On the 24th of March, a presentation ceremony for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) highest award – the For Merits medal - took place in Pavlodar. The medal was given to professor of philology, compositor, music scholar, and collector Naum Gershevich Shafer.

The ceremony took place in Shafer House – a building provided by the local authorities for the Shafer's unique collection of over 28 000 units, which he collected over many years.
The award was presented by EAJC General Council Member, member of the Assembly of th People of Kazakhstan, President of the “Mitzvah” Association of Jewish National Organizations of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alexander Baron.

Among those present at the ceremony were the Deputy Chairman of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan Sesimbai Zhetpysbayev, Head of the Department of Cultute of Pavlodar Oblast Kanat Karimov, Head of the Pavlodar Department of Culture Ainur Sarsenbayeva.

Naum Grigoryevich Shafer graduated from the S. M. Kirov Kazakh State University, and took lessons in composition. Over the course of many years he studied and popularized the work of Isaak Dunayevsky, wrote books and articles about him, and was the first to publish several hundred letters by the composer. He put together two unique programs: “Isaak Dunayevsky As Guest of Mihail Bulgakov” and “Bricks: An Anthology of City Folklore Over 100 Years.”

Naum Shafer has been contributing significantly to the development of the Jewish community over the course of many years, and does volunteer educational work. Each Friday, the Shafer House holds lectures, presentations, meetings, and other event. The achievements of Naum Shafer have been recognized by more than the Jewish community: in January 2011, he was awarded with the “Oblast Merits” badge of honote.

As EAJC President Alexander Mashkevich, on whose behalf the award had been presented, noted: “[Today] We give our highest community medal to a person who has done much for the Jewish community and for society as a whole. It is through culture, through enlightenment that the path to mutual understanding, respect, and tolerance lies. This is a constant concern of our Congress, and the very reason that we have decided to award Professor Shafer. I truly admire his altruistic devotion to culture, and wish Naum Gershevich good health, and hope that he will sow the seeds of understanding and good for many more years, making our world better by deed and word alike.”