AJC Commemorates Freedom Struggle for Soviet Jews

ENGLISH/RUSSIAN EDITION
¹22
25 - 31 ÿíâàðÿ 2008
1 7 Ò è ø ð å é Vol. II
ACHDUT UNITY
YOUTH EDITION OF “THE BUKHARIAN TIMES” COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERYOUTH
Address: 106-16 70 Avenue 5 Floor, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Tel: 718/261-1595; 718/896-2623; E-mail: [email protected]
JEWISH WORLD
By Sergey
KADINSKY
The
Six
Day
War
changed everything. For
Israel, it was a miraculous
military victory, and in the
diaspora, it changed the
identity of many Jews from
passive observers to active
participants in the struggle
for freedom from totalitarianism. "1967 is thought to
be the inaugural year for
Soviet Jewry," said Dr. Igor
Branovan,
director
of
Russian-American Jews for
Israel and a board member
of the American Jewish
Committee. "It created a
crack in the monolithic
Soviet system."
Twenty years after the war
created a ripple of activism
among diaspora Jews, the
American Jewish Committee
organized
a
rally
in
Washington, D.C. to express
support for opening the Iron
Curtain to Jewish emigration.
Mindful of the accomplishments of the struggle to free
Soviet Jews, the AJC held a
reception on the 40th anniversary of the war and the 20th
anniversary of the rally to
honor its heroes, organizers,
and beneficiaries. Dr. Branovan was raised in Kaliningrad,
Russia, and immigrated to the
United States 27 years ago,
becoming a doctor and a
leader in the local RussianJewish community.
Among the early activists
was Boris Gorbis of Odessa.
After watching a film about
the United States in 1972, he
spoke with his father about
the possibility of leaving for
America. Being a respected
physics professor, his father
harshly rebuked Gorbis for
suggesting it, fearing the loss
of his position in society.
Gorbis applied to leave and
in 1975, only his grandmother accompanied him to the
train station. Soon after, his
father lost his position, and
was labeled a traitor and an
unfit parent as a result of
AJC Commemorates
Freedom Struggle
for Soviet Jews
Gorbis' act. Realizing that his
loyalty to the state did not
save his job, he too applied
to leave the country. In the
mean time, Gorbis settled in
California, becoming a lawyer
and leader in the Bay Area
Council for Soviet Jews. The father and son reunited in 1987
amid tears and emotions.
In the United States, the
legacy of silence during the
holocaust galvanized American Jews to speak out for the
right of Soviet Jews to leave
their country. Kara Stein remembers
learning
about
borhoods, and we were concerned about their loss of
Jewish identity," he said. As a
solution, Schussel campaigned for the Federation to
find homes for the immigrants
in Jewish neighborhoods. His
wife Rosie organized programs connecting immigrant
families with local Jewish
families in order to acculturate them to American and
Jewish cultures.
Eager to see the situation
of the Soviet Jews firsthand,
Schussel traveled to Moscow
in 1989, when the Soviet
rica, in contrast to Kliger's life
in Moscow. "He has done
extraordinary things for the
preservation of Jewish life."
Schussel's story of visiting
the Soviet Union with seforim,
mezuzot, and chizuk was
shared at the podium by
Edward Koch, who visited the
country as a Congressman. "I
visited a refusenik named
Boris Kochubiyevsky, and the
first letters of his name are in
my name. My family came
from Poland, but we may be
related," he quipped. Another
honoree at the reception was
Soviet Jews at her New Jersey summer camp. "We sang
songs about Soviet Jews,
including Natan Scharansky
while he was imprisoned,"
she said. "When I finally met
him, he told me that he heard
our songs." Mark Schussel
was a leader at the Jewish
Federation in Detroit and created
programs
bringing
together the Soviet Jewish
immigrants and the local
Jewish community. "In the
first wave of Soviet emigration, the immigrants were
given homes in gentile neigh-
Union was undergoing glasnost, which was a gradual
opening up of free speech in
the country. "There is something about being an American that gives confidence in
doing right," he said. Schussel met Dr. Samuel Kliger, a
refusenik who was awaiting
his turn to leave the country.
