Kostroma Synagogue Celebrated 110th Birthday
The Jewish community of Kostroma, a historic Russian city, celebrated the 110th birthday of the city’s synagogue last week. The building is the only active wooden synagogue in Europe, its construction completed in 1907. The occasion was festively celebrated by community members, city administration and residents as well as many guests. “In fact, there were so […]
Darkeinu Runs Passover Contest for FSU School Students
In time for the Passover holiday, FJC’s Darkeinu is running another seasonal contest, this time aimed at getting students of Jewish schools throughout the FSU actively involved in the story of the holiday. The contest, named Mega Pesach, asks students to submit their own original composition on the theme of exodus from Egypt. The composition […]
New Nursing Center, First of its Kind, Opens in Moscow
Another gem of the Jewish ‘Chesed’ Center in Moscow: professional and dedicated nursing care for the elderly and lonely Jews, including many Holocaust survivors. It was a small, yet impressive ceremony which marked the opening of the Nursing Center. To date, it is the largest center of its kind in all of Russia, which provides […]
Petersburg Jewish Community Joins Relief Efforts in the Aftermath of Subway Attack
The Jewish community of Petersburg, Russia opened its doors to anyone in need of help in the aftermath of terrorist attack in the city subway yesterday. Together with Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar the community sent its condolences to the victims of the attack, which left 14 dead and about 50 injured. The attack was […]
‘Darkeinu’ Contest Reveals Jewish Knowledge Champions
The final round of Darkeinu “Olympics” quiz on Jewish tradition knowledge took place last week in Petersburg, Russia. While 1,700 school students from 8 FSU countries participated in the contest’s first round, only 360 made it to the second, and finally 47 arrived to fight for “Olympic” victory. “This is the fourth year our contest […]
FJC Communities Begin Passover Aid Effort
With the holiday of Passover coming up, FJC’s Jewish communities and organizations throughout the FSU countries – are busy preparing for Passover, first and foremost focusing on providing the necessary food and supplies for those in need. Aided by the the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), lead by rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, and additional organizations […]
Global Call to Help FSU Jewry Celebrate Passover
Ahead of this year’s Passover holiday, the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC) is running a fundraising campaign aimed at providing needy Jewish families across the FSU with Matzah, wine and other kosher for Passover products necessary for celebrating the holiday. For the last 25 years the FJC, together with loyal partners from […]
Jewish Education Conference in Ukraine “Timely”
A unique Jewish education conference took place in Ukraine in the beginning of the month, organized by FJC’s International Pedagogical Institute “Beit Chanah” in Dnepr. The two-day event, called “Jewish heritage and modernity”, was dedicated to discussing challenges of teaching Jewish heritage and culture in higher-education institutions and presented latest academic methodics and analysis on […]
Despite Ongoing Trials of History, Ukraine Matzah Bakery Continues Its Unique Legacy
A century of struggle to make and consume ‘the symbol of Passover’ By Dovid Margolin | Chabad.org At the state-of-the-art Tiferes Hamatzos bakery in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, matzahs are hand-rolled and baked under strict rabbinical supervision. In this eastern Ukrainian city—the country’s fourth-largest, and historically one of its most Jewish—the crisp, round matzahs are carefully packaged and […]
Preparing for Passover in Ukraine’s last shtetl
By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA BERSHAD, Ukraine (JTA) — At first glance, this drab town 160 miles south of Kiev seems nearly identical to the settlements that dot the poverty-stricken district of Vinnitsa. Shrouded in a seemingly permanent cloud of smoke from wood fires — still the standard means of heating here — Bershad, population 13,000, features […]