Our Jewish community honors veterans, our glory and pride - people who fought at the war and resurrected our destroyed country after the war. New generation grew up without knowing starvation and explosions of bombs, but Jewish families preserve the memory that links the generations, preserve moral values, and common ethnical traditions.

The war ended 65 years ago. Our veterans are not young any more, they have many health problems and are not always able to visit our celebration events in the community. However, we wanted to congratulate everybody! The Jewish Community Center Rimon and Hesed Polina decided to organize visits of young families with children to veterans’ homes to congratulate the veterans and present them with gifts. By the way, our young people were surprised by the fact that veterans, having lived to an old age, never idle, they always work, paint pictures, write books, and compose music. There is so much life in their eyes! Only their recollections of the war make them a little sad. As Alexey Leonidovich Nemtsov told us, "It was a particular risk to be a Jew at that war".

On the way to Eremey Borisovich Estrin, we were going in the same car with Sasha and Marina Arepyevs and their daughter, Katya. Nine-year old Katya was repeatedly reciting a poem about the Victory Day, which she had specially learned for the visit. The Estrins family met us very friendly. Eremey Borisovich put on his jacket with orders and medals and looked like a gallant solder when Hesed representatives gave him a present. Katya recited the poem. 89-year old Veteran told us about his work with the leading Kazakhstani art performers after the war: Roza Baglanova and Kulyash Baiseitova. He was a poet and script writer. Eremey Borisovich and Lidiya Alexandrovna is a very beautiful and friendly couple. The young guests were very interested in the secret of their family happiness. Eremey Borisovich said laughing, "I was always writing poems for her from the moment I saw her. She is so beautiful!"

Then we visited Yuriy Samuilovich Shneiderman, a well-known artist-watercolorist. Adriana Zagurskaya, 10 year old, and her grandmother Lyudmila were with us on the visit. Yuriy Samuilovich’s poems and paintings are an eloquent testimony of his participation in war events in Europe. There is a wonderful warm atmosphere around him. When he saw the young guest, Adriana, he made his best to make her feel comfortable, brought a fruit vase with apples and candies. Yuriy Samuilovich presented everybody with copies of his paintings with his signature, while the young artist, Adriana, received a sable brush from him. Adriana, in return, sang the famous song, Katyusha. Everybody - Yuriy Samuilovich, grandmother, and the journalist, sang along with Adriana.

Alexey Leonidovich Nemtsov also received a present from Hesed. He was sad recollecting his young years during the war. At the beginning of the war, Alexey, a first-grade student at Kharkov Technological University, went to war as a volunteer. In August of 1941, he was wounded and contused. He was taken prisoner. In December 1941, he together with his friend ran away from the Polish camp for war prisoners. It was very cold, was snowing. They were going only during the night, and were hiding during the day. By August 1942, they joined again the Soviet Army. For a month Alexey Leonidovich was kept in a camp where he was checked how he had been taken prisoner. Then he participated in the Stalingrad battle and Ukraine battle. Alexey Leonidovich gave Adriana a piece of advice, "Try to remain a real person. This is very important". All together we were singing war songs and Alexey Leonidovich was the main singer.

There were also other visits to veterans. Our children played violin, danced, recited poems. Every child tried to add his/her own performance to the present brought by adults. It was a wonderful and clear demonstration of the link between generations.

The Victory Day is coming. It is a wonderful all people holiday. All veterans received memorable gifts. The community youth also received a gift - opportunity to meet personally with heroes who had stopped destruction and death.

Lyudmila Starodubova