‘Golden Samarkand’ Comes to Queens
Welcome, dear guests!
On November 7, 2024, at New York’s JFK Airport, under the sounds of traditional instruments, representatives of the Bukharian Jewish community welcomed the renowned philanthropist and owner of the «Golden Samarkand» hotel, Alik Jaffarov, who had arrived from Uzbekistan. Jaffarov, a great friend of the Bukharian Jews of Samarkand and the world, had made a special trip to New York to attend the jubilee celebration of Michael Zavulunov, Vice President of the World Congress of Bukharian Jews and President of the «Tajikistan» Charitable Foundation.
At the airport, the esteemed guest was met by Leon Nektalov, President of the Bukharian Jewish Center of New York, Michael Zavulunov, Ben and Gavriel Binyaminov, honorary vice president of the «Samarkand» Foundation named after Moshe Kalontarov, David Shimunov, chairman of the Jewish community of Samarkand, Ilya Mulodzhanov with his brother Albert, Solomon Barayev, Edik Sarikov, as well as musicians Boris Aulov and others.
«We have been waiting so long for the arrival of our dear friend Alik Jaffarov, whom we all deeply respect and are proud to call our friend,» said David Shimunov.
«The ‘Golden Samarkand’ hotel has become a home for Bukharian Jews from all over the world who come to Samarkand,» noted Leon Nektalov. «It offers a kosher kitchen, a warm welcome to our Jewish brethren, and beautiful rooms in the hotel itself.»
«I came to New York to see my friends from Samarkand and to take part in the jubilee celebration of my friend Michael Zavulunov [who turned 70], and to congratulate his son Ilyusha on the birth of Itay, which will be celebrated on Friday,» said Alik Jaffarov.
That evening, Michael Zavulunov invited his dear friend to a banquet at the Da Mikelle restaurant, which was attended by Alik Jaffarov’s New York friends.
Speaking at the banquet, Roman Khanimov, president of the «Samarkand» Foundation named after Moshe Kalontarov, Rafael Nektalov, editor-in-chief of The Bukharian Times, and other guests noted the special relationship that binds the dear guest to the Bukharian Jewish community in the USA, Israel, and Austria, as well as his hospitality and great attention to all of us in Uzbekistan. — Rafik Sharki.
«Don’t Forget Me!» Premieres at the Or-Nathan Synagogue
On Sunday, November 3rd, at noon, the renowned poet and singer Angela Borukhova presented her musical-poetic composition «Don’t Forget Me!» to an audience (exclusively women) at the Or-Nathan Synagogue. I perceived it as a one-woman show. She so organically conducted her monologue with the audience, and so convincingly created a collective image of women, daughters, granddaughters, who address their parents and ancestors with love and gratitude.
Over 100 women gathered in the cozy, bright hall. Angela’s performance was captivating. All the songs resonated with the audience’s hearts; there was absolute silence in the hall. The performance included songs to her own poetry as well as to poems by famous Russian poets Andrei Dementiev, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and Bukharian Jewish poets Eduard Niyazov and Angela Borukhova herself.
Each number was met with a storm of applause, sincere and excited exclamations from the audience: «Bravo!», «Well done!», «Brilliant!» The entire stage was covered in a sea of beautiful flowers from grateful listeners.
«Angela Borukhova’s work, as a poet and composer of music for many of her songs, stands apart in our culture,» said musicologist Rafael Nektalov in a conversation with me, who was unable to attend that day.
«She has a masterful command of the literary Russian language, is educated, a psychologist, a teacher, and most importantly, truly talented. Her creative endeavors are a reflection of her intellectual and emotional pursuits, which are in no way connected to pop culture, a desire for fame or to make money. Her authorial, non-commercial projects are almost unparalleled in our environment. Therefore, personally, her creative searches, tasks, and their embodiment are very close to my heart,» said Nektalov.
Given that among the women in our community there were English-speaking admirers of Angela Borukhova’s work, the organizers provided subtitles on the screen with a translation of the entire one-woman show, and in real-time. I was pleased with this, because in the future, the one-woman show can be shown to a younger audience as well.
In conclusion, Angela sang three encore songs, and the audience gave her a standing ovation. — Zoya Yakubova.
Discovering the Legacy of Levitcha Khofiz Babakhanov
Rafael Nektalov recently traveled to Leipzig to delve into the archives of Ari Babakhanov, a renowned virtuoso musician, connoisseur, and researcher of Bukharian Shashmaqom. Ari Babakhanov preserved the unique manuscripts of his grandfather, the eminent 20th-century maqom master Levitcha Khofiz Babakhanov (1874-1926), and his father, the celebrated maqom master and musician Moshe Babakhanov (1910-1983), the brother of musicologist Boris Babakhanov.
At the Bukharian Jewish Center, a meeting was held between Baruch Babaev, Chief Rabbi of Bukharian Jews in the USA and Canada, Ezro Malakov, People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, hazzan and maqom master, Rafael Nektalov, musicologist and culturologist, and (remotely) Roshel Rubinov, maqom master and poet.
«This is important not only for musicologists but also for specialists in the history of our language, the history, and culture of the Bukharian Jewish people,» said Rabbi Babaev. «Therefore, I express my gratitude to the project sponsors, Yuhan Binyaminov, David Mavashev, Marik Moshiyakh Kalontarov, who helped us gain access to these recordings and documents brought from Leipzig by Rafael Nektalov.»
They then called Leipzig and spoke with Ari Babakhanov’s daughter, Susanna, a teacher at the city music school, and expressed their gratitude for her tremendous work in preserving the legacy of her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
«I brought the book ‘Bukharian Shashmaqom,’ created by Ari Babakhanov in 2012. This is a unique edition, a facsimile of the manuscript (all the notes were written by the hand of Ustoz Ari Babakhanov), which was admired by renowned experts in Eastern music, such as professors Otanazar Matyakubov, Alexander Dzhumaev, Zahijon Yakubov, and others,» said Rafael Nektalov.
Why is it important to us?
«Ari Babakhanov’s ‘Bukharian Shashmaqom’ is the first source in the history of Bukharian Jews on Shashmaqom, recorded by the hand of a musician who mastered the deciphering of classical melodies according to the laws of European notation,» said Rafael Nektalov. «Many maqom masters, including the illustrious Ilyas Mallaev, possessed this skill, but they did not notate the entire cycle.»
«The manuscripts of classical songs and maqoms performed by Levitcha Babakhanov and his son Moshe Babakhanov to the poetry of famous regional poets are of particular interest. The peculiarity is that they are written in Hebrew letters, making them part of Bukharian Jewish literature as well. In this regard, a comparative analysis of these texts is interesting.»
«In addition, the archive contained interesting documents signed by composer Mukhtar Ashrafi in 1942 and other equally interesting facts.»
«I am glad that we have access to such an interesting archive, and soon, together with Roshel Rubinov, David Mavachev, David Kalontarov, and Immanuel Rybakov, we will begin a comprehensive study,» said Rabbi Babaev. — Rafael Nektalov
This text was translated from Russian into English.