Holiday Carnival Celebration Unites Minsk Jewish Community

In spite of the rain on a recent October morning, the JDC-sponsored Minsk Jewish Community House (MEOD) hosted a celebration of Holy Days – carnival style. MEOD's yard was elaborately decorated, and stands – each representing a traditional Jewish autumn holiday – sprang up on the lawn. There, Jews of Belarus gathered together to celebrate and connect with the Jewish community.

MEOD traditionally hosts activities for any Jewish organizations in need of a "home" in Belarus, and the holiday gala was no exception. International and local groups converged on MEOD grounds to create a hugely successful event.

The group Lech-Lecha sponsored the Shmini Atzeret stand and treated visitors to sweet watermelon. At the booth mounted by the Israel Cultural Center, participants could learn about the month of Tishrei, the first month of the Jewish calendar. Meanwhile, a big group of laughing children gathered around the Sukkot stand, where the JAFI youth club gave out sweet cookies and taught about the holiday and its history. The Minsk Progressive Judaism community and its youth organization, Netzer, provided Lekech cake while Rabbi Abramovich led a discussion about the 10 days of repentance at their Yom Kippur holiday stand.

Rosh Hashana traditions were presented by the Jewish Community Center, where visitors partook of apples and honey for a sweet New Year. It also mounted an art studio stand where young children could paint and draw their visions of the holiday "fair". Hillel presented Yamim Noraim (Days of Repentance) by first honing in on the happiness of Rosh Hashana; they fried apples right in the middle of the Minsk Jewish Campus’s yard and treated the curious crowd to a taste. A local Hesed added sweetness to the day by inviting everyone to its stand to learn more about Simchat Torah and try some delicious cake.

The yard buzzed with activity, warmth, and communication; visitors spoke to each other as if they were uniting with old friends. Smiling, joyful visitors expressed overwhelming interest in Jewish culture and traditions.

"We always work and sometimes there is no time to stop and see what a beautiful Jewish community we have," said Helena, 32, who attended the holiday fair on October 12. "Here we can feel that we are a part of the community and when we get back home we will tell our families what a great celebration this day was."

The second half of the day was dedicated to a concert. Much to everyone's surprise, the number of people attending doubled since the previous year. "With joy in my heart I see that there are more and more people coming to our MEOD," said Max, Minsk's Hillel leader. "Last year just one hall could accommodate all the people who wanted to see the concert, but this year even two halls are hardly enough."

Among those in attendance were Arie Getter, the Charge d'Affaires of Israel in Belarus, Marina, the JDC Representative in Belarus, JAFI representatives, as well as leaders of Netzer, Lech-Lecha and Hillel Jewish youth organizations, who said many warm words about the Jewish community of Belarus and its continued growth. Several Belarus government officials also participated in the event.

The celebration ended with a raffle that was specially prepared by MEOD. Winners received traditional food baskets designated for each Jewish holiday.

At the end of the day and after 5 hours of activities, people did not want to leave the Minsk Jewish Campus that has become the home of the unique Jewish culture and traditions of the Minsk community.