More Than Apples in Honey

After 70 years of repression, the Soviet regime succeeded in wiping out much of the glorious Jewish life that once flourished in the country’s vast expanse.  But the remnants of Jewish traditions did not altogether vanish.  JDC now is helping Jewish communities large and small throughout the FSU recreate the grandeur of what once was.

Such is the case for Misha, a teenager from Kazan in the Volga region of Russia.  The Rosh Hashana traditions were long forgotten by Misha’s parents and were never passed on to Misha himself. The years of suppression of all things Jewish meant that many Jewish youth like Misha must learn Jewish traditions anew: that Rosh Hashana is the start of the Jewish year and is a solemn holiday that marks the beginning of the days of judgment; and that many Jews eat apples and honey and pray in the synagogue on this holiday.

But simply learning about these traditions was not enough for Misha and his friends.  Misha is a founding member of Kazan’s Jewish youth group, called Afifon, or "kite" in Hebrew.  The youth group has been in existence for only one year, and the Jewish New Year marked the anniversary of its creation.

"We got together and decided to make this holiday special.  We also used the holiday as an opportunity to think about what it means to us to be Jewish, and what we hope to achieve through our club."

The members of Afifon decided to host a Rosh Hashana celebration.  And they included something for everyone: prayers and the blowing of the shofar, singing, Israeli dancing, and a holiday meal followed by a disco.  They also hosted a puppet theater and a play.

Every club member contributed something according to his or her abilities: stage-making, ticket-selling, or food preparation.

For the members of the Afifon youth group, this Rosh Hashana was a holiday they will remember for the rest of their lives.  "It was better than we expected.  Everything was so alive; performers were so inspired and the audience applauded so loudly," said Misha. 

But it is not only the cheers that Misha will fondly recall.  It is the fact that he, and his friends, started a new holiday tradition, that he hopes to carry on for many more years to come.