Chanukah Lights "Man of the Year"

Chanukah represents spreading light, especially in the dark. Which is why this year, at our huge Chanukah event, we awarded nine people with the "Man of the Year" award. These people spread light and warmth to our community by going above and beyond for the Jews of Ulyanovsk. Without them, the Jewish community of Ulyanovsk would not be what it is today.

The following is the list of the nominees for "Man of the Year":

Alexander Feldman - Nominee "Torah". For donating our first Sefer Torah.

Oleg Feldman - Nominee "Donor". For being the largest donor of our community.

Igor Dabakarov - Nominee "Youth". For his incredible work with Ulyanovsk youth.

Valery Rogatskin - Nominee "Culture". For his work in arranging Jewish cultural events, creating community connections with the government,  and fighting antisemitism. 

Lena Polina - Nominee "Volunteer". For her volunteer work in the kindergarten.

William Vruchtel - For being the first President of the board of trustees

Sara Marozova - Nominee "Education". For her work with Jewish education.

Alexander Sher - Nominee "Menorah" For his idea and implementation of the Menorah in front of our building.

Yaakov Shandalov - Nominee "Builder". For his contribution in the reconstruction of our  community center. 

In between nominees, there were various performances. The children's educational center "School of Dreams" performed through poetry, choir, and dance. The women's club prepared an extraordinary dance with their beautiful new costumes.


There was a ten minute break, during which fresh delicious doughnuts were served.


Governor Sergei Morozov attended the event and spoke about the spreading of light and warmth. 

The event continued with a lively concert. Igor Dabakarov and his music group "Nefesh" sang and played many Jewish songs.