"I was standing in the presence of greatness," he said,
in reference to Kliger. Unlike
Kliger, Schussel described
himself as "being born with a
silver spoon," considering the
ease of Jewish life in Ame-
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who
was described by AJC director David A. Harris as a political hero on issues regarding
human rights. "Some of us
are cynical about politics, but
Chris Smith does not have a
large Jewish constituency. He
did it for the right reasons."
A distinct honor was
bestowed on Yuri Fedorov,
who hijacked an airplane in
1970, in the hope of escaping Leningrad. He was one of
the two gentiles in the crew
of sixteen. Initially sentenced
to death, his punishment was
commuted to 15 years in a
gulag as a result of pressure
from the AJC and other human
rights groups. Looking towards the legacy of the dissidents, Fedorov created a fund
assist the veteran dissidents
living in Russia. "The list of
sixty to seventy names is not
complete," Fedorov said. "All
of the people who received
our assistance are honorable
people who deserve it."
Another item mentioned
was
the
Jackson-Vanik
Amendment, which made
human rights the benchmark
of foreign trade policy. "It was
pure genius," Smith said. "It
revolutionized human rights
policy on many fronts." Three
decades later, the law used
to open up the Iron Curtain is
used against nations engaging in human trafficking. Amid
calls by Russia to repeal the
law, the AJC is neutral. "We
have led the call to repeal
Jackson-Vanik pertaining to
Ukraine," Branovan said. "We
felt strongly that it was time
to repeal it for Ukraine."
Since the election of Viktor
Yushchenko as president, the
AJC has used its contacts in
Ukraine to secure government
protection for minorities.
Another concern raised
involved the descendants of
the movement to free Soviet
Jews. How would their children be able to relate to this
great movement? Present at
the reception was Kliger's daughter Hannah, a high school
student in Brooklyn. "My father usually talks to me in English, but my mother insists
that I speak Russian at home,"
she said.
Dmitry Shiglik said that
education is important in
order to keep the memory of
the movement alive. "We cannot let the movement to let our
people go be forgotten, especially in comparison to the
silence during World War Two,"
Shiglik said. Shiglik is the vicepresident of Russian-American Jews for Israel, a Brooklyn-based advocacy group.
With an exhibit on refuseniks at Tel Aviv's Diaspora
Museum, a movie on the
topic, and a growing number
of Jews emigrating from Iran,
the impact of the few brave
dissidents defeating a totalitarian power will remain an
important lesson in Jewish
and human rights chronicles.
YOUTH EDITION OF “THE BUKHARIAN TIMES” COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
RELATIONSHIP
By: Oksana YASAYEVA
"The right relationship is
everything", as goes the
billion dollar motto that
none other than Chase
Bank swears by.
It sure
couldn't be any truer. No
wonder Chase Bank is one
of the most successful
companies out there.
Throughout our lives, we
come across many different
types of people and ultimately establish an unbreakable
bond with those who fit best
with our personality and/or
our characteristics.
We
befriend those who we
believe we can trust, depend
on and rely on.
As we get older and
mature,
our
relationships
demand that we adapt and
adhere to the different circumstances. Speaking from
experience, I can confidently
claim that life is not all about
a "merry-go-around-ride" and
"smooth sailing." It is almost
a given that everyone argues
and everyone has those "we
are not speaking" days.
These "we are not speaking"
days are actually what keep
the bond strong and unbreakable.
They provide for an
insight into a person and
expose the true colors of an
individual.
They allow for
more depth and allow room
for growth.
Granted, if we
were to look through all corners of the earth, we would
fail to find that one person
with whom we would have no
differences with.
With
the
population
exceeding ? billion people,
we have yet to encounter a
person identically alike and
even if we were to, who is to
say that we would be compatible with someone who is
identically the same as us in
all retrospect? How much
more so would there be room
for strife and conflict? From a
distance, it simply looks like a
no-win scenario. Either way,
you loose. So what's the
solution? How do we go
about avoiding headaches,
heartaches,
spasms
and
buckets of salty tears?
