Video Installation screen 2: Rosa Leyn

Text Panel

hello, my name is Rosa, I was born in Moscow in 1991.
A month before the collapse of the Soviet Union. My generation might be the first generation of Russian Jews who were not ashamed to call themselves Jews. As a child I went to various Jewish camps, but at school and at the university I was the only Jew, and I liked that, I felt special, but it meant I had a certain responsibility.
In Russia one Jew represents the entire nation. That must be why Jewish mothers make their children get good grades, that’s the only way to confirm the stereotype about Jews being the smartest. However, every year, many of my friends leave the country.
But I don’t want to leave. Not only because I fear I won’t assimilate and feel like a stranger in a different country, but also because I feel I’m a Russian Jew, and belonging to both these cultures has defined my identity.