In December there is the brightest Jewish holiday - miraculous Hanukah. Every day Hanukah candles are lit up all over the world: in the streets of large cities, on the window sills of small apartments, allover where Jewish traditions are followed. Everything is filled with light and we again and again return to the miracle that happened in Jerusalem in 165 BC.

On December 13 the Festival Garland of Friendship took place under the support of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Culture. The Jewish Community has been awarded a grant to conduct cultural and educational events among ethnical organizations of Kazakhstan. The Jewish Community Center Rimon and the World Jewish Agency Sohnut invited guests to celebrate Hanukah. The holiday turned quite special. There were guests from Azeri, Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Karachaevo-Balkaria, and Russian centers, and All-Kazakhstan Legal Rights Protection Fund. All guests prepared presents - dances or songs. In total, 550 people gathered in the Kazakh Concert Hall, and 200 participants behind the stage. Mass media coverage was provided by television companies Kazakhstan, Tan, and Khabar.

Leaders of National Cultural Centers of Almaty, leaders of young people ethnical organizations, representatives of mass media were present at the Festival, including: Anaid Arutyunyan - leader of the young people’s division of Armenian Republican Cultural Center, Ainur Ayupova - Chairwoman of Tatar Social Cultural Center, Rinat Ayupov - leader of the Young People’s Organization of Kazakhstani Tatars, Mustafir Babayev - Chairman of Karachaevo-Balkaria National Cultural Center, Artem Gasparyan - Chief Editor of Nairy Newspaper, Alexander Gudkov - Chairman of the Jewish Cultural Center, Tamara Guseynova - Deputy Chairwoman of the Turkish Cultural Center, Hesey Daurov - President of the Association of Dungan National Centers of Kazakhstan, Andrey Iosifidy - Chairman of Greek Organization of Almaty "EOS", Artush Karapetyan - Chairman of the Republican Armenian Center, Roman Kim - President of Koreans Association of Kazakhstan, Valentin Lymarenko - Chairman of Ukrainian Cultural Center, Pavel Feodoridy - Chairman of Association of Greek Organizations of Kazakhstan, Saidmurod Sharifov - Chairman of Association of Tadzhik Organizations "Somoniyon", I. Shilyazov - Deputy Chairman of Dungan Young People’s Organization, Nina Filipova - Chairman of Almaty Filial of Russian Community of Kazakhstan.

Greetings were read in Russian, Kazakh, and Hebrew. The first words of the presenter, "We live comfortably in Kazakhstan. It is so good that none of us heard the sounds of shooting. We never pay attention who is sitting at a school desk close to our children whether it is a Muslim or a Jew. We feel good all together."

The floor was given to a member of the Board of Mitsva Association Igor Berner to make welcoming remarks. He congratulated everybody with Hanukah and said that this holiday means a lot for every Jew. We owe our freedom to Hanukah, which inspired us for the first rebellion against our enslavers.

Jewish singing group Anakhnukan opened the holiday concert with a song "Lastochka". There was a real garland of friendship presenting a mosaic of different cultural traditions - ancient Assyrian dance and the amazing Greek dance Sirtaki, Azeri Lesginka, and Russian Kalinka, ancient Armenian Kochari, and Karachaevo-Balkaria Dzhigitovka, Jewish songs Yelaim and Sheinu, and Kazakh dance Karlygash. This potpourri completed the Festival "Garland of Firendship". While the holiday continued.

The Festival guests learned about Jewish Hanukah. Rabi Shevah Zlatopolskiy lit up Hanukah candles right on the stage. All together we were standing up and listening to prayers. When Rabi said the traditional "Hanukkah sameach" the audience echoed him.

The Community Center Rimmon decided to tell the audience about the events, which happened over 2,000 years ago, about the struggle of the Jewish people for its freedom, about the miracle of the oil lamp burning for eight full days although the oil was sufficient only for one day. This was quite symbolic with Hanukah candles being burning in the background.

Before the beginning of the holiday, the guests could see an exhibition of children’s works "My Kazakhstan - my country". Talented works of young artists - paintings on paper, glass, and silk were presented by ethnical cultural centers. It was a difficult task for the jury to select the best work out of all wonderful works. Guests participated in voting.

Chairmen of the jury General Director of the Ethnos Forum Fund Gabit Nuradil and Chief Editor of Davar Newspaper Isaak Dvorkin went on the stage. The wise jury decided to mark every participant, because everybody had their own vision, and creative findings. >Presents and award certificated were granted in different nominations: "For love of nature", "For respect to elder generation", "For being a patriot", "The youngest participant with the most serious attitude", "For innovation skills", "For deep understanding of art", "For skills and creative approach", and others.

Jewish cuisine features fried doughnuts to commemorate the miraculous jar of oil. Doughnuts were offered in the lobby and all guests could help themselves with the traditional dish.

Hanukkah has a deep meaning. It is up to the person whether to put the light on or not to. Everybody can light up the darkness no matter how small his/her torch is. Let your torch lit up the space not only for yourself but for everybody who is surrounding you. Chag Hannukah Sameach!

Lyudmila Starodubova