It has truly been a wonderful and stimulating experience to take part in the Bukharian language lessons at the Bukharian Jewish Community Center. I have always yearned to learn more about the interesting and rich culture of the Central Asian Jews and celebrate all that it has to offer. As soon as I found out about the Bukharian classes I realized it was my chance to learn more about my history and to have the opportunity to speak Bukhori.

The program presents a great form of interaction between Bukharian students while the instructor, Imanuel Rybakov, teaches a fun and dynamic lesson.Imanuel's hard work and dedication to this program is praiseworthy and has inspired me to follow in his footsteps. As a junior in Townsend Harris High School, I am interested in becoming a dentist and I would like to go to a University to achieve my degree. However, by attending these Bukharian lessons I have also decided to spend my free time helping and serving our growing Bukharian community by spreading the knowledge and sharing the pride that I have in our precious traditions.

These classes are very important to me because I think that it is a unique and effective way to preserve our culture in the midst of immigration and assimilation. I think it is very significant that our culture remains as a whole since the history of Bukharians spans over 2000 years and it would be a great loss to see it disappear.In my opinion, it is amazing that we were able to keep our ethnicity alive all those years even if it hadn't been easy for our ancestors.The least we can do to thank them is to continue the trend of staying true to our culture and retaining our musical language. The classes also give me the opportunity to talk with my parents and grandparents in their native tongue and showing them that I care about our community.

Another pleasant aspect to these classes is that as I listen to Bukharian music, I begin to recognize words and understand the ideas that are being expressed. These messages are beautiful as they depict the love that exists within a Bukharian family, the joy of life, and the merriment of being together with the ones you love.

I can't stress enough the strength that the Bukharian language lessons have brought to me and its vast impact on my life. It has further marked my pride in being a Bukharian girl and I am very thankful that there are enough people in our community who care about our future and success.