The key here is allowing
room for improvement. What
do I mean? How does this fit
into the solution? For starters,
let's tackle our attitude when
it comes to establishing the
foundation for a healthy relationship. Just like architects
sit down and draw a layout
for a structure, so too we
must do the same. Before
the building is topped-off, the
contractor makes decisions
from the type of stones that
will go into the building to the
THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING
number of floors, to the color
of
the
marble
in
the
lobby...etc...The building is not
put into production until all
essential materials are gathered and until all plans have
been finalized, approved and
tested.
The contractor knows that
without the concrete drawings, estimates and layouts,
the infrastructure will mount
to a whole lot of nothing. The
uncalled for circumstance. We
blow up for the insignificant
bit of details, compromising
years of friendship and trust.
It is imperative that we instill
in ourselves that people are
not angels. We did not come
into this world with perfect
characteristics and dimensions.
We are human and therefore are prone to error. In
fact, just the opposite is true.
architect makes sure that
backup plans are in tact and
certain cushions are available
should the original plan not
go accordingly. So too with
relationships.
A relationship
is a building to be erected, a
foundation that will serve to
endure tears and emotional
turmoil. With each accumulative year, such "elements" will
ultimately serve to deteriate
the infrastructure and test its
solidity. Should the foundation be firm and sturdy, it will
withstand the temporary rubble. If the architect rushed
through the job and was
careless in the process, it will
give way that one additional
needle to the haystack and
the erected tower will simply
collapse.
Nowadays, it seems as
though the preparation time
and the thought process that
we invest into a relationship
is seldom a substantial
denomination. We go into a
relationship with rigid qualifications and/or allow no room
for mistakes. Our spur of the
moment
comments
and
actions do nothing but deter
the progress of a healthy
relationship. We expect those
around us to always be on
their best behavior and never
are they entitled to a bad day
or
an
unexpected
and
If we don't err, the there is
something inhumane about
us. We as human are unfortunately bound to err and we
as human beings are fortunately bound to recover as
well.
Ultimately, we know first
hand from our parents that
a
healthy
relationship
requires a two-way communication system, where both
parties are able to vent and
speak up. Should there
appear a block on any end,
the relationship begins to
experience turbulence and
is doomed for downhill from
there on. If silence is preserved, the relationship simply won't. The two cannot
co-exist in coherence. I've
found that communication is
essential in all relationships
- may it involve a husband
and a wife, a mother and a
daughter and even a friend
to a friend.
Our ability to speak is
what makes us distinct from
all the other species.
Our
mind has capabilities that we
have yet to fathom. It is our
speech that allows for our
thoughts generated in our
minds to be expressed and
brought into action.
Our
speech is a powerful tool - a
tool that if used wisely can
build marriages and a tool
that if mis-used can cause
destruction felt thousand of
miles away. Given its significance and importance, it is
therefore extremely crucial
that we monitor our speech
and strive to think three-fold
before addressing our fellow.
Speak "with" people, not
"at" them. What does it cost
to be calm and collected?
When speaking with someone, watch your tone. It
makes a world
of a difference.
I have encountered
with
friends
who
were at a point
of having a
brake-down,
with my in-significant friendly
mannerism,
I
was able to
turn their mood
around
and
uplift their spirits. We underestimate
the
power of our
speech. If we
only knew its
power,
we
surely
would
put it to better
use. We are all
creations of Gd. Intrinsically,
we all have a portion of G-d
in us.
So every time we
speak to someone, in reality
we are really addressing a
"Tzelem Elokim", an image of
G-d.
How much more so
should we edit our speech?
How much more so should
we be wary? That's a pretty
scary thought.
Relationships
require
endurance and perseverance.
They call for sacrifice and
plenty room for "giving in"
and not having the last word
in every argument. It is very
easy to shift the blame and
avoid having to be the one at
fault in a disagreement.
It
simply requires no effort on
your part and leaves your
hands clean of guilt. In reality, you simply are the one
missing
out.
As
Noah
Weinberg, founder of Aish Ha
Torah writes in his articles,
"The only way we can
acquire knowledge is by
accepting that we do not
have it."
People who claim to know
everything cannot learn and
as a result will never grow.
