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“Every star is a human soul. And where the soul goes, there the person goes. That is why it seems to us that the stars are falling…” These lines from the work “Wandering Stars” belong to the brilliant classic of Jewish literature – Solomon Rabinovich, known throughout the world under the pseudonym Shalom Aleichem. On May 17, a round table was held at the “Thia” Community Center of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation “Hesed Besht”, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of the exemplary artist. The event was attended by employees of the Khmelnytskyi city libraries, poets and representatives of national minorities.
Various events dedicated to Shalom Aleichem's work are held regularly at the Thiya Community Center, but this year's roundtable was special. In his message to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he bequeathed to celebrate his "yortzeit," the anniversary of his death, without sadness, and to remember his name by reading works in Yiddish and in other languages into which they will be translated.
And so it happened, since the work of Shalom Aleichem is revered not only by the Jewish community, but also by many other peoples, it has been translated in all corners of the world, where it does not lose its relevance even with the passage of time. We are proud that the genius of the pen was our countryman and carried the love for his native lands throughout his life, not infrequently mentioning our region both in his early works and in the later stages of his life in other countries.
During the round table, its participants noted the importance of the Jewish writer's work for contemporaries. Library representatives noted that Shalom Aleichem's works are interesting to both adults and children due to the simplicity and accessibility of the presentation, the richness of images and style. Special attention was also paid to the writer and poet's apt sense of humor. At the round table, each participant prepared a separate topic from Shalom Aleichem's work, which he shared with those present. Speeches and remarks were supplemented by a demonstration of a video series, which made the meeting lively and relaxed.
The round table showed the attitude of contemporaries to the century-old work of the great Jewish artist. This is extremely important for our community, since it is through the activities of libraries and other cultural institutions that the vast majority of contemporaries learn about the literary achievements of past years, including Shalom Aleichem. Therefore, we can conclude that in today's world, Jewish contributions are in demand and respected. The Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" will continue to make every effort to popularize Jewish literature to the general public, which is one of the tools for forming a tolerant society in Ukraine. Therefore, the star of Shalom Aleichem, about which he once wrote, will shine for a long time in the literary firmament, even after its owner has departed into the invisible distance.
