Zinaida and Mikhail Buras are the most active volunteers in the Kostanay Hesed. They are always eager to help about food packages or sewing costumes for young actors. They are acknowledged ringleaders at celebrations and club meetings. The couple is distinguished for their cheerfulness and unique sense of humor. It is hard to believe that they went through many misfortunes, and the most terrible one was early death of their children.

  Zinaida's mother died when the girl was young; her sister and she got to an orphanage. Then she used to work as a spinner at the textile mill. In May 1954 Zinaida decided to go working to the virgin lands. It was not long before her eighteens birthday.

  They lived in tents. The girl was not afraid of any kind of work - in the threshing-floor, factory, and even bath. It was there that she saw Mikhail Buras and fall in love with him at the first sight. She told her friend "this guy will be mine".

  Mikhail was older than she and had more experience. He was born in Leningrad and started working at a factory when he was fourteen. When WWII began the factory was evacuated to Omsk. Mikhail became turner's apprentice. He was so short that could work at the machine only standing on two boxes.

  Mikhail chose to work in Kostanay by accident. In 1955 new farms needed professionals, and especially electricians. At that time there was no town yet, only two houses and several tents.

  He found his destiny in one of them. The young family had no house, only a tent and their love. In 1956 they had a son Vladimir, and in 1959 a daughter Elena.

  The spouses seemed to deserve peace in their old age. But it happened so that their children died young. They were left with five grandchildren, and now they already have five great-grandchildren. The spouses did not became unsociable after the disaster, they like being together with their family members and friends. On behalf of Kostanay Jewish community we would like to wish Zinaida and Mikhail health and to say "we need you, live long!".

Lidiya Kazakevitch