As Moscow's brief but spectacular "Golden Autumn" season draws to a close just weeks before the capital's first snowfall, local photographer Levi Nazarov ventured into the historic Sokolniki Park to capture the breathtaking atmosphere of this cherished Russian season. Like countless other photographers and photography enthusiasts across Russia, Nazarov was drawn from the comfort of his warm home to document what many consider to be nature's most magnificent display.
The natural phenomenon of leaf shedding, particularly prominent in broad-leafed trees, creates a stunning visual tapestry as leaves transform through various color stages before eventually falling to the ground. Nazarov's photographs reveal the fascinating diversity of this process, showing trees that shed their leaves immediately at the beginning of fall alongside others whose foliage stubbornly clings to branches, creating a patchwork of autumn colors throughout the park.
Sokolniki Park, located in northeastern Moscow, spans an impressive 600 dunams and serves as a green oasis within the bustling capital. The park houses hundreds of thousands of diverse trees, 13 lakes and natural springs, and offers visitors exceptionally fresh, clean air. In recent years, the Moscow Municipality has invested substantial resources in restoring the park's ancient heritage, installing comfortable walking paths throughout the expansive grounds while employing permanent guards to maintain cleanliness, order, and tranquility.
The park holds special significance in Jewish history, dating back approximately seventy years when the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe visited Moscow on urgent Jewish communal affairs, working tirelessly to overturn terrible decrees against Russian Jews. Following an extremely traumatic incident where armed thugs entered the Rebbe's room with drawn weapons and threatened his life, the Rebbe sought solace in Sokolniki Park's peaceful environment. In his personal diary, the Rebbe wrote: "And I think that the good air and the moonlight will calm me down, and I said let's go for a walk and I went to the Sokolniki Forest."
Remarkably, the park's eastern border now adjoins the Chaya Mushka Institute complex, named after the Rebbetzin, daughter of the Rebbe Rayatz. This magnificent educational institution, established approximately 30 years ago by Chief Rabbi of Russia HaGaon Rabbi Berel Lazar, represents one of many such institutions founded under his leadership. The institute currently educates hundreds of Jewish girls in Torah observance and mitzvot, with many graduates going on to serve as Shluchos (emissaries) in various countries worldwide alongside their husbands, who are graduates of Chabad yeshivas throughout Russia.
