• In Actobe, the workers of the “Sarah” Chesed, the Jewish Ethno-Cultural Union “Shalom,” and the “House of Friendship” of the People’s Assembly of Kazakhstan held a Day of Jewish Culture. The concert program included representatives from various ethno-cultural groups of the city, including Bulgarian, Korean, Ukrainian, and others. Guests from Russia came to greet the participants of the celebration, including Chairman of the Orenburg Jewish National Cultural Autonomy Mikhail Ader and the Chief Expert of the Department of Internal Policy of the Governor of Orenburg region Evelina Persyianova.

• In Ekibastuz, the Jewish ethno-cultural group “Bechayad” held an event to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions. The community convened in the House of Friendship of the People’s Assembly of Kazakhstan. “Bechayad” head Lyudmia Schegoleva made a speech to the gathering: “We have convened to commemorate the hundreds of thousands, the millions of victims and those murdered, including on grounds ofnationality. In our country, just as in most of the countries of the former Soviet Union, the years of repressions will long remain in people’s memory as years when thousands upon thousands of innocents were judged unfairly.”

Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions is commemorated on May 31 in Kazakhstan. Memorial events take place all over the country, including rallies, gatherings, conferences, and the laying of wreaths at memorials.

• The Shymkent community organized a celebration timed to the end of the school year and Children’s Day. Bella Atran, the Director of the “Shimon” Chesed, organized the outdoor celebration for children of the Jewish community and their parents, first and foremost from socially-vulnerable families. The children went swimming, played sports, made pilaf, and played a mini-quiz game on Jewish tradition and history.

• The Pavlodar “Rachel” Chesed celebrated Jerusalem Day. The artists of the community presented a bas-relief titled “Jerusalem of Gold,” located on the premises of the charity center.

• Youth from the “Reflection” studio of the “Shemesh” Jewish Community Center (Karaganda) have filmed a documentary titled “Tales of the Great Victory.” 5 veterans of the Great Patriotic War became the main characters of the movie. Judging by the number of views on YouTube, this movie can be easily called a community bestseller.

• In Semey, members of the city’s Jewish community have cleaned up an old Jewish cemetery. No relatives of those who were buried in the cemetery remain in the city. The cemetery is becoming more and more decrepit and overgrown. An active group from the Jewish community believes that it is their duty to preserve this memorial of Jewish history.