Boyle Heights Project — "Russian flats"
 Jumper COs and sailors at UMCA on Utah St., 1943. See Patapoff display case, photo #4. |
Boyle Heights:
The Power of Place 6-month exhibit open from September 8, 2002 to February 23, 2003. 47 items showing Spiritual
Christian Dukh-i-zhizniki Japanese American National Museum |
 |
Hours: 10 am to 5 pm daily, except Thursdays 10 am to 8
pm.
Cost: $6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 kids, under 5 free —
All-day self-paid parking: $2.50
This exhibit supported in partnership with: The International Institute, Jewish Historical Society of Southern California, Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, Self-Help Graphics & Art; and with donations from 9 foundations, 100s of members, the UMCA and many Dukh-i-zhizniki who grew up in Boyle Heights.
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Dukh-i-zhizniki and families in this exhibit.See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights Project website.
Touring the Exhibit
45 items about Dukh-i-zhizniki (38 photos, 5 texts, 2 videos, 1 CD singing)What are the Dukh-i-zhizniki? Where is Boyle Heights?
Below is the exhibit room layout — a map.
Click on any Room Area to
see what was on display there during the exhibit.
See Alphabetical Index of 76 names of Spiritual Christians from Russia in this exhibit.
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's Boyle Heights.
See the current Boyle Heights Project website.
 Area
#0: Website: Boyle Heights
Project: The Power of PlaceThe Project website was created after the museum exhibit, originally with it's own URL: www.BoyleHeightsProgect.org (offline). Later the project URL was abandoned, but the content with minor changes remains within the Japanese American National Museum website. www.janm.org/exhibits/bh/ The only item on the website about Dukh-i-zhizniki not in the museum exhibit is a photo of George Kornoff, caption: "Roosevelt High School A and B football team captains George Kornoff (right) and George Fujino (left), 1937. Gift of George Kornoff (2000.409.3)" See entire Kornoff photo on Project website. |
Area #1: "Boyle heights: A Los Angeles Intersection"
Photo #1: "The
Uraines en-route to the Prochladnoye [Melikoy] meeting hall
to their wedding, Lanfranco Street, ca. 1960."
(Photo from James Tolmasoff) (See
it on the website exhibit.) This congregations was
independently founded by immigrants from Melikoy village, Kars
Oblast, Russia (Russian name: Prokhladnoye). The village
is now in Turkey, renamed Boğazköy.
Timeline: 1930's Photo of 6 Spiritual Christian
Pryguny in original clothes:
"1904 Russian Pryguny Molokans,
a dissenting sect of the Russian Orthodox Church, flee
Russia due to persecution and mandatory conscription during
Russo-Japanese war. Many settle in "the flats" of Boyle
Heights."
On a table of photo albums, brochures, and flyers, see the Photo Album showing Boyle Heights Project Events and lists of contributors:
- 1999 — Planning meetings
- 2000 April 28-29 — Photo Collection Day at Roosevelt High School, announced in the Los Angeles Times, page B1, on April 29. Of 70 who donated photos, 6 were from the Pryguny — Photos of Annie Zolnekoff (UMCA Heritage Room and Library), Kate Bolotin, James Tolmasov, Paul Patapoff, Andy Patapoff, and Alex Shubin.
- 2000 July — Oral History Training Workshop. Of 60 oral history interviewees, 6 were Pryguny — Kate Bolotin, Andy & Paul Patapoff, James Tolmasov, and Annie & Paul Zolnekoff. (Read Selected Excerpts of Oral History Interviews: "Not differentiating between whites" by James Tolmasov.)
- 2000 September to June2001 — Roosevelt High School Student Project. A photo of James Tolmasov during the video taping of his "Remembering the Flats" walk.
- 2000 September 17, 2 to 5 pm, at the International Institute — Your Boyle Heights Community Forum. Photos of participants Annie & Paul Zolnekoff, and James Tolmasov.
