The opening of Community Festival of Jewish Book (OFEK) in Astana fell on second Sunday of September. The exhibition of the books settled down in Community Center; came all community members and many dear visitors of Hesed. Volunteer Nina Levina accompanied with the first part of a measure by play on a piano - all visitors passed from table to table, thumbing through the books on religion, poetry and novelties of 2008 under sounds of Hasidic and popular Jewish melodies. On opening of a Festival of the Jewish Book the director of Hesed Helena Levina congratulated everybody. The adult representatives of our Jewish club "Shatil" - Yana Mirkina, Eugenie Leuta, Nadejda Svoeglazova - read poems of the known Jewish poets. These names are familiar for many people: Saul Chernikhovsky, Hayim Nahman Byalik, Jacob Kagan, Liya Frishman. And our kids sang a song - alphabet in Hebrew. On encore the adults also joined.

The solemn part of OFEK finished with performance of a hymn of Israel. Then everybody sent on excursion.This year we celebrate two good round figures: 60th anniversary of theState Israel and 10th anniversary of capital of Kazakhstan. Our city received many gifts from all country these are and monuments, and squares, and whole parks. And how Astana constantly extends, is under construction, is increased in scales it is very difficult for many people to choose time to see with their own eyes entire beauty, which has appeared here by July 6, birthday of our President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The participants of excursion were very glad to such walk with all community, and specially children.

We thank for cooperation the metropolitan centre of excursion services "Ak-kayin" and its guide Galina Bereza.

Dina Itkina