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EVENTS OF AKTOBE KARAGANDA PETROPAVLOVSK UST-KAMENOGORSK SHYMKENT
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HANUKKAH IN THE CITIES OF KAZAKHSTAN

Aktobe City
Astana
Karaganda City
Petropavlovsk City
Shymkent City
Ust-Kamenogorsk City

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Hanukkah in Aktobe City

  Hanukkah was on 27 Kislev for all members of Aktobe Jewish Community. More than 200 people gathered in the Cultural Center of Metallurgs.
  There was a big poster "Hanukkah" in the lobby and a full-length hanukkiya on proscenium made especially for the holiday. The director of the Community Center Irina Kopyto and the chairman of the Jewish Cultural Center Mark Ioffe made speech in the beginning of the evening party. They congratulated everybody in the hall and told about the history of Hanukkah. Mark lit Shamash. After that the most respectable member of our Community Yakov Gershkovich Yurman came to the stage. He continued the story about Hanukkah, chanted the prayers and lit a candle.
  Semyon Gevshivich Reznik - the Head of the Chess Club, lit one more candle. Two others were lit by our volunteers.
  After the official part there was a concert. Andrey Untenko read a poem "Hanukkah" and ensemble "Atikva" performed its old and new songs and dances. They sang Hanukkah songs with the young children. Children performed a dramatization about the history of Hanukkah. The concert had been lasting for an hour. Polina Savitskaya the Head of the Family Club compered the concert. People there really enjoyed it.
  After the concert there was Hanukkah Quiz and all audience, especially children participated in it with a great interest. Irina Kopyto and Polina Savitskaya made up the questions for the Quiz. People were really excited about the Quiz adults and children answered the questions with the great enthusiasm and got their prizes. There also was an exhibition of dozens children drawings. It was obvious that all the children were talented and all of them won prizes.
  In the lobby there was a buffet with sufganiot, lateks, fruit and wine. All these dishes were cooked by Hesed employees and volunteers. People celebrated each other and wished all the best - everything that could be during this holiday.

Hanukkah in Astana

  Astana Jews celebrated Hanukkah with a great enthusiasm. On 22 December 180 members of Jewish Community came to the cafeteria of the school N10. The hall was decorated, there were Hanukkah candles and dishes: lateks- (potato pancakes) and sufganiyet (donuts, fried in oil). All this inspired the atmosphere of the holiday.
  It started traditionally, from the Hanukkah history - the miracle with the jug of oil. Than the candles were lit and Hanukkah party began.
  As always children's performance made everybody happy. That day all guests were surprised with the ballroom dances performed by Torkin's granddaughter - Tomochka and her dance partner Stas. The Honored Artist of Kazakhstan, the Soloist of Philharmonic Society Gulnar Khamzina sang songs in Yiddish, the Youth Club performed dramatizations of Jewish anecdotes and Maxim and Valeriya Turnovs sang Jewish songs in Hebrew and Russian.
  During the break nobody was just sitting because there was a joyful Jewish music and everybody danced and played together proving again that we became one Jewish family.

Svetlana Rakisheva

Hanukkah in Karaganda City

  Hanukkah is a holiday of light, joy and happiness. It was like that in Karaganda Jewish Community. The decorated cozy hall was brightly lit with the Hanukkah candles and smiles of two hundred guests.
  The heads of Hesed Miriam: Bella Kamentskaya, Irina Kozhanovskaya, Irina Revenko and Melnik did a really great job organizing this holiday. The holiday tables were laid and a wonderful concert program was prepared. Children from the Sunday Religious School sang song and danced. The Youth Center performed a humorous dramatization. Everybody enjoyed Jewish dance performed by children from the ensemble "Wonderful Land". Children were leaving the stage and there was a storm of applause and audience was shouting "Bravo!'
  There were a lot of congratulations in Yiddish and Hebrew, many warm and kind words were told. There was an amazing saxophone music and Karina Karenina's voice that touched every soul. And of course, what Jewish holiday could be done without a violin? Its lovely sounds united everybody's hearts and they felt like one family.
  Children enjoyed the holiday most of all, they sang, danced and had a really good time. A special entertainment program was prepared for them. By the end of the program the director of Sokhnut Alla Gendelman gave children holiday presents and according to the tradition - Hanukkah geld.
  With the words of appreciate and hope for the future guests were leaving the hall but the light of Hanukkah will stay in their hearts for a long time.