- 2001 April — Cougars Reunion at Reikai Kitchen, Little Tokyo. [Cougars were one of many youth sports clubs. Molokans recall the Golden Bear, Salt Lakers, …]
- 2001 April 29 — Community Advisory Council — Photo of Annie & Paul Zolnekoff at this first meeting.
- 2001 July 1 — Collection Day. Photo of James Tolmasov..
- 2001 Summer— Boyle Heights Arts Reach, Salesian Boys and Girls Club
- 2001 Summer — Self-Help Graphics tour in East LA.
- 2001 October — Roosevelt High School Reunion at Montebello Country Club
- 2001 November — Dia de los Muetos, Boyle Heights
- 2002 August 25 — Workman Temple Family Homstead Museum Tour, City of Commerce.
- 2002 August 4 — Boyle Heights Walking Tour
- Promote collaboration and inter-cultural exchange among organizations, scholars, and community members.
- Document, interpret, and share the history of the diverse community of Boyle Heights through voices and perspectives of those who lived there.
- Engage and challenge individuals and organizations to
participate in civic dialog that connect stories of past and
present neighborhood residents, as well as those of people
from different ethnic/racial backgrounds. [Conservative Jumpers avoid such public and
"worldly" dialog, mostly out of fear they would be
reprimanded or shunned by extreme co-religionists. So no
presbyters or front-row elders participated in this civic
dialog.]
Project Advisors: Kate Bolotin, Annie & Paul Zolnekoff
Reference list includes:A Stroll Through Russia Town, by George W. Mohoff and Jack P. Valoff
Pilgrims of Russia Town, by Pauline Young
[See 2 excellent online articles below about Spiritual Christians in "The Flates" not listed in this exhibit.]
Special Thanks to Andy Conovaloff
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Dukh-i-zhizniki
and families in this exhibit.
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's
Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights
Project website.
Area #2: "East of the LA River"
Envelope Histories at
Mission Rd. sign
[over 1000 donated images in large glassine envelopes cover the
exhibit walls]
"Over 250 people, most of whom are past or present residents of
Boyle Heights, were involved in the development of this
exhibition/ The loaned artwork, photography, and artifacts. They
shared their personal stories. They participated in oral
histories. They helped determine exhibition themes and develop
educational materials. The shared the insights of their
experience, expertise, and research."
"The Flats" at Boyle
Ave sign
"Rail yards, ware houses, factories, and auto salvage yards
dominate Mission Road. This part of the neighborhood called 'the
flats'; old timers know it as "the Russian flats" because it was
home to many Russian immigrants. Housing policies and freeway
construction has kept the flats in flex.
"In the early 1940s, hundreds of people lost their homes when the Santa Ana Freeway was routed through the flats. During this same period, in an effort to create affordable housing and eliminate "slum" conditions in the area, more than 400 homes were demolished and replaced by two public housing projects, Aliso Village and Pico Gardens."
Two photos showing many unnamed Molokans, and a quote:
- Utah Street School 8th grade class in 1929.
-
Diamond
Walnut
Factory workers, 7th Street, ca. [about] 1930.
(Photo from UMCA collection.) - [Large quote] "You go to Beverly Hills and try to put a freeway through Beverly Hills, you'll never get it through there." (James Tolmasov, 2001)
"Many neighborhood women worked in factories in Boyle Heights, downtown, and the harbor area. Those at food processing plants, lie the Diamond Walnut factory, played a key role in union organizing in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Their favorite efforts and leadership in United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America locals brought about higher wages and improved working conditions for members." [At one point 50% to 60% of all Molokans [Jumpers] in Los Angeles were employed at Diamond, from Mohoff, Valoff, A Stroll Through Russia Town, page 45.]
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights Project website.
Area #3: "East Side Greetings, We Welcome All"
"Hollenbeck Park"
Large photo: "Bill and Mary
Bolotin, Nick and Nellie Eropkin, John Seminoff, Pauline
Stupin, in Hollenbeck Park, 1935."
