Veliyam Kandinov - 80th Birthday Celebration

Allow me, my dear warm friend, to congratulate you on behalf of the many thousands of community members of “Beth Gavriel” with a wonderful anniversary. Your authority in the team is indisputable, because during the past 20 years you carry knowledge to the masses that are urgently needed, covering topics, questions and answers to which inspire hope for the best and give more confidence in the future.  Each of your informed orations, which are full of information and statistical studies, is a masterpiece that makes the people think and takes the audience all over the world.  A heartfelt thanks to you for your sensitivity, for your spiritual simplicity, for the fact that you are ready to open your warm and responsive heart to everyone who needs support or a sensitive word.

In 1960, you graduated from the Tashkent Institute of Finance and Economics, and in 1983, at the same educational institution, you became a doctor of philosophical sciences, professor, and head of the department specializing in sociology.  The input of your vast knowledge and various sociological studies which you have been a part of has taken our community to a different level.  Today, we cannot but express the words of deep and sincere gratitude to two remarkable women - your grandmother Rene Yakovlevna and mother Rosa Samoilovna, who managed to raise you as a worthy educated person. We cannot fail to remember on this day the name of your father Roshel (Moses), who tragically passed away by absurdity in the prime of his life a week before you were born. They should all be in Gan Eden in a lofty place. You left a good name about yourself in the Tashkent State University of Economics, where you came as a student at the age of 17, and left a famous scientist, having emigrated in 1994 to the United States. To this day, you are remembered here with a kind word for your inimitable lecturing skills, depth of judgment and sincere attitude towards people. America, immigration, testing you for strength, not only could not shake your temper and principles of integrity, but on the contrary breathed new forces, thanks to which you quickly found your place in a new country, primarily in your native community.

When you came to New York at a rather mature age, you instantly plunged into creative work, publishing 4 monographs here, including the work of 1996 Russian Immigration: Bukharian Jews in America ”in Russian and English, which became in fact the first serious sociological study that introduced the American audience to a small Jewish ethnic group - people from Central Asia. The culmination of your activity in this field was the recent release of the fundamental research “The Price of Jewish Happiness ?!”, New York, 2018, 604 pp. beginning of the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, 10 months ago your beloved spouse Svetlana, with whom you have lived for more than 50 happy years, passed away. She played a very important role in preparing this book for publication. May she rest in peace in Gan Eden. Together with Svetlana, you raised two wonderful children who are close to you in spirit - Roma and Rena, four wonderful grandchildren who became the adornment of your life.  Hashem should prolong your years so that you can share the happy occasions with your loved ones.  Dear Veliyam Moiseevich! May your gift of a scientist, subtle publicist not leave you for many years, because you are needed in our community.

I wish you health, well-being in the circle of your wonderful family, friends, and like-minded people, who include not only the members of the Beth Gavriel community, but all those who have had and have the pleasure of communicating with you.

 

With deep respect.

President of the Beth Gavriel Center, Ilya. Koptiev

Vice-President, Simha Alishaev

Rabbi of the Center, Emanuel Shimunov