff. Everything needs to stay in there. I start to take out my wallet and phone, and he says no, no phones. Wow. Ok, Dinia needs her phone for work, he says fine, but NO PHOTOS. We go through the metal detector and head out of the security space and into a BEAUTIFUL complex. Before going in the Museum, we walked through the outside with beautiful art about the holocaust which lead to a park with beautiful art that celebrated life.

This statue hit me hard. There is a tattoo on the big arms, and I explained to Dinia that the arms
are of a survivor who is carrying the memories of those who did not survive, and passing them 
to a younger generation. It was an intense and incredible piece.

We finally went into the museum, where Randall had just begun a tour. I learned that this museum was for Ashkenazi Jewry as the Sephardi Jews of Costa Rica had assimilated and converted. I have since searched for ANY museums or spaces that tell their story, but nothing. This museum was the story of the Jews who came mostly after WWII. Many came from the same area in Poland, not far from Warsaw. There's actually a verb in Costa Rican Spanish, "polaquear" which means to sell door to door. The Jews would come, door to door, selling on credit, clothing, shoes, anything that folks might need was in their suitcases. And since they were from Poland, polaquear stuck and, even though folks who sell door to door are no longer Jews or Poles, but mostly Costa Ricans, the name has stuck. Everyone on the tour recognized the piece of paper that was used to show how much was owed and how much was paid off. The rest of the Museum was interesting for the lens of this community sharing "what is Jewish." There was a "record player" with a rotation of Yiddish songs. There were religious and cultural objects explained. The best was a pretty great video that starts with the Rosh Hashanah and explains a bit about each holiday of the Jewish Calendar. Finally, I was blown away by a video of Oral History Interviews with older folks who had been children who survived the Holocaust and immigrated to Costa Rica. I could not understand all of it, but it was a MOVING piece. It ended with Zog Nit Keynmol, and, as the credits were rolling and we were waiting for our tour guide to come back, I spoke up in my broken Spanish to explain what that song was and means. At the end, Dinia asked if she could take some photos, and was told, OF COURSE, so she did a quick run getting all the photos she had wanted to before. (the statue above was taken while we were with Randall, our guide who didn't understand why we were asking if we COULD take photos)

The scrolls are blank, so visitors can learn about the Torah and touch or carry it.

After the tour and the other group (a book club that hadn't actually read a book about Jews, just sometimes did cultural activities) had moved on to get lunch, Dinia and I stayed to talk with Randall. I asked about Yiddish, and he said no, no one speaks it in the community anymore, but they have Yiddish books in the library. When my lack of a poker face expressed extreme interest in checking it out, he took us to the center's library. So many books and no one reading them is rough, but I have hope that Ashkenazi Costa Rican Jews will do as so many diasporic Jews are doing, and work to reclaim their heritage. And these books will be here when they do.

From birth, I was taught to get a picture of myself with Yiddish Books
It's a thing.

Now for a preview of the next day: Milena (granddaughter that lives in the house) and I walked all over San Jose and discovered this piece next to the Museo de Arte Costarricense (I will gush in the next post). It was a menorah, out of no where. The plaque didn't really explain much either.

As I read it, for the thousands of citizens around the world who take our home
as theirs to have the peace and liberty that their own countries denied them.
(I keep meaning to double check that, but I can't find my phone to translate it right now)

Mile and I took a few photos and moved on.

When I got back to Lapa Verde, and told my teacher what I had been up to that weekend, he told me there is a statue of a symbol in Sabana, he can't remember what it is called, it is an important Jewish Symbol, so I found this photo and asked if the word he was looking for was Menorah. YES!

There is a STORY behind this menorah and it being placed EXACTLY where it is.

Between the Shames and the pole to the left of it, you can see a statue. That is a statue of an intensely Anti-Semitic Costa Rican leader who was adamant about keeping Jews out of Costa Rica. They built the menorah to tell him, HA, we are HERE. I am generally more in favor of tearing down the statue, or building a gigger menorah in front of him for him to be in the shadow of, but my teacher assured me that the Jewish Community is on record that this is how they want to address the statue.

But I am personally VERY happy I didn't bother posing with him
but had fun with the lion part of the statue to him.