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Amercian
Molokans and Jumpers and families in this exhibit.
See the Boyle Heights
Project website.
Area #4: "Faith in Community—Religion" at the Breed St. Wall
"Religion" (100s of people
on the street)
"A traditional Molokan [Jumper]
procession through the flats, ca. 1935."
"Typically, mourners proceeded
with the casket to First Street to catch the funeral streetcar
on the P-line towards the Molokan [Jumper] Cemetery on
Second Street and Eastern Avenue." [Note the wooden grave marker
is carried in front of the casket.] (from UMCA
collection) [Photo in Mohoff and Valov, A Stroll Through
Russia Town, page 158, as funeral of leader Phillip M.
Shubin on January 3*, 1932.] [*Correction on date from George "Grishka" Bolderoff:
"SHUBIN PHILLIP" Initial of Spouse:
"A" Age: "67" d: Los Angeles County,
("70") "1/9/32" Reported to State:
"32" State File #: 1434]
"Funeral" (100s of people
on the street, in photo from the UMCA collection)
"Molokan [Jumper] church gathering, in the flats ca. 1935. There
were at least 6 Molokan [Jumper] Churches in the flats named for
the different villages from which the congregations had
immigrated." [Note the white casket in the center and white lid
to the right.] [Photo in Mohoff and Valov, A Stroll Through
Russia Town, page 159, as "Alex W. Nevaroff funeral held
on March 17, 1932."]
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Amercian
Molokans, Jumpers and families in this exhibit.
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's
Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights
Project website.
Area #6: "World War II: …to Solve the World's Problems."
Photo #4 on panel shows 7 Jumper
faces, first babushka on left is Martha Lukianova
Conovaloff-Papin.
"Russian Molokan residents of the flats
are fingerprinted for the 'Alien Registration' process, ca.
1940."
"With the war in Europe underway, the United States launched
this program requiring unnaturalized immigrant over the age of
14 to register with the government by being finger printed and
completing a form that recorded personal data and inquired about
involvement in 'foreign' governments." (UMCA photo) [In
Mohoff and Valov, A Stroll Through Russia Town, is one
of three photos on page 243. "Alien Registration Act of 1940…750
Russians were registered, fingerprinted, and allowed to state
their case before the court." The photos were taken at the UMCA
on Utah Street, and first published in the Molokan Review.]
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Amercian
Molokans, Jumpers and families in this exhibit.
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's
Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights
Project website.
Area #7: "Growing Up on the Eastside"
Video and display cases at Brooklyn St. wall with 3 continuous videos on TV near Mathews St wall:
- "Back Home to Boyle Heights" by Kenji Tanigachi
- "A Tour Down Brooklyn Ave" by Hershey Eisenberg, who says that Wyatt Earp lived on Chicago Street, and for 10-cents you could see a movie, newsreel, cartoon, and got candy.
- "Remembering the Flats"
by James Tolmasov, 2001
James narrates a walk through the
flats telling Roosevelt High School students his memories. Tolmasov
says the Molokans [Jumpers] emigrated from Russia arriving at
the old Santa Fe railroad station in 1903 [most arrived from
1907 to 1912]. A local minister helped the immigrants find
housing on Jackson St. Later, they moved across the LA River
to the "flats". He was born in 1925 and lived at 135-1/2 N
Gless St. in a typical clapboard house. In 1940 Aliso Village
was built and his family moved to Lanfranco St, near Lorena
St. [a region Jumpers called "Kara-kala"]. As he points out
Oaks lot, their first playground, a photo of boys playing
football there is shown. Also shown are photos of Shubin's Market (above)
[Same photo in Mohoff and Valov, A Stroll Through Russia
Town, page 56, showing Shubins David J., Pete J., and
Jack M.], Klubnikin
Brothers Store and Klubnikin Packing
House (below) [Same photo in Mohoff and Valov,
page 49, showing Klubnikins Alex E., Nick A., John, Mary,
Vera, and Julia.] when meat costs 16-cents per pound. He
points to the Aliso redevelopment site across from the
Klubnikin's Store [and Podval Church] site [Same photo in
Mohoff and Valov, page 49] to show where another bakery made
white bread [Andrei Shubin's Market & Bakery].
