For the sixth consecutive year the Jewish youth from the various CIS countries gathers in Kishinev for “Hilleliada”. This year, more than 100 of young boys and girls from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine competed with the teams of Kishinev Hillel, Sohnut and Israeli Cultural Center in various sporting events.
The first day started with the contests in swimming, table-tennis, draughts, chess, backgammon, weight-lifting and arm-wrestling. The young people competed not only in sporting events, but also in intellectual games.
It might seem that by the end of such a saturated day the only thing the youth will dream about will be just to have rest. Nevertheless, everyone participated on the evening grand opening of the “Hilleliada” in Niagara Orange Fitness club. Boys and girls from “Hillel” had fun till midnight, but it did not prevent them to start a next part of the competitions to their full capacity.

“We did not even reckon on such a tremendous result,” admitted the director of Kishinev “Hillel” Lidia Zambilovich. “Young people participated in the sporting events with a greatest pleasure, their enthusiasm just brimmed over. Besides that, we did not expect such an intense assistance from the Jewish organizations. Especially I would like to emphasize the support of Joint, of the Jewish Congress of Moldova and the direction of “Niagara Orange Fitness club”, where we were rendered with the areas to conduct our events and activities without any indemnity”.

On the next day, the teams competed in football and basketball, and in the evening there took place a closing of “Hilleliada-2007” in the night club “Boston Bowling”.

“The results of the games are totally unimportant for me, I do care about an absolutely other things”, says Joseph Axelrud, the regional director of “Hillel” all over CIS (except of Russia). “What is particularly important for me is that our youth has a possibility to meet and be united by the common affairs. We attract more and more Jewish young people – and that is really important”!

The paradox of “Hilleliada” consists in that there are winners, but there are no losers. The main and essential idea is not only to win, but – first of all - to participate.