Odessa Students Explore Israel
large group of enthusiastic Jewish students from Odessa, Ukraine visited Israel on a Taglit Birthright trip last week. The students, many of whom are the city’s FJC ‘Or Avner ‘ school graduates and active community members, have been looking forward to the trip since the beginning of the summer. Odessa rabbis and local Israeli guides […]
Israeli Delegation Visits Zhytomir Jewish Community
A delegation of Israeli Embassy in Ukraine, headed by ambassador Elyav Belotzerkovsky visited the city of Zhytomir last week. After a meeting with city officials, the delegation proceeded to tour Zhitomyr’s Jewish institutions. The ambassador went to the city synagogue for an informal meeting and discussion with community members. Afterwards, the delegation visited the FJC’s […]
Omsk Mikvah, First in Over a Century
A new Mikvah ritual bath opened in Omsk, Siberia on Thursday. This is the first Mikvah to function in the city in over 150 years and its construction was community-funded, with more than 1,000 local residents contributing to the success of the project. “The fact that the entire community participated in the construction is just […]
Krasnoyarsk Community Energized by Israeli Diplomat Visit
FJC’s Jewish community members in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia were excited to meet Zvi Hefetz, Israeli Ambassador to Russia this week. The ambassador, who is on an official tour of the region, met with the city mayor, and then proceeded to the city’s synagogue and community center for an informal meeting with community members. Many people, young […]
Russian synagogue with dark past invites Pokemon hunters to toast its revival
(JTA) — By Cnaan Liphshiz As the Pokemon Go phenomenon grows, some institutions connected to European Jewry’s darkest hour have taken precautions against it. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum in Poland has banned the addictive smartphone game, in which players viewing their environments through their device’s camera run in search of animated figures that […]
Yahad Awards Honor Jewish Youth Leaders
FJC’s Yahad leadership awards were distributed last Sunday at the closing of the Yahad youth forum in Moscow. The first annual awards are aimed to recognize the efforts of Jewish communities and individual Jewish leaders in youth activities development. Eli Riss, the rabbi of Birobidzhan, was awarded “Rabbi of the Year” award, while Moscow’s Jewell youth […]
EnerJew Day Sweeps FJC Camps
A special day of activities is sweeping FJC’s Gan Israel camps this summer – EnerJew comes to campus to let the campers experience what the youth movement is all about first-hand. EnerJew Day is a “demo-version” of the movement’s way of combining fun and learning, organized by the youth activists themselves. Over 25 EnerJew Days […]
Russian Talmud Translation “Unprecedented Project in Book Publishing”
FJC’s publishing house “Knizhniki” showcased the first results of its massive Talmudic translation project last Sunday: tractate Brachot, published in two volumes, was presented to the general public at a press conference during the Yahad youth forum. The translation will allow Russian-speaking Jews to build a stronger connection with Jewish texts, and also help to […]
Young Russian Jews Rave Up Moscow
A grandiose youth gathering, organized by the FJC’s Yachad Forum, took place in Moscow over the weekend. About 800 Jewish students, youth program activists and community volunteers from 50 cities all over Russia came together for four days of learning, socializing and having fun, in what turned out to be one of the top social events of the […]
Khabarovsk: ‘Or Avner’ Graduate Honored by Mayor
FJC’s ‘Or Avner’ Khabarovsk school graduate, Tatiana Chaya Nekrasova, received a medal from the city mayor last week as part of the year’s “Outstanding Graduates” ceremony. Tatiana was honored for her achievement in sports, as she is the Russian far-East gymnastics athlete and regional champion. Tatiana just graduated the city’s FJC O’r Avner’ Jewish school, […]