Young Rabbis to Visit Over 100 FSU Communities on a Revival Mission
Last week three teams of Russian rabbinical students in specially equipped trailers, commonly known as ‘mitzvah-mobiles’ throughout the Jewish world, went out on a mission to visit the country’s remote communities, reviving and invigorating Jewish life along their routes. Their goal is to visit over 50 FJC community centers and synagogues and participate in local […]
Ukraine’s Beit Chana Institute Opens High School and Master’s Program
This summer FJC’s International Pedagogic Institute “Beit Chana” in Dnieper, Ukraine is drastically expanding its scope of activity by opening a master’s and a high school program. The Institute recently received the government’s license to offer high-school education for 9th, 10th and 11th grades and a master’s degree in the “Psychology” and “Pre-school education” majors. […]
Israel Trips Offered Through FJC Programs This Summer
This summer FSU’s Jewish youth is exploring Israel on a variety of FJC’s educational programs that help them get familiar with the country and connect to its history, culture and modern life. A group of 50 young men came to Israel at the end of June on a Yeshivacation trip, a unique 10-day program combining […]
Chief Rabbi of Israel Comes to Uzbekistan on a Historic Visit
The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau visited the Jewish community of Uzbekistan last week in a historic journey that strengthened the ties between Jews in the two countries. Accompanied by rabbis of the Bukharian communities worldwide and the Israeli ambassador to Uzbekistan, Rabbi Lau met with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Religion and the Chief Mufti, visited […]
War-Ridden Mariupol Community Takes a Summer Break
FJC’s East Ukrainian Jewish community of Mariupol went on a vacation last week for a seven-day family camp called “Mishpacha Plus.” The camp was organized at a resort in the Poltava region, far away from the calamities of their war-ridden city. Over 35 families participated. “Summer is a special time that gives us the opportunity […]
EnerJew Grand Shabbaton Rocks Belarus
A unique event marked the end of the season for the EnerJew Jewish youth movement this year. About 250 movement activists from 41 FSU cities gathered in Minsk, the capital of Belarus for the 5-day Grand Shabbaton seminar last week. Belarus is known for its rich history of Eastern European Jewry and the seminar’s organizers […]
Historic Synagogue Restored in Drogobych, Ukraine
A historic synagogue in the city of Drogobych, Western Ukraine was restored and opened to the public at on official ceremony last week. The opening became an important milestone in restoring the memory of the city’s once prominent Jewish community, which reached up to 17,000 people (half of the city’s population) before WWII. The restoration […]
Gan Israel Summer Camps Welcome Jewish Children Across the FSU
With summer vacations already in full swing across the former Soviet Union, FJC’s Gan Israel youth camps are taking place all over the region’s map. This year about 45 camps are set up in seven FSU countries with over 5,000 campers. As every summer for the last 27 years, Jewish children aged 5-17 are welcomed, […]
Novosibirsk Rabbi Honored for City Life Contributions
As part of the festivities marking this week the 125th birthday of the city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, Russia, the city’s Mayor visited the local synagogue, where he awarded an honorary medal to Rabbi Zalman Zaklas and his spouse for their contribution in developing the city’s community life. The event became an emotional occasion for […]
World’s northernmost JCC opens in Russian Arctic city
By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA The Russian city of Arkhangelsk saw the opening of a synagogue inside what may be the world’s northernmost Jewish community center. The three-story building that was opened Monday took four years to construct and cost nearly $3 million raised from private donors, Anatoly Obermeister, the chairman of the local Jewish community, told the Regnum […]