The amount of knowledge we
can pick up from our peers is
vast and plenty.
Each
acquaintance we come in
contact with endured ordeals
beyond our imagination. Why
go through life with trials and
errors when you can avoid
your mistakes by learning
from the mistakes that others
have committed. That saves
us years of turmoil and gives
us priceless wisdom. How
often is wisdom granted so
easily into our fingertips? And
with it being offered for free,
why not squash your ego to
obtain the same? Talk about
a fair trade off.
While there isn't one person that can know everything,
some people cannot admit
any ignorance about anything.
Any admission of lack of
knowledge threatens their
fragile egos and undermines
their existence. Many opportunities to learn will pass
them by and they will forego
the same for the mere purpose of guarding their ego.
Essentially, their denying
their
ignorance
actually
increases their ignorance.
Acknowledging your weakness will only help you turn
that weakness into a strength.
Otherwise, say hello to ignorance and get acquainted
with him. It will be your best
friend for life, the only best
friend for that matter. Pun
intended.
Ultimately,
differences
among our parents, siblings
and friends are pretty much
inevitable and unfortunately
unavoidable. It is not easy to
change over night.
A person's trait is one of the hardest things to amend. It takes
years of working on yourself
and a lot of commitment.
Our bodies are used to effortless actions and performance
based on habit. But, when
we give ourselves incentive to
change and when we know
that something better will
come out of it, our body willin anticipation of the rewardovercome the resistance to
change and vow to adjust to
the new mode of behavior.
Starting with small steps
will get you far. Empires
weren't built overnight and Gd didn't create the world in a
day. Make an effort to learn
from everyone, including your
younger sister who you think
knows nothing and including
your friend who cannot possibly "sympathize" with you
because you think you know
better.
"Learning something new
may take effort, but once we
make something a part of our
routine, it becomes not only
effortless, but automatic."*
* Noah Weinberg
fax: (718) YOUTH
261-1564
TheBUKHARIAN
Bukharian Times
26 îêòÿáðÿNEWSPAPER
- 1 íîÿáðÿ 2007 N 298 20
EDITION OF “THE
TIMES” COMMUNITY
QUEENS GYMNASIA
Rabbi Zalman Zvulonov,
Executive
Director,
Mrs.
Cynthia Galler Levin, Head of
School and Mrs. Sylvia Hammer, school consultant, hosted Rabbi Nachum Kaplan of
Merkos L"Inyonei Chinuch and
Dr. Steven Heft of the Middle
States Association of Colleges and Schools last week.
The school is embarking on
the exciting process of attaining
Middle States Accreditation.
Dr. Heft and Rabbi Kaplan
toured the school and visited
many classes and discussed all
manner of things with the principals of the divisions: Mrs.
Faye Rottenberg and Mrs.
Jennifer Seideman, Judaic and
General Studies Principals of
the elementary school, Mrs.
Sari Aminov, Judiac Studies
Principal of the Girls' High
School, Rabbi Shmuly Kogan,
Judaic Studies Principal of the
Boys' High School and Mr. Avi
Strulson,
General
Studies
Principal of both boys and girls
in High School.
Our Middle
States guests were impressed
with our children, our teachers,
and our program, endorsing the
plan to enter the accreditation
process and encouraging us to
proceed.
Our yeshiva
will demonstrate the quality of our program, faculty and administration
through the various projects in
the process.
From a revised
Queens Gymnasia Undertakes
Middle States Accreditation Process
ers of the local
J e w i s h
C o m m u n i t y.
Strategic planning
for
the
future-asking
what will our
parents' and students'
needs
and goals be in
the next five
years, and how
will we serve
and fulfill themwill lead us to
create and develop programs
and curriculum to meet those
needs and realize our mission
as we go. Our curriculum and
approach to teaching and
mission statement and vision
of the school and all it can
be, we will work to put down
on paper all that we do and
all that we want to do so we
can achieve increasingly higher levels of excellence for our
students. Combining the dual
mission
of
Torah
and
J e w i s h
Heritage with
success
in
G e n e r a l
Studies and
life in the
w o r l d ,
Q u e e n s
Gymnasia is
poised
to
build
the
future lead-
learning
are "live
documents" responding to the
developments in research and
education knowledge, responding to the changing needs of
students and families, and
responding to the changing
circumstances in the world,
helping our students to meet
their challenges in life successfully, enabling them to
grasp all the opportunities that
come their way.
