Society

00:39, 20.12.2007 | Far East Russia

Russia - In Russia's easterly port city of Vladivostok, Jews faced the cold to attend a gathering to mark the Festival of Lights.

At a celebration hosted at the city's Philharmonic Concert Hall on Sunday night - the sixth night of Chanukah òÀÓ this event also gave local Jews and guests the opportunity to reflect on the achievements and challenges met by this blossoming Jewish community over the past year.

With an entertaining program that included performers originating from all across Russia, this gala concert culminated in lighting the candles of the Chanukah Menorah. The event also welcomed a number of guests, but reached a much wider audience, with TV and other mass media coverage of the event accessible to hundreds of thousands of local residents. The Governor of Primorsky Krai, Sergei Darkin, also personally congratulated the Jewish community and Chief Rabbi of Vladivostok Yisroel Silberstein on Chanukah and the successful development of the Jewish community.

Chief Rabbi of Vladivostok Yisroel Silberstein delivered an inspiring speech to participants, speaking about the history and meaning of the Chanukah miracle and underlining the holiday's key message. "We must bring in more light - what was good yesterday, is no longer satisfactory today," he emphasized. "We cannot simply remain satisfied with the past year's achievements and progress. We, as a community, will continue to grow."

Organized by the Jewish community of Vladivostok òÀÓ a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia - this festive gathering involved over 150 people, who eagerly celebrated not only Chanukah but the birthday of Rabbi Silberstein. This gathering was followed by yet another event òÀÓ an graceful kosher dinner, involving dignitaries, community sponsors and guests.

Together with community Chairman Gregory Klebanov, Chief Rabbi of Vladivostok Yisroel Silberstein and his wife Alizah have, in just a short time, managed to build a beautiful foundation for advancing Jewish life in this city of 600,000 residents. Their progress is a prime example of how the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS and Chabad Lubavitch emissaries are building strong communities and changing lives in even the remote parts of the Former Soviet Union.