A series of memorial events tied to the 90th anniversary of the important Kazakhstan writer Moris Davidovich Simashko took place in Almaty. The Mitzvah Association of Jewish Communities and Organizations of Kazakhstan took an active part in organizing the memorial events.

Moris Simashko is a People’s Writer of Kazakhstan, a member of the Presidential Council on Kazakhstan’s National Policy, and the author of 20 books, published in over 40 languages.

A panel discussion on the writer’s work took place in the Rimon Jewish community center; a book exhibition had also been held there. The Chesed Day Club also had a discussion on Simashko’s heritage; a memorial evening was organized specifically for the youth of the community.

The anniversary evening organized by the Writer’s Union of Kazakhstan jointly with the Mukhtar Auezov Institute of Literature and Art involved the presentation of two books. One of them, “The Fourth Rome,” was written by Simashko himself. The second one, “Experience of a Philological Reading of Simashko” by Svetlana Ananyeva, is one of the few existing academic studies on the writer’s work.

The Jewish community was represented by Mitzvah President, EAJC Presidium member Alexander Baron, and Polina Chesed Director Inessa Chugainova.