Dancing on the Same Page: Multilingual Calligraphy and Bridge-Building with Ruben Shimonov

<p>Ruben Shimonov, a multilingual educator and artist, discusses his roots as a Bukharian Jew from Uzbekistan. Ruben details the etymology of his names, explaining how the Russian suffix -ov was forced upon Bukharian names. He describes his linguistic upbringing in Tashkent as primarily Russian, yet deeply infused with Bukharian loanwords like bas and osvo. Through his Hebrew-Arabic-Persian calligraphy, Ruben builds interfaith bridges and celebrates the &quot;Persianate&quot; Jewish world. He concludes by discussing the vulnerability of the Bukharian language and his efforts to preserve it within the diaspora.</p><p>Heritage Words - conversations about the words we inherit and the meaning they bring to our lives - is produced by the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect.</p><p>Host and producer: Sarah Bunin Benor</p><p>Assistant producer: Kyle Elbaz Fingerhut</p><p>Editor: Avishay Artsy</p><p>Video editor: Talia Ehrenberg</p><p>Theme music: Maurice El Medioni’s French and Algerian Judeo-Arabic album “Cafe Oran,” featuring the Klezmatics’ David Krakauer and Frank London, courtesy of Piranha Records.</p>