Parent involvement is an
Teen ACTION îòêðûâàåò äâåðè!
Âû ïåðåæèâàåòå çà óñïåâàåìîñòü âàøåãî ðåáåíêà?
À, ìîæåò áûòü, ãîðäèòåñü
âàøèì îòëè÷íèêîì?  äâàäöàòü ïåðâîì âåêå îò ïîäðîñòêà
òðåáóåòñÿ
ãîðàçäî
áîëüøå, ÷åì áåçóêîðèçíåííàÿ ïîñåùàåìîñòü è õîðîøèå îöåíêè.
×òîáû ïîñòóïèòü â ïðåñòèæíîå ó÷åáíîå çàâåäåíèå,
ïîëó÷èòü ôèíàíñîâóþ ïîìîùü è ïðåóñïåòü â æèçíè
íóæíî óìåòü îáùàòüñÿ ñ ñàìûìè ðàçíûìè ëþäüìè, àêòèâíî ó÷àñòâîâàòü â æèçíè
îáùèíû, ðàçáèðàòüñÿ â ìèðîâûõ ïðîáëåìàõ.
Teen ACTION, íîâàÿ èíèöèàòèâà
Áóõàðñêî-åâðåéñêîãî
important part of a successful
school and parents play an
important role in the accreditation process as well. We will
be building a steering co-
êëóáà äëÿ ïîäðîñòêîâ, íàöåëåíà íà òî, ÷òîáû ïîìî÷ü êàæäîìó ïðèîáðåñòè êà÷åñòâà ëèäåða, ïîäãîòîâèòüñÿ ê ïîñòóïëåíèþ â êîëëåäæ è ñòàòü
âçðîñëûì
ñàìîñòîÿòåëüíûì
÷åëîâåêîì. Ýòà ïðîãðàììà íàó÷èò êðèòè÷åñêè ìûñëèòü, ïëàíèðîâàòü ñâîè ôèíàíñû, âåñòè
çäîðîâûé îáðàç æèçíè.
Ãëàâíàÿ çàäà÷à ïðîãðàììû--ïîìî÷ü ìîëîäîìó ÷åëîâåêó ïðîÿâèòü ñåáÿ, ñâîè ñïîñîáíîñòè, íàó÷èòü åãî îòñòàèâàòü
ñâî¸ ìíåíèå è äåëàòü ïðàâèëüíûé âûáîð. Ïðîãðàììà îñíîâàíà íà èíèöèàòèâå ïîäðîñòêîâ, ïðèñëóøèâàåòñÿ ê èõ ãîëîñó, äàåò èì âîçìîæíîñòü îáðåñòè ÷óâñòâî îòâåòñòâåííîñòè
è ñîáñòâåííîãî äîñòîèíñòâà.
Ó÷àñòíèêè Teen ACTION
ïðîâåäóò äåâÿíîñòî ïðîãðàììíûõ ÷àñîâ, îáñóæäàÿ íóæäû
îáùèíû, èçó÷àÿ èñòîêè ñîâðåìåííûõ ïðîáëåì, çíàêîìÿñü ñ
èíòåðåñíûìè ëþäüìè. Âñòðå÷è
áóäóò îðãàíèçîâàíû òàê ÷òî
êàæäûé ñìîæåò çàäàòü âîïðîñ,
âûñêàçàòü ñâîå ìíåíèå, ïðèíÿòü ó÷àñòèå â äèñêóññèè.
