Bat Mitzvah Celebrated for 14 Jewish Girls in Odessa
Fourteen Jewish teenage girls, studying in the 6th grade of FJC’s ‘Or Avner’ Jewish school in Odessa, celebrated their Bat-Mitzvah – the Jewish coming-of-age 12th birthday, at a special event organized by the local Jewish community. This was a joyous celebration, where the birthday girls danced, sang and learned to make hand-made chalah covers with their mothers. […]
Ukraine: ‘Beit Chana’ Participates in National Hebrew Contest
Ukraine’s International Humanities & Education Institute ‘Beit Chana’ took part in the organization of the national contest in the Hebrew language and literature initiated by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science. The large-scale event was made possible through the participation of many of the country’s educational bodies and the FJC of Ukraine. Beit Chana director […]
Darkeinu Olympic Contest Marks 5th Anniversary at the Dnieper Final
Over 8,000 FSU students, from Riga to Khabarovsk have participated in FJC Darkeinu’s educational Olympic contest since the project’s launch in 2013. Annually, thousands of 2nd to 11th-grade students participate in the contest, testing their skills in the largest Jewish studies competition throughout the FSU. This year the contests’ finals are taking place in Dnieper […]
New Jewish Russian University Opens in Moscow
A state-accredited Jewish Russian University, modeled after Touro College’s Lander Colleges for Men and Women, will open next month in Moscow. The university will combine Judaic studies with professional education and provide students with the opportunities to enrich their Jewish tradition knowledge while receiving high standard academic degrees. The Russian university will be based on […]
FJC and IFCJ Lead Humanitarian Relief Efforts Ahead of Passover in the FSU
Over 100,000 packages of matzah, 75,000 bottles of wine and 35,000 food packages are being distributed by the FJC in partnership with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) ahead of this year’s Passover holiday in the FSU. Close to 300 communities will also host Passover seders that will be free of charge for […]
Passover Campaign Launched to Meet the Needs of Every FSU Jew
Ahead of Passover, the Federation of Jewish communities of the CIS (FJC) is running a fundraising campaign to provide needy FSU Jews with food product necessities for the holiday. In addition, the raised funds will also help sponsor more free-of-charge dinner places at community seders throughout the region. “Every year we make a special emphasis […]
In frozen Siberia, a small Jewish community is unthawed
On the day an ancient synagogue is returned to the Jews of Tomsk by the Russian government, the caretaker’s grandson reveals the Torah scroll his family kept secret for 90 years Article and photos by YAAKOV SCHWARTZ | Times of Israel TOMSK, Russia — As fish was eaten and toasts raised by the Jewish leadership of […]
Dome Installed on the New Koenigsberg Synagogue
Photos by: Alexey Minin A massive 23.5-ton dome was planted on the new Kaliningrad synagogue in Russia last week, a milestone in the building’s construction process that is being carried out by the city’s Jewish community over the past few years. Kaliningrad, Russia is the former city of Koenigsberg, Germany and the new synagogue will […]
Purim in the FSU: Tens of Thousands Swept Up in Holiday Spirit
While the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berl Lazar was fulfilling his duty at the Kremlin last Thursday, listening to the State of the Nation speech made by President Vladimir Putin, Purim was happening in the FSU countries, from Latvia to Azerbaijan and everywhere in between, including, of course, the Russian capital. Dozens of rabbis […]
Jewish Inmates in Russia’s Ryazan Region Get a Synagogue
A Jewish prayer room was opened last week in the Ryazan region penitentiary colony No.6 by FJC of Russia. The opening is part of an agreement signed between FJCR and Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service last year that enables FJCR to provide more services for Jewish inmates in prisons across the country. This is the 13th […]