21st Century Bogatyr: The Girl with a Fiddle on Planet Birobidzhan

by Zvi Baranoff

It seemed that everywhere that Baruch and Shmuli went, there was the meydl mit a fidele.

Tamar would be on the corner near their apartment, playing her fiddle, when the young scholars walked home from the yeshiva. An open instrument case would be at her feet with a handful of coins and a few crumpled shekel notes.

Every mantik aun danershtag, Baruch and Shmuli would daven shacharis with a small neighborhood minyan and help with the toyre portion reading. When they left the minyan on their way back to the yeshiva, the meydl mit a fidele would be on the sidewalk as they walked by.

Every mitvokh, Baruch and Shmuli would splurge on lunch at a delicatessen near the yeshiva. When they finished their meal, they inevitably found Tamar busking shortly after leaving the restaurant.

The weather was nearly always perfect in New New York for playing music outside. The streets of Seaside Mea Shearim provide some of the best acoustic possibilities in the city. Tamar would close her eyes while playing. She played for no one but herself until Baruch and Shmuli arrived.

Tamar always knew when Baruch and Shmuli were nearby. She could hear them arguing from a block away. As they approached her, the bickering would taper off and then cease. At that moment, Tamar would open her eyes and increase the crescendo of her fiddling.

Baruch and Shmuli, like most yeshiva bochers, had little money. They would, however, stop and listen to the otherworldly melodies that Tamar conjured with her violin. The young men would always drop a few peniz oder a nikal in her violin case.

Tamar always smiled demurely at the young men, respectfully avoiding direct eye contact. She would watch them out of the corner of her eye as they would try not to stare at her.

The yeshiva bochers would stand about awkwardly, fidgeting and mostly avoiding the sin of looking directly at the beautiful young woman with the fiddle that played Heavenly music.

Tamar was always dressed in a most appropriate manner. Her long sleeves covered her arms to her wrists. Tamar always wore a skirt that reached down to her shoes. Tamar's attire was exactly what is worn in the most conservative of shtetls on Planet Birobidzhan.

Sometimes, when Baruch and Shmuli were nearby, Tamar's skirt would shift enough to expose an ankle. Occasionally, her sleeves would flutter when she vigorously stroked the fiddle with the bow and her bare arms would be momentarily visable. The young men would blush. Tamar would smile, demurely.

For weeks, neither Baruch nor Shmuli uttered more than a few cautious words directly to Tamar. Yet, most assuredly, as time went on, both of these young men fell in love with Tamar. They began to look forward to encounters with the pretty musician. They were no longer surprised at the "chance" meetings with Tamar.

It is true that everyone has to macht a leben. Yet, Tamar never really needed to play her fiddle on the streets of New New York. Even after paying six months of Dire Gelt for her apartment, Tamar had enough money left over from her time with the klezmorim to live comfortably without income.

Tamar also had a steady royalties stream from the album she recorded in New Jerusalem. That money just sat in her bank account untouched.

Tamar had a weekly gig at one of the local clubs. She earned from that a share of the door. She did this weekly performance mostly for practice.

Tamar spent the money she earned from the club on whims and impulses.

Tamar drank coffee in cafes. She visited museums, attended theater performances and even took the occasional snorkeling trips. Tamar bought herself small luxuries, when she was so inclined.

Tamar was only busking on those Seaside Mea Shearim streets at times when she could expect Baruch and Shmuli to be walking by.

Tamar planned her Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays around staging those seemingly spontaneous short encounters. She sometimes arrived at the precise spot only minutes ahead of the yeshiva bochers. Tamar would pack her violin up and go home whenever Baruch and Shmuli left her and were beyond hearing range.

Tamar began spending every Tuesday at the Herbal Apothecary. She helped the proprietor by filling orders, talking to customers and straightening up in exchange for a comprehensive education in folk medicine and herbal therapy.

At the Herbal Apothecary, Tamar learned how women can govern their cycles, taking control of the terms and timing of pregnancy. She learned that the likelihood of pregnancy occurring during intercouse varies widely. There are days when a resulting pregnancy is quite unlikely and a time when a pregnancy is nearly guaranteed.

