The festival "Freilehe Kinder" is made traditionally in the city of Karaganda already for the seventh time. Among many festivals of our country this, certainly, especial — even the set genre of the "Jewish" subjects is inexpressibly wide, and event reminds not usual singing and dancing festival, but a cheerful meeting of friends where everyone is glad to see old friends and as to get the new.

In Karaganda, in sanatorium "Samal", visitors from all cities of our republic. Tired after long road, we hardly didn't fall from feet when have crossed a threshold of sanatorium — our house for the nearest some days. But despite weariness even small children lead by the musical head of Lyudmila Samsonova and Anya Eremina, the dancing head, have begun to rehearse salutatory numbers.

In the evening is the opening! Let not the culmination moment (all of us look forward for gala concert), but very important, because it was the first stage of festival. Irina Kozhanovsky director JCC of Karaganda opened festival and has thanked first of all sponsors the Jewish congress, "Joint "organization, and this year also the new sponsor –"Sohnut" agency for having such possibility, to make annual festival of youthful musical creativity. The salutatory word has been given the president of Association of the Jewish communities of Kazakhstan Alexandr Baron who has noticed that the seventh year of festival — especially important, "shabbat" year, this year simultaneously sums up everything that has been made for the last years and opens a door in the future achievements. Alexandr Baron has congratulated all with this celebratory year-festival and coming Shabbat.



"Owners" of festival, its main organizer in Karaganda, Irina Kozhanovsky in her words has underlined that "Freilehe Kinder" collects more and more participants — not only from our country, but also from Russia, and this time — Uzbekistan. The Jewish culture develops together with our festival. And further everyone showed "homework" - salutatory number. Participants from cities of Almaty, Astana, Petropavlovsk, Uralsk, Kokchetav, Shymkent, Taraz, Pavlodar, Tashkent, Kostanaj, Semei and certainly, Karaganda stepped on the stage by turns.



"Freilehe Kinder" is the festival of the Jewish youthful and children's creativity, but number weren't limited "Hava Nagila"! Spectators clapped to children who "have lit" a hall the present break, echoed Maxim from Uralsk, clapped in a step to dances and even dance-pantomime — Almaty children have shown such number and that have opened a gate to coming Shabbat. Each of twelve cities of participants is a bright asterisk in a festival sky.

Maiya Polumisko