The urban information and library system of Kokshetau and the Jewish community have worked in tight collaboration ever since the Communal Festival of the Jewish Book (CFJB) was first held in 2001.

The library initiated an arrangement of extensive acquaintance of the residents of the city with the Jewish literature at that time. Over the years, the employees of the library together with the multipurpose system manager Manshuk Saydalina and our volunteers Valentina Tyumentseva and Valentine Yakovleva took part in the most remarkable events of Hesed.

Recently a disk about the joint work of Hesed and the library was released by Manshuk Saydalina and Valentina Yakovleva. The presentation of this disc called "The People of Exodus" was held in the House of Friendship "Dostar" and turned out to be a dramatic story about the history, traditions and culture of our people. The hall was decorated with posters, the national insignia and the extensive book collection of Jewish writers and poets ranging from Mendele-Sforim to Vysotskiy and Galich, CDs of Jewish composers and artists, books on art and architecture. Throughout the evening slides of the Exodus, the Holocaust and the modern Israel were shown continuously on the screen.

The chairmen and members of Chechen-Ingush, Tatar, Azerbaijan, Armenian and Slavonic cultural centres, delegates of the regional office of "Nur Otan" party and representatives of mass-media and television were among our guests. All the spectators listened attentively to the reports on the history and the traditions of Jews. The evening was concluded with the performance of the dynamic Chassidic dances.

People of different ages, nationalities and religions were introduced to the life of Jewish people who went through hard times but who remain to be a cheerful, friendly, receptive and peaceful folk.

Anatoliy Itkin