There are people whose very presence makes the world feel a little kinder.
Their words warm the heart, their empathy uplifts the soul, and the memory of
their loved ones lives on in every act of generosity. Such a person is Zoya Kimyagarova — a woman of rare
sincerity and profound inner grace.
This year marks a beautiful milestone: Zoya Kimyagarova celebrates her 75th birthday.
She is the daughter of Zalmon Abaevich
Kimyagarov, a remarkable and influential figure who left a unique and
lasting legacy in the Bukharian Jewish community of Samarkand.
Today, Zoya is deeply respected within the
Bukharian Jewish community of New York. Her humility, dignity, and genuine
warmth draw people to her in a way that feels almost effortless. Being around
her brings a sense of comfort and peace. She has the rare ability to feel
another person’s sorrow as if it were her own — and to share in their joy with
equal sincerity.
Her heartfelt words can touch the deepest
strings of the human soul. One can still picture the scenes: her emotional
speech at the ceremony unveiling the memorial plaque dedicated to her father at
School No. 26, and her moving address at a community gathering honoring Zalmon
Abaevich, where many in the crowd were unable to hold back tears.
Zoya possesses a remarkable gift for
eloquence. Whether she speaks at memorial events, funerals, or seven-day
mourning rituals, people listen with quiet reverence. Every word she says comes
from a genuine, soulful place. Women would wipe their tears and bless Zoya and
her parents — Zalmon Abaevich and Shura. Each year, on the anniversary of her
father’s passing, she wrote a touching tribute to him, and recently she even
published an entire book in his memory.
Zoya is a source of pride for the Bukharian
Jewish community of New York. She is also a symbol of devotion as a wife and
mother. Together with her husband — both of them dentists — she raised three
sons who followed in their parents’ footsteps and became dentists in New York
as well.
I will never forget her words at the seven-day
memorial for my late wife, Mafrat. The large hall of Schwarz Brothers was
filled with women openly crying as they listened to her. Her heartfelt speech
at the memorial for my father, Zakharia
Raminovich Badalov, in Samarkand was just as moving.
Zoya remained a devoted daughter to her
mother, Shura, until her very last day at the age of 98. She called her mother
in Israel every day. When she learned of her passing, Zoya flew there
immediately and delivered a deeply emotional eulogy filled with pain, love, and
gratitude. She continues to carry the bright legacy of her parents — Zalmon
Abaevich and Shura — with honor and grace.
Recently, Zoya called to wish me a happy
Thanksgiving. With tenderness, she remembered my wife Mafrat, saying she had
been like a second mother to her.
Zoya is a woman admired by many — a true pride
of her sons, her brothers and sisters, and her husband.
And just as flowers bloom under warm sunlight
and the purity of morning dew, so does the world become more beautiful because
of people like Zoya — the cherished daughter of her parents and a shining jewel
of her entire community.
Iosif
Badalov
