During autumn time we have a wonderful holiday Sukkot. We build shelters of branches, invite guests, play games and have contests, which our children and youngsters love so much. It was surprising warm and sunny weather during Sukkot days. "Live seven days in shelters" written in Torah. The shelter symbolizes peace which should come everywhere.

On the first day, children came with their parents to listen to the eldest person of the Community Hayunya Fishelevna Grinberg she told us in Yiddish and Russian that this year Sokkot coincided with Saturday and explained reasons why we celebrate this holiday. Hayunya Fishelevna lit candles and recited the blessing.

After that, psychologist Olga Grinberg introduced holiday traditions to the youngest boys and girls in a game way. Some of these games and trainings she learned at the seminar, which recently has taken place in Almaty. Taraz Hesed Director Yelena Dmitriyeva said that Sukkot is a celebration of nature, gathering yield. The holiday symbols remind us of Israel’s wanderings in Sinai Desert. Life in shelter teaches people to be modest and survive with scarce resources. Decoration of shelters was always the favorite thing for children, who just start learning and appreciating the commandments of their people. In many communities, in the shelters people hang bottles with olive oil, flour, and wine, decoration made of paper and ribbons as a symbol of their hope that the New Year will bring blessing. We with the children made colorful garlands and "birds" and went to the grove. We built a nice shelter and had a great time around it - played games and had quizzes, sang songs.

We have events during the whole holiday week. The last holiday day coincided with Shabbat and we had many guests in Hesed. We met Saturday by lighting up candles. Kiddush on wine and halas was recited by Vitaliy Anashkin. Hesed Director Yelena Dmitriyeva congratulated all Jews with the holiday. Then we had two quizzes "Do You Know the Holiday History and Traditions?" and a joke one. Everybody was in a very good mood. The holiday ended with a contest of jokes and cheerful songs.

Simhath Torah is the last of autumn holidays. The annual cycle of reading Torah ended, and Jews all over the world started reading the Book of Books from the beginning. After the talk about the holiday and the quiz "Do You Know the Holiday History and Traditions?", young leaders Maxim Butchenko and Natalya Korchemnaya conducted trainings for our children. They have just come from the seminar held in Almaty. Everybody was thrilled to hang cards with letters on each participant to write four types of plants - symbols of different types of people (lulab, etrog, hadas, arava). Children learned to cite numbers leaving out those which are divided by three, played the game "Apples, change places!". All participants received prizes and candies. It is wonderful that autumn holidays give us strength to enjoy life during the whole year.

Yelena Dmitriyeva, Alla Koroleva