Tamar became familiar with the effects of various herbs and the combination of various herbs. She discovered that there are herbs that can shield a woman from an unwanted pregnancy and others that will increase the possibility of impregnation. She also learned that there are a wide variety of herbal mixtures that increase or decrease male potency, and some that promote male vigor.

Tamar absorbed an encyclopedic knowledge of herbal history, lore and science. This was incredibly useful when she counseled customers in the Apothecary. Most of the clients were the young wives of yeshiva students and rabbis. They, nearly unanimously, were interested in limiting the number of children that they would bear.

As the weeks passed, so did some of the yeshiva bochers' awkward tendencies. Before long, the semblance of actual conversations began to take place such as commenting on the weather or asking about Tamar's health and her family.

Then, one Monday, Tamar took the bold step of inviting Baruch and Shmuli to her apartment for a cup of tea and kikhlekh.

The yeshiva bochers expressed some reluctance, at first. They didn't want to be a burden on a poor street musician. They assumed that she was at least as impoverished as they were. Tamar gave them no reasons to draw other conclusions.

Tamar assured them that the baked goods were a side benefit of living above the bakery. She explained that the tea was obtained without cost from the Herbal Apothecary.

In this case, no harm, assuredly, could come from a cup of tea and a cookie or two, determined the yeshiva bochers. They stayed with Tamar until she finished her impromptu street performance. The young men walked with her back to her apartment above the bakery.

Tamar unlocked the door adjacent to the bakery. She walked up the steps and Baruch and Shmuli followed her up the stairs and into her apartment. There, the yeshiva bochers stood about, quite unsure of themselves.

Tamar settled her guests at a table on the balcony overlooking the street. She went into her kitchen to prepare the tea.

Tamar could hear Baruch and Shmuli begin to argue over that morning's toyre portion. That habitual bickering assured her that the yeshiva bochers were beginning to feel at ease.

The theological argument had become quite animated by the time that Tamar rolled the samovar onto the balcony. She served the tea shtetl style, with sugar cubes, a platter of cookies from the bakery below and a bowl of dates.

One of the things that Tamar particularly enjoyed about living in New New York is that dates are so readily available. She reminded Baruch and Shmuli that the Hebrew word for dates is tamar, her namesake. "The Hebrew tamar certainly sounds more romantic than the Yiddish da-tes, don't you think?" Tamar said with a wink.

This is not a Jewish story. It is, however, a story about Jews. One does not need to be Jewish to read this tale any more than one needs to be a Hobbit or an Elf to read Lord of the Rings.

This story is a work of fiction. The setting for this tale is in the distant future, on the far away Planet Birobidzhan. This planet was settled by Jewish exiles from Planet Earth.

The population of Planet Birobidzhan has been cut off from the Home Planet for a long time. They have developed their own unique culture, traditions and linguistics.

The language spoken on Planet Birobidzhan is primarily Yiddish. I have sprinkled a significant number of Yiddish words and phrases throughout the telling of the tale. I also refer to various Jewish religious and cultural touchstones.

To make this story more accessible, I have included a glossary of words and phrases in Yiddish and Hebrew that are used as well as some explanations of religious terms and holidays.

I hope that readers find this to be useful.

The link to the Glossary is here:

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2023/01/a-useful-guide-glossary-to-planet.html?m=1

פּלאַנעט ביראָבידזשאַן

Do you want to read more about Planet Birobidzhan? Here are all the installments so far, in the order that they were posted. Just click your way through the story!

1 On A Planet Safe for Yidden

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/02/on-planet-safe-for-yidden.html

2 Yenne Velt: A History of Planet Birobidzhan

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/02/yenne-velt-history-of-planet-birobidzhan.html

3 Another Globe, Perhaps?

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/02/another-globe-perhaps.html

4 Bereshis: The Transport & Transformation of the Founders

http://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/03/bereshis-transport-transformation-of.html

5 The Town of First Landing

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-town-of-first-landing.html

6 A Personal History of an Early Settler on Planet Birobidzhan

http://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-personal-history-of-early-settler-on.html