Rostov Jazzes Up Winter

The Jewish community in Rostov celebrated Chanuka with a unique concert performed by 3 artists who flew in from Israel; a world famous violinist – Sanya Kroyter – who played in the Kremlin the night before; a renowned opera singer – Felix Livshitz – and a clarinetist – Alex Kantsberg, accompanied by a local Jazz band.

The event was emceed by a famous local actor who played ‘Tuvye the Milkman’ from Fiddler on the Roof. The Jewish music was composed especially for this event by the clarinetest, Alex Kantsberg, formerly from Rostov and now living in Israel. It was a meaningful, emotional evening for him, performing his original music in front of 1,200 Jews, in his former hometown.

During the concert he shared a personal story about his earlier trip to Rostov on the High Holidays, where he attended shul for the first time. He said that the community was so warm and friendly, and Rabbi Danzinger was so welcoming to him, that he was inspired to make a resolution to also attend High Holiday services in the future in Israel, where he had always felt it was unnecessary.

“It was so special to come back to the city where I grew up and find here the warmth and spirit of Judaism,” he said. “I encourage you all to visit the wonderful shul you have in this city and discover the amazing people and atmosphere waiting for you!”

The local band members astonished the audience with Jazz-flavored Jewish music. This accomplishment was truly remarkable, since all the pieces were original compositions that they had to learn in a very short time.

Prior to the concert, an elderly man in the audience approached Rabbi Danzinger and presented him with an ancient small siddur that had been in his family for decades. He said that he never knew what to do with it, since he has no family left to pass it on to, but he would like to give it to the Rabbi. Rabbi Danzinger showed the crowd the precious siddur, and told them, “Our ancestors always knew that even in the darkest times, our only salvation was to daven to Hashem. Similarly today, we must strengthen our bond with Hashem and pass on our traditions to our children. When things are good as well as In times of need, we have to focus our attention on Hashem and strengthen that connection.”

Other Chanuka activities in Rostov included a “Chanuka on Ice” youth group party with the first-ever ice menorah attended by more than 250 people, and a sit-down dinner in shul, where the joy and dancing lasted until 1:00 am. The wintry weather was no deterrent for the vibrant community in Rostov, who came out en masse to celebrate the holiday of Chanukah with an outstanding display of pride and joy.