Ìýð
Áëóìáåðã
ñêàçàë:
,,Ïðîãðàììû, ïîäîáíûå Teen
ACTION, ïîáóæäàþò ó÷àñòíèêîâ áðàòü íà ñåáÿ îòâåòñòâåííîñòü çà ïðîèñõîäÿùåå ðÿäîì
è îáñóæäàòü âîëíóþùèå ïðîáëåìû. Ðåáÿòà óçíàþò î òîì,
êàê ðàáîòàòü â êîìàíäå, ïîääåðæèâàÿ äðóã äðóãà. Îíè íà÷èíàþò âèäåòü ðåçóëüòàòû ñâîåãî òðóäà è ïîíèìàþò ïàãóáíûå ïîñëåäñòâèÿ áåçîòâåòñòâåííîãî ïîâåäåíèÿ."
( w w w.k n o w l e d g e p l e x .o r g /
news/1170011.html)
Ïðîãðàììó áóäóò âåñòè
Æàííà Áåéëü, êîîðäèíàòîð
ñëóæá äëÿ ïîäðîñòêîâ â Jewish
Child Care Association, è Èìîíóýëü Ðûáàêîâ, óâàæàåìûé
ìîëîäîé àêòèâèñò áóõàðñêîé
îáùèíû.
Ñîáðàíèå äëÿ çàèíòåðåñîâàííûõ ðîäèòåëåé ñîñòîèòñÿ â
ïîíåäåëüíèê, 28ãî ÿíâàðÿ, â
7:30 âå÷åðà â Áóõàðñêî-åâðåéñêîì êëóáå äëÿ ïîäðîñòêîâ
ïî àäðåñó 108-13 67 Road,
Forest Hills, NY 11375.
Ïåðâàÿ âñòðå÷à äëÿ ïîäðîñòêîâ, æåëàþùèõ ïðèíÿòü ó÷àñòèå â Teen ACTION, áóäåò ïðîõîäèòü ïî òîìó æå àäðåñó â
âîñêðåñåíüå, 3 ôåâðàëÿ, â 11
÷àñîâ óòðà.
Âû çàèíòåðåñîâàíû? Ó âàñ
åñòü âîïðîñû? Oáðàùàéòåñü ê
Æàííå Áåéëü, ïî òåëåôîíó
914-424-3406 è ïî ýëåêòðîííîé ïî÷òå:
[email protected]
mmittee to lead this process
and will engage parents to join
with the Administration, Faculty
and community leaders to
develop the accreditation documents and be involved in the
strategic planning for the future
of our school. The process takes
about 18 months in most
schools. We look forward to
June, 2009, when we will
proudly graduate our first high
school class and receive our
Middle States Accreditation.
Photo by Merik Rubinov
Waiting for the world
to change?
Don't wait any longer!
· Develop leadership, critical
thinking, and academic skills!
· Be part of a positive peer
group!
· Receive service credits!
· Stand out from other college applicants!
· Create change
community!
We want YOU!
in
your
Join TEEN ACTION and
make a REAL difference! The
first meeting will take place at
the Bukharian Teen Lounge on
Sunday, February 3 at 11:00
AM.
Call or email TODAY for
more information.
YOUTH EDITION OF “THE BUKHARIAN TIMES” COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
UNITY
By: Zina
BABAYEV
Forest Hills, NY, January
7, 2008. Two prestigious
community organizations,
Achdut Unity and Emet, joined forces to strengthen the
Bukh a r i a n J e w i s h Youth.
The objective is to help the
youth to be spiritually enriched and deepen their awareness of Judaism while
advancing pride in their
Bukharian Jewish heritage.
Achdut Unity is known for
its educational and cultural
programs
that
make
Bukharian Jewish youth to be
proud of their heritage. The
organization is most successful in uniting and bonding the
youth through youth events
such
as
Hebrew
and
Bukharian Jewish language
courses, lectures, talk-shows,
music festivals, fun summer
picnics, and embracing the
cultural Bukharian Jewish
customs. Achdut is proud to
welcome Emet as its ally, a
reputable based organization,
to be part of our Bukharian
Jewish community. Emet is
most recognized for helping
young adults to explore and
discover the beauty of
ASK A RABBI
Feel free to ask
your questions
to Rabbi Refael
Ribacoff at
www.BJews.com
Question:
Dear rabbi,
How can I avoid doubts
about
G-d?
Sometimes
when so many things go
wrong and life seems really pointless to live is it normal to question G-d?
