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Petropavlovsk city has a school where members of the Jewish
community have been meeting and celebrating all national holidays for
many years. On September 8 the celebration of Rosh-ha-Shannah was held
there.
The meeting was opened by the President of the Jewish Cultural
National Center Mark Vitkin. He wished the guests Happy and Sweet
New Year. Then the director of the community center Svetlana Makarovskaya
read greetings from Jewish organizations in Kazakhstan and other countries
sent to the Northern Kazakhstani Diaspora.
Loud and drawling sounds of Shofar announced the beginning
of Rosh-ha-Shannah. Lev Kuntarovsky said blessing over the candles
and they were lit. Apples with honey and pomegranates on the tables looked
very appetizingly.
A fish's head - the indispensable attribute of Rosh-ha-Shannah
celebration - rose above other dishes. When the "Tashlich" ceremony
was being performed everybody was eager to "throw" his or her
sins into vessels with water that had to be poured to the running water
afterwards. New Year songs sung by "Shalom" group raised the
guests' spirits.
It is obvious that Jewish Tradition is putting down roots in Northern
Kazakhstani region. Thus, for example, Tzedaka (a box for donations) was
not set aside. It was so touching to watch infants hardly walking yet,
but already stretching their hands with coins to do their share for charity.
Further events were a real surprise for the guests. Jewish
Community and Religious centers of Petropavlovsk city finally prepared
and held the Jewish wedding ceremony. Building of huppah and appearance
of the bride together with her mother and her bridegroom's mother created
a furore. After signing the ktubah (marriage contract) there appeared
witnesses, the fiance with his father and his bride's father.
Sergey Shumyachkin and Ksenya Nevyantseva (she
is Ksenya Shumyachkina now) became the first Petropavlovsk couple
of the XXI century married in accordance with the Jewish Tradition. Having
handed the bride a bunch of flowers and pulled down her bridal veil, the
groom took her to the huppah where Lev Kuntarovsky was waiting for
them with his assistant Igor Zhigarlovsky. Before joining her bridegroom,
the fiancee walked round the huppah seven times along with her mother
and her future mother-in-law. Then there was a culmination - kiddushin
ceremony. Blessing over the wine was said, the groom's father gave him
a glass to drink, then the bride took the glass from her mother and sipped.
After that the fiance put the wedding ring on the fiancee's forefinger.
Then the ktuba was read and the groom gave it to the bride with his right
hand.
It was a turn for seven blessings. They were said by the
most respected people of the community: Jacob Rippin, Zyama Girshyk,
Efim Kleinerman, Boris Zayants, Ilya Raitsynov, Nuhim Slavutsky,
Ruzya Linkov.
The glass of wine was filled again and given to the groom.
He drank half of it and the bride drank the rest. After that in memory
of destruction of the Temple the fiance broke the glass with his right
foot. Everybody cheered: "Mazal Tov!" In closing of kiddushin
ceremony "Shalom" group sang Jewish folk song "Ver Ich
Mir Ahosn" ("I Have Become a Groom"). As it should be at
a wedding the married couple left the hall in a round dance to the accompaniment
of a fascinating Jewish folk song "Lomir Tangen Ashemene".
The last event of the festival was an interesting cognitive
quiz on the theme of Jewish Tradition. The winners got prizes.
The guests were leaving with glad and contended look. "Happy
and Sweet New Year!" - sounded from everywhere.
Svetlana Makarovskaya
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