|  Celebrating
national holiday and Shabbats is meaningless without songs and music. Hesed "Efraim"
managed to solve this problem with the help of "Shalom" vocal band.
The initiator of the project was untiring Nina Michelson. Today she is the leader
of the band.
Nina Michelson started with inviting an experienced
and respected musician Gennady Plotnikov. There were 6 people from 60 to 68 years
old willing to sing.
The whole community took part in choosing
songs for the repertory. The JCC director Svetlana Makarovskaya band through the
world of Jewish songs.
And so, the vocal band was created.
First rehearsals began. Now "Shalom" band is rather mature and united
group of people. For every Jewish holiday Nina Michelson selects new songs suiting
the occasion.
"Shalom" was learning Shabbat prayers
with trepidation. And now Hesed Efraim has its stable ritual of Shabbat celebration
with obligatory reading of the Torah chapter and singing Shabbat songs. Following
the vocal band, Hesed clients also began joining their voices to "Lecha Dodi"
and "Shalom Aleichem".
Monthly meetings in the Warm
Home are also accompanied by "Shalom" band's singing. Elderly people
unable to visit Kabbalat Shabbat every week gladly sing festive songs. There is
a special repertory for them - songs in Yiddish. Many clients of the Warm Home
have known this language since childhood.
Being a representative
of the Small Assembly of Kazakhstani Nations, "Shalom" band often takes
part in city cultural and social events. They are already wide known in Petropavlovsk.
This year the band took part in celebration of Nauryz and City Day, and they are
not going to stop!
Igor Zhigarlovsky |