Nearby was a Mexican bakery, and next door his uncle made
peanut butter. Streetcars ran on First Street, and there was a
pedestrian tunnel which Utah Street School used students to
cross the street. In the alley near Klubnikin's Store his
father parked his truck. He walks east along First Street and
describes how a storefront had changed. On Gless Street, he
points to the hillside beyond Pecan Park reminiscing how they
made wooden sleds, wet the skids and slid down the hard dirt
hill. The hillside was great in the evening because one could
see the city lights. There was a sugar cane field at the
bottom of the hill. A student asked if it was safe to be out
at night. James answers sure it was safe if you were careful.
His video concludes with James asking his audience: "What is a
gang?" He says that when you are walking home from school with
your neighborhood friends the person across the street may see
a "gang", but you see your friends. Once James, about 6 foot 3
inches tall, challenged a local [Mexican?] gang-leader to a
one-on-one fight, without any buddies to help them. After
their scuffle, James said they became friends. (Also see: "James
A.
Tolmasov,
on nationality".) Video credits: James and Luba
Haprov and Family, George W. Mohoff, Jack P.
Valov, Vera Klubnikin, The Shubin Family,
The Samarin Family, Mary Tolstoy, Annie and
Paul Zolnekoff.
Right: Klubnikins Bothers' Store.
Left: Shubin prayer house, commonly called called
Podval Church because the door at street level entered into a step-down half basement. Podval is Russian for basement. The builiding was destroyed by fire in the 1970s.
Loading dock at the Klubnikin Packing
House. Note a half of a cow hanging.
Patapoff Display case:
"Paul and Andy Patapoff (Roosevelt High School class of
1941 and 1943) are Russian Molokan [Jumper] brothers who faced a
difficult decision during the war; whether or not to enlist in
the armed services. Molokans believe that serving in he the
military violates biblical teaching, and many fled Russia in
order to avoid conscription into the Russian Army. Nevertheless,
young Molokan [and Jumper] men, including the Patapoff brothers,
did serve in the United States Military. Despite his request for
non-combatant duty, Andy was assigned to a tank destroyer
battalion and served in the Pacific Theater. Paul served in the
navy. Some Molokans [and Jumpers], like their friends Alex
Shubin and John Pavloff, were designated CO by the
draft board and wen to civilian public service camps. Others who
were denied CO status were send to prison for refusing to serve
in the war effort."
Item 1—book: "Round up", the Roosevelt High School annual 1941 cover shows Andy Patapoff and Betty Sexton pictured on the cover.
Item 2—photo: "The UMCA choir, Utah Street, ca 1938" showing 8 youth, including Andy Patapoff, and John Pavloff.
Item 3—photo: "The Patapoff Family 1943" showing 6 members.
Item 4—photo: "A
gathering of both Molokan CO and servicemen at the UMCA,
Utah Street, 1943." 9 faces: "Bill Haproff,
John Paveloff, Al Romanoff*, Alex Shubin,
John Mendrin* (back row, left to right); Andy
Patapoff, Eddie Leigh [Leige/Lidyoff] [in
uniform], Paul Vedenoff*, Paul Patapoff* [in
uniform], (front row, right to left)." [*This
circular
photo from the website shows 5 of the 9 fellows.]
Item 5—photo: "COs at the Kings Canyon
Camp operated by the Mennonites, Northern California, 1944."
"John Wren and Alex Shubin (back row, left to
right); J.P. [John Pete] Tolmachoff and John
Pavloff (front row, left to right)."