Hanukkah, Petropavlovsk City

  December 23 was the day when the third candle of Hanukkiya was lit, Jewish Community of Petropavlovsk City gathered in the cafeteria of Jewish School N1. By the appointed time came married couples in years, also there were many young people and children (more than 150 people!). Volunteers decorated the hall with multicolored balloons and Israel flags, laid the tables. In the center of the table there were tasty donuts with sweet stuffing.   The Chairman of the National Cultural Center Mark Vitkin made a speech he celebrated everybody with Hanukkah holiday and wished health and happiness. After that the Head of Community Center Svetlana Makarovskaya told about the history of the holiday.
  The Youth Club performed an interesting dumb show and Igor Zhigarlovskiy read his own poems. There was Khana - the mother of 7 children and Greek King, and Makkaveys, and the hero Matitiau. Then the vocal group "Sulamif" performed three prayers for each of lit candle and the song "Khanukiya sheli", after that Hanukkah candles were lit on the tables. The chorus of veterans sang songs in Hebrew and Russian.
  After the break the leaders of the Youth Club performed competitions and quizzes and the winners got their prizes - souvenirs and toys. The holiday of light and kindness appeared to be really kind and joyful and everybody enjoyed it.

Hanukkah is the holiday of candlelight. Ust-Kamenogorsk City.

  Hanukkah is a connection between ancient Judaism and modern world. Jewish Community of Ust-Kamenogorsk City celebrated Hanukkah on 24 December 2000. The employees of Hesed Faina in Ust-Kamenogorsk City (the director is Vladimir Lebedev) organized the holiday. "Mitsva" Association, Jewish Sunday school and Youth Club helped in organizing and JCC financially supported it.
The huge hall of the cafe "Parphenon" could seat about three hundred invitees for celebration. Hanukkah is first of all a historical event concerned with the Jewish insurrection against Greeks in the Epoch of Second Temple. That event was the main theme of the Sunday school student's performance. Many participants of the show have been celebrating Hanukkah for a number of years, and they have been imbued with the events of ancient Jewish history. With a great attention guests were listening stories about eight Hanukkah candles and with the applause supported the slogans of the characters not to deny their culture, religion and traditions in any circumstances. At the end of the show actors performed the anthem "Maoz Tu" - "…a stronghold, a bulwark of my salvation…"
The most solemn moment of the celebration was candle lightening of Hanukkiya. The most respectable members of Ust-Kamenogorsk Jewish Community, who make their contribution in welfare and Community Center activities, were invited to the stage. There were Naum Stuchevskiy, Ilya Kochan, Div Varshavskiy, Mikhail Fishman, and Mikhail Tsuker.
The great surprise for everybody was the performance of the violin ensemble of Hesed Faina. They played new arrangement of many Jewish songs. Irina Khardina accompanied by the ensemble sang a few popular Jewish songs: "Yerushalaim", "Ose Shalom", "My Jews" and "Jewish Eyes".
During the meal the invited members of the Community celebrated everybody with Hanukkah. The members of the music study group sang the famous song "Tum balalaika" in Yiddish and both young and old people enjoyed it, some of them can understand Yiddish.
Chocolate coins symbolizing the real ones (it is a tradition to present coins on Hanukkah) were given to the most active participants of Hesed Faina programs. Those sweet symbols of the holiday were also given to all students of Sunday school. The winners of the culinary competition got sets of two candlesticks for Shabbat. Now every Saturday their homes will be illuminated with light of peace and kindness which Hesed Faina present to its clients.
Many old people of Jewish Community treat Hesed as their own home. They can get here not just attention and care but socializing, they know more about the culture and traditions of Jewish people.
Hanukkah was one more opportunity to meet Jewish tradition, joining the new members to it.

Yelena Levina

Hanukkah in Shymkent City

  There were 250 people to celebrate Hanukkah in Shymkent. On 22 December people came to the restaurant "Dostyk" and Children Art group, dance group and the ensemble of Jewish music greeted them. There was a lottery, children were playing svivon, quiz about the tradition and the history of the holiday. The chairmen of Cultural Centers of the city were there. The director of People Friendship House Ospanov celebrated everybody with the holiday. And Hanukkah was shown on local TV channels.
  Many, many years ago after the army of Makaveyes won the battle with Greeks there was a miracle of burning oil in the small jug for 8 days. And now as it was that time every Jew is looking for that jug with "pure oil" in his soul.
  We believe that God will send us a miracle, and this fire will be burning forever with coming our righteous Moshiakh nowdays.

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