World Jewish News

Ust-Kamenogork Jewsih community holds Family camp meetings.

The Jewish home and Jewish family is the last stronghold of the ancient Jewish tradition. Even those present day Jews distant from the religion are trying to at least partially preserve in their families the specific features the Jewish family known for ages.
To preserve the Tradition, and in some instances, to revive it, the Jewish community of Ust-Kamenogorsk holds meetings in the Family camp. Last year, we invited the community members to "Leninogorskiy" sanatorium. "Izumrudniy" recreation center in the picturesque Gornaya Ulbinka was the site of the recent workshop for Jewish families. "Izumrudniy", with its modern and rebuilt premises, a pool, and arbors comfortable for open air discussions, is situated among the mountains and creeks.
Seven families entered the Family camp. This number is symbolical for many nationalities - seven rainbow colors, seven week days; well, the lucky number. Sabbath festivities and Torah reading had been planned in advance. The coordinator of the "Faina" religion programs of the Hasada V.G. Fleitlich helped to conduct the ancient rituals in strict correspondence to the rules. Songs were heard during the Sabbath, the results of the every day's events were summed up during Avdala, and active participants of the Family camp were given prizes.
Members of the Youth club Ksenia Novgorodtseva, Dima Varshawskiy and others helped the camp participants to conduct different contests, quizzes, relay races. However, the most active young organizer was Elena Nasyrova.
The Family club participant will remember the game called "Traveling the stations of Jewish holidays". In an entertaining manner, the hosts explained specific feature of each and every holiday, staged funny sketches, taught classes on holidays. Having received the route map, every family would travel from one station to another, earning points. The results were summed up in the evening. The families agreed that this way of teaching is the most effective for a simultaneous learning by several generations.
The "From the History of Eastern Kazakhstan Jewish" lecture by Nina Krutova involved everyone. The information gathered by this outstanding woman is worth to be published as a book.
Makabiade brought a lot of fun to the participants, among whom there were children, adolescents and elder people of the community.
Before going home, the Family camp participants, now inspired by the native culture and Tradition, left their opinions and remarks by Ust-Kamenogorsk's Wall of Tears.

Источник: mitsva.kz