Number of participants: any (you can play on your own or as a group from a single account)

Average duration of the quest: 1.5 hours

Platforms and services to be used: Telegram (the whole game is directed by a Telegram bot) + Google Maps opened on any device will be needed to do one of the tasks (no download required)

An interactive journey through the ANU museum with fictional characters: Jews from different eras, and learning about important events from the history of Russian-speaking Jews (from the Roman exile to the present day)

•  to see the exhibits of the ANU museum that are dedicated to the history of Russian-speaking Jews
•  to organise all kinds of educational events dedicated to Russian-speaking Jews or any of the periods of its history
• to learn about the history of Russian-speaking Jews independently and interactively

It is up to you how you use this tool. You may wish to divide the quest between a number of classes or days, perhaps with different subjects for discussion. Choose where to stop for longer and which stages to go through quickly without going too deep. You can also skip any task or ask for a prompt if a task is difficult.

In the introductory video, the players will meet the protagonist of the game: Xenia Sova.

The plot sees her walk through the museum, stop at the stand showing the video and see herself in it. The museum suddenly becomes empty and Xenia from the video comes alive. Other characters from other stands and exhibits also come alive alongside her. All those characters are Xenia’s ancestors from different times and places. In order to take them all back to their times, she will need to meet each one, learn about the character’s history and help them solve a specific problem.

The quest raises the following subjects and looks at the following historical periods:

1. General chronology of the history of Russian-speaking Jews. Languages Jews spoke, their professions and the places where they lived.
2. The 1990s. The Big Aliyah from the former Soviet Union. A Jewish kitchen.
3. The early 1970s. Jews in the Soviet Union. Refuseniks. The Leningrad Case.
4. The 1930s. Jews in art and culture in the USA, Palestine and the USSR. Using the example of the Soviet Jewish theatre, Hollywood and the Habimah theatre in Tel Aviv.
5. 1881. Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire. Jewish Odessa. Jews in different movements in the late 19th century (Zionists, revolutionaries, Bundists).
6. Late 18th century. Pale of Settlement. Jewish townlets: shtetlach. Jewish religious denominations. Maskilim (enlighteners), Chassidim, Mitnagdim (Litvakim).
7. 2nd/3rd centuries CE. Roman exile. The places Jews went to after the exile. Birth of Ashkenazi Jewry.

For any questions, e-mail us on ‌info@aquest.me‌