Ikat silks, family recipes and a room full of neighbors at Astoria’s first Bukharian Ikat Arts Festival
ASTORIA, QUEENS — For one Sunday afternoon, a room at Ashreynu in Astoria filled with the blurred, brilliant patterns of Bukharian ikat. A little over 50 people came out on November 1, 2026 for the first Bukharian Ikat Arts Festival, co-hosted by Ashreynu and Yesodot Foundations, to see the silks up close, make some art of their own and eat well.
Aron Aronov of the Bukharian Jewish Museum brought 10 to 15 pieces from the museum’s collection, including traditional ikat dresses, and walked guests through the fabrics, patterns and craftsmanship behind them. A private collection of jomas, the community’s traditional robes, was on display too, and Alla Aronova added dresses, a china set and family photographs of her own.
Guests didn’t just look. Stephanie Luxenberg’s Studio Shoshan ran hands-on workshops where children and adults made their own ikat-inspired artwork to take home. Mama Liza served a taste of Bukharian Jewish cooking alongside her cookbook, Fire in the Kazan.
Diana Rachnaev, who co-founded Yesodot Foundations with her brother, Daniel Rachnaev, spoke about Bukharian Jewish identity, what traditional dress carries with it, and why that knowledge needs to reach the next generation. “The event was a true rendition of bringing communities together,” she said.
Organizers Stephanie Luxenberg and Ayelet Pearl pulled the day together, and Rebbetzin Pearl welcomed guests. The festival was funded by UJA-Federation of New York’s Mesora Bridges grant, which helps Bukharian and other Jewish communities in Queens share their traditions with one another, with additional support from the Queens Jewish Community Council and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
By Erin Levi
The Bukharian Times English Editor