ATES, LTD4

ortune...Only Look Like It

Photos by Michael J. Jordan

of snow, ice and wind. In
many villages the blacktop
soon dissolves into muddy,
unpaved tracks.
To counter the logistics
of distance, the American
Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee created 13 sepa-
rate Hesed offices nationwide
to provide food and welfare.
The warm and humble
operations, typically located
in dilapidated apartment
buildings, reached Jews in
160 towns and villages last
winter.
The agency also has six
Jewish educator Alexander Abramovich is work-
"Hesed-mobiles" — vans
ing on Jewish distance-learning via the Internet.
delivering monthly bundles
of food, medicine, clothes
gogues in Kazakhstan. On the eve of
and newspapers to clients in outly-
Purim earlier this year, Karaganda
ing communities, some as far as a
sent a busload of s 40 Jews, most of
four-hour drive. The Hesed-mobile
them
elderly and children, to celebrate
in Almaty, Baron says, is responsible
at Kubalnik's synagogue in Astana. It
for 40 villages across the province. A
driver, social worker and medic go out was a four-hour bus ride in the morn-
ing, several hours of festivities and a
for three days at a time, hit maybe 15
return home that night.
settlements and log about 1,000 miles
Not even rabbis are immune to
before returning to Almaty, loading
the sense of isolation. A newly built
up the van again and starting another
synagogue in the eastern city of Ust
three-day circuit.
Kamenogorsk welcomed a Chabad
The visits provide more than sus-
emissary last year to set up operations,
tenance. In Karaganda, the nation's
but Cohen and Kubalkin say he lasted
third-largest city, a Hesed-mobile
only a few months, turned off by the
driver says his van provides a lifeline
long overnight train trip, or two-hour
to those in near isolation.
flight, to his nearest colleagues in
"They're lonely people, so of course
Almaty or Astana.
they're happy to see that someone
Distance is also an issue for
cares about them:' says Leonid, 55.
providing Jewish education. In
"They never let me leave without a tea
Karaganda, Jewish educator Alexander
or something."
Abramovich meets twice a year with
Chabad itself launched a "Mitsvah
counterparts from across Kazakhstan
tank" in 1999, a "synagogue on wheels"
for "teach the teachers" seminars with
that visited a half-dozen towns for one
a visiting Israeli expert. The teach-
or two days each, says Rabbi Yehuda
Kubalkin, the religious leader in Astana. ers transmit the knowledge to classes
back home.
Since then, the movement relies
Abramovich is devising an online,
mostly on young, enthusiastic yeshiva
students who come from Israel during distance-learning strategy that he
says should bring more Jews into the
the High Holidays and fan out across
process.
the country. Chabad also widely dis-
"It's the 'tradition chain, where
tributes its newspapers, matzah and
Jewish traditions are passed down
even kosher meat — via refrigerated
from one person to another, that we're
train cars — for special occasions,
trying to re-create here he says.
says Cohen.
Still, the Jews of Kazakhstan are
Then there's the if-you-build-it-
resigned to their reality — and the
they-will-come approach: Last June,
distances.
Karaganda hosted its fourth annual
"It's a simple thing in life says
festival for Jewish youth from across
Itkina, the young activist and com-
Central Asia and Russia.
munal worker. "It doesn't matter if it's
a small country or a big country; if
Ride To Shul
somebody really wants to do some-
Jews within reasonable reach will
thing, they will."
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January 1 • 2009

A19