JOY AS A GIFT

  Childhood is a time of gifts, hopes, and holidays. It is a merry age full of colorful bows, smell of mother's cookies, and popgun bangs. But it proves that to give presents to small children is not less pleasant than to receive them.

  "It will be more interesting. We are like adults now!" - says the head of the children's creative center Alexey Korobkin.

  On December 8 the clients of Hesed "Polina" and four Warm Homes of Almaty city came to the festive performance prepared by "Rimon" JCC. The concert dedicated to Chanukah was not the first present JCC children gave to the community. The children try to help their people and they do first of all the work they are equal to. But this work often proves very important. Children make the eyes of our dear old people shine again.

  Grateful audience and small actors who dream about giving everybody pleasure are a great combination full of joy and emotions. It is astonishing how these two remote and inseparable generations understand and feel each other! Such holidays help to unite the community and to preserve the memory about the Jewish Tradition and culture.

  The sketches "How We Were Prepared To Chanukah", "Story About the Oil That Was Burning For Eight Days", and "The History Of Chanukah" which became the highlight of the program were made up by children specially for the concert. Thanks to them the guests again saw Chanukah through children's eyes. Its special light, common joy at the sigh of the dreidel, the unique taste of latkes, and the solemn shine of Chanukah candles. The children sang songs, recited poems, and asked interesting questions involving the guests in the merry game-childhood. Nobody could resist! Old men and women cheered "Merry Chanukah" and other songs with the sounds of castanets and tambourines that suddenly appeared in their hands.

  After the concert everybody gathered in the JCC small hall, and students of the computer class presented their gift for the community. Computer presentation "Chanukah Story" demonstrated children's computer skills and their unrestrained fantasy. Bright, naive illustrations, tasteful font colors, background, and even letter shape looked surprisingly professional. But the main thing was that the presentation had its own soul, children's enthusiasm, and the warmth of young hearts!

  The holiday is over. We say goodbye to Chanukah for a year. May the Chanukiah light up the way of our people up to that time!

Galina Goldberg