Rabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("66709")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Mayor">Mayor
"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
Alexander Vinnikov-Political history:Alexander Vinnikov is the mayor of Birobidzhan, the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast . The 2004 Birobidzhan mayoral election was held during the same time as the Russian presidential election, 2004. On March 14, 2004, Alexander Vinnikov, the incumbent, faced professor...
, and
Valery Solomonovich Gurevich-Leadership in Jewish Autonomous Oblast:Gurevich both organized, and participated in, the 2004 70th anniversary celebrations of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast . During this time Gurevich assisted in the opening of the Birobidzhan Synagogue which was coordinated along with the 70th anniversary...
also participated in the opening.
GovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Nikolay Mikhaylovich VolkovNikolay Mikhailovich Volkov is a Russian politician.-Childhood and Education:Volkov was born in 1951 in Krasnoye village, in the Shablykinsky district of the Oryol Region. In 1973, Volkov graduated from a civil engineer institute in Odessa.-Politics:Volkov is the current governor of the Jewish...
stated that the Birobidzhan Synagogue is the Jewish Autonomous Oblast's first, "kosher synagogue, according to Jewish law." Rabbi
Mordechai ScheinerMordechai Sheiner has been Chief Rabbi of Jewish Autonomous Oblast since 2002.-Background:Mordechai Sheiner came to the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in 2002. He arrived in Birobidzhan as a 30 year old rabbi from Israel. He had never been to Birobidzhan before, but spoke Russian thanks to two years he...
, the Chief Rabbi of Birobidzhan and Chabad Lubavitch representative to the region, said "Today one can enjoy the benefits of the Yiddish culture and not be afraid to return to their Jewish traditions. It is safe without any
Anti-SemitismAntisemitism is prejudice against or hostility towards Jews, often rooted in hatred of their ethnic background, culture, or religion....
and we plan to open the first Jewish day school here". The local Jewish Community leader,
Lev ToitmanLev Grigorievich Toitman, , was a soldier in World War II . Toitman is known for the, "foundation and revival of the local Jewish community" in Birobidzhan.-Jewish Community leadership:...
, also participated.
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), Naifeld, Londoko, Birakan and
BirofeldBirofeld is a village 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 established in the area. In 2003, a Jewish Book Festival took place here...
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 IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. 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 calendarThe Hebrew calendar or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar used by Jews, and in recent decades, by a growing number of Christians...
as well as the modern calendar. 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. This special storage case for the
TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
, from Birobidzhan's sister city in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, was made in accordance with Jewish canons. In 2008, Shalom Brandman a resident of
Ramat GanRamat Gan is a city in the Tel Aviv district of Israel, located east of Tel Aviv. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges and Israel's tallest building, the Moshe Aviv Tower. Ramat Gan was established in 1921 as a moshava, a communal farming settlement. At the end of 2007, the...
,
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
, donated a Judaic studies collection to the synagogue after his visit to Birobidzhan during the 2007 summer Yiddish program.
See also
- Birobidzhan Jewish National University
- Jews and Judaism in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
The Jewish history of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast began with the early settlements of 1928. Yiddish, along with Russian, is one of two official languages in the JAO.-Early settlement:...
- Beit T'shuva
Beit T'shuva is a synagogue also known as "Birobidzhan's old synagogue." The structure, located in the Russian city of Birobidzhan, is a Siberian-style wooden house. The Jewish community is led by Rabbi Boris "Dov" Kaufman...