In late August, the Jewish community of Perm hosted a meeting for Jewish youth from nine different regions of Russia, including cities and towns in the Ural, the Volga region, Siberia and the North Caucasus.
Four months ago, the first seminar entitled, "Judaism - the light of friendship and understanding" (a project of the Chabad Lubavitch Ohr Avner Perm JCC) took place. The most recent seminar included participants from many more communities than the first. For five days, young men and women, many of whom work and live thousands of miles from each other, came together for this gathering.
The seminar was organized with support from the Mirilashvili Foundation and the Finger Foundation, as well as the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Mass Communications of the Perm Region. It took place at the Alit Health Resort, which is owned by the company Gornozavodskcement. All participants and experts appreciated the resort’s high level of services.
The seminar covered the practical side of Judaism, with the main theme being how to build and maintain a Jewish family based on Jewish values, love and understanding. Among the lecturers were the renown teachers, Rabbi Avraham Ilyaguev from Moscow and Rabbi Dov-Ber Beitman from Dnepropetrovsk.
Each day was packed full of activities, educational and creative workshops. The Shabbat gathering at the end of the seminar was particularly joyful. The unity that had developed between the participants during the past few days made the celebration holiday especially warm.
The seminar was a success thanks to the careful preparation under Chief Rabbi of Perm Zalman and Rebbetzin Sarah Deutsch, the seminar’s administrative director Simcha Izrailov, the professionalism of the lecturers, and the excellent conditions of the venue. Rabbi Beitman, who has participated in dozens of seminars around the world, expressed that this Perm seminar was among the best in terms of both its organization and content.