The Birobidzhan Synagogue was established in 2004. The synagogue is in the city of

Birobidzhan Birobidzhan ( rus, Биробиджа́н, p=bʲɪrəbʲɪˈdʐan; yi, ביראָבידזשאַן, ''Birobidzhan'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia, locat ...

, which is the capital of the

Jewish Autonomous Oblast The Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO; russian: Евре́йская автоно́мная о́бласть, (ЕАО); yi, ייִדישע אװטאָנאָמע געגנט, ; )In standard Yiddish: , ''Yidishe Oytonome Gegnt'' is a federal subject ...

, the only autonomous oblast of Russia. It is "the first synagogue in Russia to be built partly with state money," according to the

Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC) is a Jewish organisation dedicated to restoring Jewish life, culture and religion in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the former Soviet Union. The FJC was founded on August 1, 1997 ...

. The Russian government allotted

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

112,000 to help build the synagogue.

2004 opening

In 2004, the Chief Rabbi of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Berel Lazar Shlomo Dov Pinchas Lazar (born May 19, 1964), better known as Berel Lazar, is an Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He began his service in Russia in 1990. Known for his friendship with Vladimir Putin, since 2000, he has been a Chief Rabbi ...

, took part in the 70th-anniversary celebration of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Lazar and Avraham Berkowitz, the executive director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, led a delegation to Birobidzhan for the event.

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Alexander Vinnikov, and

Valery Solomonovich Gurevich Valery Solomonovich Gurevich, a Russian politicianis the vice-governor of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. Leadership in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Gurevich both organized, and participated in, the 2004 70th anniversary celebrations of the Jewish A ...

also participated in the opening.Far East Community Prepares for 70th Anniversary of Jewish Autonomous Republic
Federation of Jewish Communities

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Nikolay Mikhaylovich Volkov Nikolay Mikhaylovich Volkov (russian: link=no, Николай Михайлович Волков) (born 19 December 1951) is a Russian politician. Childhood and education Volkov was born in 1951 in Krasnoye village, in the Shablykinsky district ...

stated that the Birobidzhan Synagogue is the Jewish Autonomous Oblast's first " kosher synagogue, according to Jewish law." Rabbi Mordechai Scheiner, the Chief Rabbi of Birobidzhan and

Chabad Lubavitch Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...

representative to the region, said "Today one can enjoy the benefits of the

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

culture and not be afraid to return to their Jewish traditions. It is safe without any

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

and we plan to open the first Jewish day school here". The local Jewish community leader,

Lev Toitman Lev Grigorievich Toitman (russian: Лев Григорьевич Тойтман; 1925 – September 11, 2007) was a soldier in World War II. Toitman is known for the "foundation and revival of the local Jewish community" in Birobidzhan.

, also participated.Far East Jewish Community Chairman Passes Away
Federation of Jewish Communities

Jewish community

According to Rabbi Scheiner, there are 4,000 Jews in Birobidzhan, or just over 5 percent of the town's 75,000 population. In 2006, Rabbi Scheiner visited the villages of

Bira (Jewish Autonomous Oblast) Bira (russian: Бира) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Obluchensky District of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia. Population: History Bira railway station was built in 1908. In 1937, a larger railway station and a depot w ...

Naifeld Nayfeld (russian: Найфельд, yi, נייפעלד) is a village ('' selo'') in Birobidzhansky District of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, located from Birobidzhan. One of the early Jewish settlements in the area, it was founded in 1928. The f ...

, Londoko, Birakan and

Birofeld Birofeld (russian: Бирофельд; yi, ביראפעלד) is a village ('' selo'') in Birobidzhansky District of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia. It is an early Jewish settlement, which was founded in 1928 when a large collective farm was ...

with the Jewish Community of Birobidzhan. Together they inspected local cemeteries and gathered information about the Jews buried there in the years prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The names of these individuals are listed in the Memory Book in the Birobidzhan Synagogue. The dates of birth and death are written down according to the

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel. ...

as well as the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

. As of 2007, some of the original Jewish settlers were still present in these villages. Lev Toitman led the community of Birobidzhan from 1997 until he died on September 11, 2007.

International support

In 2004, the Jewish community in Birobidzhan received an

Aron Kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron h ...

. This special storage case for the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

, from Birobidzhan's sister city in China, was made in accordance with

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

canons. In 2008, Shalom Brandman, a resident of

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and man ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, donated a

Judaic studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (espe ...

collection to the synagogue after his visit to Birobidzhan during the 2007 summer Yiddish program.Jewish Library Gets Helping Hand in Birobidjan
Federation of Jewish Communities

References

{{Coord, 48.791, N, 132.930, E, display=title Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Russia Birobidzhan Chabad in Asia Chabad organizations Hasidic synagogues Orthodox synagogues in Russia Synagogues in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast

2004 opening

Jewish community

International support

See also

References