From August 13 till August 15 in Pavlodar passed a republican seminar of coordinators of the program "Jewish tradition". Rabbi Meir Schlesinger headed the seminar. The organizers of educational meeting - are American Jewish Distribution Committee "Joint" and Association of the Jewish national organizations of RK "Mitsva".

The seminar collected practically all working coordinators of Kazakhstan: Alexandr Matushkin (Taldykorgan), Vladimir Fleitlikh (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Alexandr Abramovitch (Karaganda), Vladimir Lyakhovetsky (Kostanay), Victoria Baturina (Semey), Stepan Mikhaylenko (Pavlodar). For the first time arrived on such measure Helena Muhammedgaliyeva from Uralsk, Nicolay Atran from Shymkent, Lasar Grinberg from Taraz. Pavlodar area also have taken part in work of a seminar the leaders of the Jewish community: Rabbi Shmuel Karnaukh, chairman of JCC Faina Svechinskaya, director of Hesed Tatiana Slivinskaya, director of JCC Irina Tveritneva, chairman of the youngest for today Jewish national-cultural centre of republic - city Ekibastuz Svetlana Samokhina.

The perfect conditions for realization of classes were created by the employees of Hesed "Rachel", and with the help of Pavlodar synagogue was supplied kosher food. We would like to express on behalf of all participants of a seminar great gratitude to the employees of Pavlodar Hesed and synagogue for shown heat and attention.

The basic theme of a seminar "Israel and Diaspora" was given by Rabbi Meir Schlesinger and was opened in a number of the reports of the participants: "History of Jewish Diaspora" (A. Abramovitch), "Jewish sights on Diaspora" (V. Fleitlikh), "Functions of Diaspora" (V. Lyakhovetsky), "anti-Semitism and Diaspora" (V. Baturina). We have tried before arrival of Rabbi to grope "trigger" points of a theme and to formulate problems requiring discussions. You see our Jewish self-identification and ours voluntary, as a matter of fact, stay in Diaspora, as it seems, requires a mutual coordination.

On the second day of seminar Rabbi Meir Schlesinger read lecture on a theme "Israel and Diaspora", which we listened in translation of Rabbi Karnaukh. To reveal essence of a problem, rabbi has compared two points of view on meaning of Eretz Israel for the Jewish people - Rabbi Nahhman from Breslau and Ahad-ha-Am (A.Gintzberg). The idea of Eretz Israel as spiritual centre of the Jewish people is present at both doctrines, but in the first case Rabbi Nahhman proceeds from impossibility in his time of achievement of greater, and in the second case Ahad-ha-Am assumes sufficiency of construction only of spiritual centre. In this connection rabbi Schlesinger passes to a question on understanding of sanctity of Eretz Israel. At the country there was no sanctity up to its gain by the Jews, and in times of galut and absence of the Jews in Eretz Israel the sanctity has left this ground, he asserts. It is known, that for 1.5 millenniums of absence of the Jews nobody has managed really to master the country. However sanctity has not left Jerusalem during the emperor Tit, destroyed it, and the Temple remained the centre of sanctity for the people. How to understand that, using usual logic? And who has told, that the behaviour of such substation as "sanctity" submits to usual logic? Let's tell, question: whether is sacred synagogue? It is known, that, as against church, synagogue initially has no status of a "sacred" structure, it is simple a place of assembly. However, as a pray there is created, the place becomes sacred. And, as said, already becomes unusable to other use...

The third day of a seminar was devoted to the Jewish fall holidays. There are " two ways ", told Rabbi Meir Schlesinger, resulting to one moment: one from Pesach through Shavuot to Sukkot, another from Rosh-ha-Shana through Yom Kippur to Simkhat Torah. The main distinction of these ways is: first - is Jewish, another is more universal. The common point of end of these ways, probably, means, that geula (disposal) will be for all one - common. The special attention rabbi Meir paid to concept "Tshuva", so important for Jewish newyear. Literally "Tshuva" means "returning". Importance of the tendency, direction of spiritual movement of the man is emphasized here: " better correcting sinner than falling righteous man". Or so: "Better to be in Pavlodar with the ticket for plane to Jerusalem, than in Jerusalem with the ticket to Pavlodar ".

But the last maxim all have found as simply successful joke. You see on the same day the excursion on Pavlodar was held which was remembered with perfect views of city and visiting of a museum of the poet P.Vasilyev. Rabbi Meir also has familiarized with museum of Shafer - collection of rare gramophone records collected by the true enthusiast and today having cultural value. Thank you, hospitable Pavlodar, see you again!

Alexandr Kotlitsky