Shymkent is a large industrial city with multiethnic population with over 20 cultural centers. There is a Jewish Cultural Center and Charity Center Hesed Polina, where several programs (Medical, Care at Home, Food) and clubs (Hostess, Literary Salon), studying groups (dancing, history and traditions studies, musical, etc) work. Everybody can find something interesting for him, develop his talents, and satisfy strivings.

I am a representative of an older generation and visit club "Hostess" and Literary Salon with great pleasure. Currently the club Hostess is managed by Yevgeniya Grigoryevna Gulyaikina. She tells us about Jewish traditions and national cuisine specificities. We cook salads, fish, chicken, and flour dishes in accordance with the class theme. We have already cooked forshmak, roast chicken, baked latkes. We lay tables with traditional dishes. During Rosh-a-Shana, there should be apples and honey, while on Pesah - matzo. Every month we celebrate birthdays of club members and Hesed management helps us to organize these events.

Literary Salon has been supervised by Nina Alexandrovna for many years. She introduces us to the Jewish cultural heredity. Just this year we discussed the following topics: Jewish films - Commemoration Prayer, Life is Beautiful, Pianist; poets of war time - Pavel Kogan, Pavel Kulchitskiy, David Samoilov; people of art - Sara Barnar; poetry related to Holocaust and many other things.

Very kind and caring people work in our Hesed. I would like to express my gratitude to them. We thank Bella Atran, Ella Reznik, Valentina Kazakova, and the managers of Hostess club and Literary Salon for the care they take of our city Jews.

Bella Lipetskaya