Answer:
BS"D
The only way to avoid
doubts about Hashem (G-d)
is by delving more and more
into the Torah. When a person is able to open their
mind to absorb everything out
there, you will find yourself
agreeing 100% that there is a
G-d and that He, and ONLY
He, is the One KING of the
world and universe (and
everything above and below)!
Your question is not new
STRENGTHENING AND UNITING
THE BUKHARIAN JEWISH YOUTH
Judaism and Torah through
religious lectures, seminarsshabbatons, trips, parties, as
well as other social events.
President of the Association of Bukharian Jewish Youth
of the USA Achdut-Unity,
Imanuel Rybakov; leader of
Avodat Hashem Youth Organization and the Judaism
Department in Association,
and has been dealt with by
many - including Rabbis,
philosophers, and the like.
Even Moshe Rabbenu (our
master and teacher) asked to
understand the "ways" of Gd. (Why do good things happen to bad people, and why
do bad things happen to
good people).
You have to understand
and accept that Hashem is
past, present, & future. He is
infinite. He is NOT a thing or
being! What might seem
"wrong" in our eyes - is very
calculated and correct in
Hashem's "eyes." We, as
humans, lack that understanding. We are finite and
limited in our brains and
understanding.
We must truly believe that
EVERYTHING that Hashem
does is good - and for the
very best!
It's like walking into the
middle of a movie and questioning what's going on?
Everything
doesn't
seem
right?
However, one who has
seen the movie form beginning to end - will fully understand what is going on and
why.
This (bad) example is a
Rabbi Levi Abdurakhmanov;
and Directors of Emet Youth
Organization, Rabbi Rutenberg and Rabbi Kraft, have
all agreed to coordinate various youth activities which will
promulgate Bukharian culture
and spiritual values of
Judaism for the youth in
order for them to connect
with their cultural background
simple way of looking at it.
Hashem is the Creator of this
world. He has been here thru
it all. Hashem rules this world
with "measure for measure."
We must truly believe, trust,
and try to understand that
everything is for a reason - a
good reason!
Sometimes things seem
unfair. However, do we really
know what will be if things
were different? Can we really
and inner selves. The
events will be aimed to
be both enjoyable and
enriching for the youth
to take part in and be
involved in an environment that is sociable
and pleasant.
Achdut Unity and
Emet
organizations
understand that our
youth is the future of
our Bukharian Jewish
community, and therefore, both are excited
to contribute and combine their resources
and knowledge to better
the
Bukharian
Jewish youth. The two
most prominent and
influential youth organizations will strive for
excellence to represent
the youth by helping
our young people to appreciate their cultural and religious
uniqueness.
Please
refer
to
our
newsletter for future events
or visit us on www.BJEWS.com
- to participate in our
upcoming youth activities and
social gatherings.
and honestly trick ourselves
into thinking that if I would
have decreed - things would
be different?
We have to have Emunah
(trust and belief) in Hashem's
ways. This is a test for us to
help us reach our potential
and goal in life.
Don't give up. Life is truly
good and worth living - once
we
are
already
here.
Everyone has a reason and
YOUTH EDITION OF
"THE BUKHARIAN TIMES"
newspaper
"ACHDUT - UNITY"
Published by the
Association of Bukharian
Jewish Youth of the USA
"Achdut"
in conjunction with
"The Bukharian Times"
BJews.com
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Editor-in-Chief
David Abayev
Managing Editor
Peter Pinkhasov
Zina Babayeva
Publishing Director
Imanuel Rybakov
This newspaper
is published
on the website
www.BJEWS.com
goal to reach. It
would
be
a
shame to just
end it or throw
away the opportunity to strive
and reach higher
Spiritual heights
possible by the
feeble
human
body.
Be strong in
your faith - and
don't falter. The
Jewish path is
true and everlasting. Learn more
and ask questions!
Here is a link
to a very touching short movie
as to the heights
people can reach
- and the understanding they can gain if they
just look for it.
http://www.aish.com/movies
/shaya.asp
All the best!!!
Rabbi Refael RIBACOFF
Executive Director Sha'arei Zion Ohel
Bracha Institutions