A Carlbach Sings in Minsk - A Generational Reprise

MINSK, BELARUS -- As did their parents in darker, Soviet times, young Jews in the concert hall of the Minsk Jewish Campus swayed as Jewish music filled the air and their hearts. For their parents, such a concert was illegal, clandestine and often risky. For them, it was an occasion to openly enjoy their Jewish heritage.

On a recent Sunday, these Jews were enjoying the music of Neshama Carlbach (the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach's daughter), as she performed a concert in Minsk, Belarus. The event, sponsored by the YUSSR holds special meaning for Miss Carlbach as her father, a spiritual entertainer with a strong following that persists to this day, performed in Minsk throughout the 1970's, 80's and 90's. "One of my greatest missions in life is continuing what my father began," states Neshama. "I feel an invisible tie to Minsk. I have always felt drawn to go there."

The Minsk Jewish Campus, sponsored by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a hub of cultural activity for the city. "Concerts like this prove that the Jewish community of Minsk is well along its curve of revitalization," says the JDC's Stuart Saffer. "They're a significant Jewish community and now their cultural scene is achieving its proper due."

Carlbach in Minsk - A Generational Reprise

Ruthie Rottenberg of YUSSR, the organization sponsoring Miss Carlbach's performance, noted the importance of the concert by stating, "Neshama wants to do what her father did. She wants to bring music, beauty and Judaism to Minsk. For her father, it was illegal, for her, the gates have been opened." The concert was performed a week after the yorzeit for Neshama's father Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach.

For more information on Jewish cultural activities in the Former Soviet Union, click here.