Last Sunday Almaty Jewish community celebrated Purim at "Kazakhconcert" hall. A large hall was overcrowded. The organizers of the evening - "Joint" Jewish Distribution Committee, "Sokhnut" International Jewish Agency, Jewish cultural center of Israeli Embassy, Jewish Congress of Kazakhstan, "Mitsva" Association, Hesed "Polina", "Rimon" Jewish community Center - did their best to held holiday perfectly. The evening was conducted by "Rimon" JCC director Aleksandra Zikina.

  The of icial part of the evening, consisting of greetings of honored guests, passed very quickly and was not boring. Among the comers were representatives of Embassy of Israel to Kazakhstan. Namely, the second secretary of the Embassy Nomy Aldubi addressed her warm words to the comers. Then the head of the representation of "Sokhnut" International Jewish Agency Iosif Leibovitch and director of Israel Cultural Center Larisa Baeva congratulated community on coming Purim. Hesed "Polina director Natalya Dorman on behalf of "Mitsva" Association of Jewish National Organizations of Kazakhstan wished community a merry holiday.

  Then the very performance started. This year Purimshpil performance was represented by Family club of "Rimon" JCC. Play’s scenario was written by the board club member Svetlana Nezhinskaya. And it became clearly understandable that both children and adults were scrupulously preparing to Purim. Though there wasn’t any professional actor among carnival participants, everybody played perfectly.

  Family club members performed an interesting show "Jewish borough-"Our Kasrilovka". It was a mixture of songs, dances and at the same time a performance in poems about the way Queen Esther together with her uncle Mordehay saved Jewish nation from its full extermination. There also sounded touchy songs performed by Family club members Natalya Butenko and Al ksandr Silin, who played the guitar.

  Eastern dances were also a pleasant present for the comers. The dances were performed by members of youth dance group under the leadership of Daneliya Spitsina. When girls in bright eastern dresses appeared on the stage, the auditorium burst into applause.

  But the main responsibility for the organization of that evening was laid on members of children’s vocal-choreographical ensemble "Anahnukan", headed by a concertmaster Ludmila Samsonova, as kids, in contrast to the other artists, were almost all the time on the stage. Children danced a lot, played xylophones and sang songs. But despite a great tension and tiredness, they were good at their performing.

   The concert, directed by Anna Sailyantz, a famous art critic from Almaty, was a real success. At the end of the performance a president of" Prestige" educational center Grigoriy Umanov gave pleasant presents to all the artists that gladdened us so much. At the exit door small sweet present- Purim dish "Aman’s ears" were waiting for the guests.

Gauhar Nauryzbaeva