BIROBIDJAN, Russia – This week, the Jewish community of Birobidjan received a show of support from an influential authority, as Governor of the Jewish Autonomous Republic Nikolai Volkov announced his intention to continue bolstering the efforts of the local 'Freud' community.
"As a leader of this region, I am planning to support every valuable initiative maintained by our local Jewish organizations," affirmed Governor Volkov.
This past month, Nikolai Volkov received an award for the category 'Regional Leader' during the 'Man of the Year 5764' Ceremony organized by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia. This served as recognition for his initiative in the revival of Jewish life in Birobidjan and in arranging the Jewish Autonomous Region's wide-reaching 70th anniversary celebrations.
According to the Governor, just a decade ago, the region virtually lacked any strong evidence of national uniqueness. Today, the bursting interest by locals in Jewish culture, history and traditions is quite observable. Jewish life in the region, both religious and secular, is undergoing dynamic growth, evidenced by many developments including the ever-increasing number of art, vocal and dance collectives and the fact that the Jewish Cultural Festival, now an annually-held event, has already obtained international fame.
Under the leadership of Rabbi Mordechai Shainer and community Chairman Lev Toitman, the Jewish community of Birobidjan represents a vibrant community and constitutes one of the most active communities in the Russian Far East. Since Jewish life in the region began its revitalization, the 'Freud' community has managed to establish and now operates a Jewish Community Center, Synagogue, a soup kitchen sponsored by the JDC, children’s and youth centers, a library, a wide array of charity programs.
Today, Jewish children have the opportunity to study Jewish language at the Second Municipal School and at the local Teachers’ College. Jewish leaders and members are also hoping to establish a non-governmental Jewish school in the near future, to serve the needs of the growing Jewish community. With the preliminary steps already taken towards the realization of this goal, the community has yet to obtain the necessary construction materials and to undertake the reconstruction of the future school building.
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