|  In
late February a seminar for coordinators of religious programs of Kazakhstani
Hasadim took place. The meeting was inspired by one of the outstanding Rabbies
of the present - the head of JDC department Rabbi Meir Shlezinger. Before the
lectures began, he gave two best coordinators of the last year, Vladimir Fleitlich
(Ust-Kamenogorsk) and Arkady Feldman (Taraz) valuable presents: sets of brochures
- commentaries for week chapters of the Torah. Those people with their attitude
to our joint mission deserved true respect of all seminar participants.
Rabbi
Shlezinger began his first lecture in an unusual way. He showed us two pictures
taken in Moscow in 1928 and asked us to say what was most significant in them.
It was an antireligious demonstration, and its participants symbolically "buried"
all world religions. Catholicism was presented by a picture of a Catholic priest,
Orthodoxy by an Orthodox priest, and Islam by a mullah. And only Judaism was presented
not by a rabbi, but by a poster "Shabbat".
"In
this way enemies of Judaism determined the main point of this teaching."
Rabbi Meir Shlezinger told us. "Rabbi is not a priest, that is why struggle
against rabbies could not stop Judaism - values are more important than people.
And Jewish way of life is the main value of the Jews. That is why it was essential
to "bury" Shabbat."
Then seminar participants
turned to the discussion of the definition of Jewry. There are many debatable
approaches to this issue. But we should not forget that the Jewish people exists
not only in reality, but also metaphysically. Because the Jews are something more
than a number of people who observe Mitzvoth.
At the end of
the seminar together with Rabbi Shlezinger we planned themes for discussion in
the next year. We, representatives of religious programs in Kazakhstani Hasadim,
look forward to seeing Rabbi Meir Shlezinger in Kazakhstan in near future.
Alexander
Abramovitch |
