The Uzbek capital city of Tashkent hosted a joyous ceremony that reflected the pride of the entire Jewish community in this former Soviet republic.
On this day, a total of 15 young ladies, all of whom attend the Ohr Avner Chabad Day School, celebrated their own Bat Mitzva. In accordance with national tradition, they also received their respective Jewish names on this occasion.
The ceremony was led by Rabbi David Kolton, a Chabad Lubavitch emissary serving in the region, and his wife Chana. This life-changing event also involved a number of other high-profile figures, including Hillel Neumann, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel in Uzbekistan, and Asher Uliamperl, the Head of the Jewish Agency in Central Asia.
Each of the girls marking their coming of age through this ceremony was presented with a certificate bearing her new Jewish name. The gathering ended with an excellent meal, involving friends and family, as well as community leaders and members.
The Jewish community of Tashkent is a foremost member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS and Baltic Countries.
What a colorful shul!