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On Monday, the Jewish community of Khmelnytskyi gathered for a joint celebration of Hanukkah. At lunchtime, a magical event began in one of the best restaurants with an interesting program and many surprises. Representatives of all generations were present: from small children to people of the "golden" age. Whole generations came here, which was extremely pleasant for us.
The celebration began with an introductory speech by the host Lyudmila Shvartsman. We once again recalled the historical foundations of the Victory holiday, the Hasmonean brothers with their unforgettable feat and the miracle that G-d created with a pot of oil in the Temple. The honor of lighting the main Hanukkah fell to the elder, volunteer of the Hesed Besht Foundation and respected member of the community, Semen Milman. He lit both a large electric Hanukkah and a familiar lamp with candles, which was set up on a table, next to donuts and a selection of homemade cards that the Foundation's clients made during the Hanukkah marathon. Client Relations Manager Vyacheslav Yulle provided those present with comprehensive information on how to properly light candles, what prayers to say while doing so, and, in addition, told several legends about the holiday.
Anatoliy Muzyka performed the song "Jerusalem", which symbolically reflects the eternal struggle of the Jewish people. Greetings to the audience on the holiday were heard from the Director of the Hesed Besht Children's Charity Foundation, Igor Ratushny, our colleagues from Zaporizhzhia Hesed Michael, the Kesher Project Youth and Youth Organization, and many others. Special musical greetings were given to the grateful audience by the Foundation's volunteer, accordion virtuoso Oleksiy Radetsky. The head of the Golos mono-theater, Serhiy Troyanovsky, prepared an excerpt from a play about the events of Hanukkah. There was even real piano playing from the Health Center Manager, Natalia Gerasimenko. And a real surprise was the performance of amateur Jewish housewives with incendiary songs.
There was a special creative zone for children. Here, they could contribute to the creation of a Hanukkah poster. And while the adults were busy with their own business, the children were happy to create, draw, cut, and glue, both with the help of their parents and independently, depending on their age. The next activity forced them to break away from this activity, which was marked by extraordinary excitement.
Upon entering the hall, each guest that day received a number for a charity lottery. The gifts were drawn quite useful and thematic: oil, a frying pan, a hot glove - in short, everything related to the topic of frying, which is especially relevant during Hanukkah. With the help of children who drew numbers from the lottery machine, all the gifts were drawn. Both adults and representatives of the youth became the happy owners of souvenirs, and one family was lucky even twice! They publicly invited everyone to donuts, since they won almost everything necessary for this - a frying pan and a bottle of oil.
Another lottery concerned only those celebrating anniversaries. Every year, the Hesed Besht Charity Foundation congratulates people celebrating special dates with cards with personalized numbers. Just in time for Hanukkah, a charity raffle of nice gifts for this year's anniversaries is held. At the beginning of the following month, three clients from the regions receive additional gifts, and two sets were sold right in the hall, since the lucky anniversaries were present at the holiday.
The event was extremely pleasant, joyful and warm. Both the visitors and the organizers were pleased to see the result of the painstaking preparation. Once again, we wish everyone a Happy Hanukkah Sameach and wish you light, warmth and love!