XX
display case:
1941 Roosevelt High School annual opened:
Page 90, Top—
Row 1: Sara Golobiff, Vera Nazaroff,
Row 2: Mary Lidyoff, Paula Kudoff,
Row 3: Kate Shubin, Katherin Tolstoy, Dolly
Seleznoff,
Row 4: Arthur Kazarian, Sam Kaseroff, Bill
Samarin,
Row 5: Mike Telegin.
Page 90, Bottom—
Row 1: Vera Novekoff, Katherine Partnoff,
Row 2: Vera Golubef
Row 3: Nadia Tolstoy, Jane Kurnoff, Anabelle
Sissov, Mary Patapoff, Mary Moiseve
Row 4: Alan Kobzeff
Row 5: Edward Samarin, Peter Novakoff, Dave
Samarin.
Page 91, Top—
Row 2: Pearl Treglazoff.
Page 91, Bottom—
Row 3: Paul Shubin,
Row 5: Andy Uren, John Bogdanoff
John Tanaka display case:
Roosevelt High School annual, showing football team photos. Team
members: Don Kardashian and Peter Novikoff, who
signs: "Best of luck to your Flyed[?]. I really miss you guys, a
friend — Peter Novikoff"
Photo
on
wall:
"Roosevelt High School students leaning
out of classroom window, 1943." 4 faces in photo
by James Tolmasov.
Fred Okrand display case:
This immigration advocate mentions the track team in his
biography, team member Alex Atanasoff.
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Amercian
Molokans, Jumpers and families in this exhibit.
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's
Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights
Project website.
Area #8: 4 Music CDs at Mott St wall:
"Land of 1000 Dances" has a music excerpt of 50 seconds of
Molokan singers.
CD #1, selection #11: Molokan [Jumper]
Singers. "The Bride Adorned for the Bridegroom."
(Choral Music) (Traditonal)(1975)
"In the Molokan [Jumper] Church, congregational singing is a
fundamental part of religious life functioning as a means of
communicating with God. This selection #307 from the Russian
Molokan Pesenek [Pessenik] ([Jumper]
songbook) is traditionally sung at wedding and is from Rev.
21:1-7. This recording was made in 1975 when [American Jumper]
singers [from the UMCA on Lorena Street]
were invited to participate in the Smithsonian Institute 9th
annual Folklife Festival in Washington D.C." [This is one
of 37 recorded items on 4 CDs.]
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Amercian
Molokans, Jumpers and families in this exhibit.
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's
Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights
Project website.
Area #11: "Boyle Heights Oral History Project"
A 28-minute video of oral history interviews and photos collected over the past two years, shown in the Orientation Theater. Includes several photos (Shubin's Market [Same photo on video in Area #7 above, and in Mohoff and Valov, A Stroll Through Russia Town, page 56, showing Shubins David J., Pete J., and Jack M.], Bill and Mary Bolotin, Nick and Nellie Eropkin, John Seminoff, Pauline Stupin, Hollenbeck Park in 1935 [Same photo shown in Area #3 above.]) and references to the Russians.
See Alphabetical Index of 76 Amercian
Molokans, Jumpers and families in this exhibit.
See book: Images of America: Los Angeles's
Boyle Heights.
See the Boyle Heights
Project website.
Further Reading:
- The
Russian
Prygun
MolokanCommunity in Los Angeles. By Pauline V. Young. The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 35, No. 3. (Nov., 1929), pp. 393-402. — Young misidentified her subjects.
- Dukh-i-zhizniki
Molokansin America. by John K. Berokoff, Los Angeles California, 1969. Chapter 2.
- The Myth of the Classic Slum: Contradictory Perceptions of Boyle Heights Flats, 1900-1991. By Sophie Spalding. Journal of Architectural Education (1984-), Vol. 45, No. 2. (Feb., 1992), pp. 107-119.
- Wikipedia: Boyle
Heights,
Los Angeles, California
Spiritual Christians Around the World