Birobidzhan Welcomes Its First Torah Scroll in Historic Celebration
In a deeply moving and historic event, the Jewish community of Birobidzhan—capital of Russia’s Jewish Autonomous Region—received its first-ever Torah scroll this week, marking a new chapter in the region’s Jewish revival. The Torah was generously donated by Mr. Jan Yanukovich, a devoted member of the Krasnoyarsk Jewish community. The event was the result of […]
New Center for Russia and FSU Community Rabbis Inaugurated in Moscow
In the heart of the Marina Roscha neighborhood in Moscow, near the headquarters of the Federation of Jewish Communities (FJC) and the offices of the ‘Or Avner’ Jewish educational network, a new center for the Russia and FSU Rabbis and Chabad emissaries — “Misrad Hashluchim” — was inaugurated earlier this week. The center was built […]
Over 70 Families Participate ‘Jewish Home’ Shabbaton in Moscow
The ‘Jewish Home’ center, HaBayit HaYehudi, dedicated to strengthening Jewish family life, successfully hosted its second Shabbaton for families in Moscow this past weekend. The event brought together more than 70 families—over 260 participants—for a full Shabbat program centered on marital relationships, communication, parenting and education, personal growth and development, and communal support. The Shabbaton […]
Thousands of Jewish Children Welcome the New School Year Across the FSU
The first bell has rung across Federation of Jewish Communities (FJC) Or Avner Jewish Educational Network, as thousands of students—from kindergartens through high schools—stepped into classrooms in hundreds of Jewish institutions and initiatives throughout the FSU to mark the beginning of the academic year. True to tradition, the onset of the school year was greeted with […]
YAHAD Hosts Transformative GYV Seminar for Young Jewish Women
Dozens of young women from across the FSU took part in the recent Girls Yeshiva Vacation (GYV) seminar held in Moscow—an immersive, weeklong experience designed by YAHAD to strengthen Jewish identity, inspire growth, and offer tools for building a meaningful Jewish life. The program included daily study sessions, discussions, and engaging workshops covering topics from […]
Young Jewish Men Embark on Inspirational Journey Through Belarus
Fifty Jewish students and young professionals from across Russia and the neighboring region, recently completed an intensive weeklong heritage journey across Belarus, as part of the special YAHAD ‘Torah Club’ program designed for young men aged 18 to 33. The initiative is aimed at deepening Jewish identity by connecting participants with their heritage, history, and […]
Family First Feature: Glimpses of Redemption
In the backwater villages of the Ukrainian countryside and in bombed-out Kyiv, Jewish souls are making their way back to their Father Excerpts from an article by Hadas Afik | Family First Magazine Ukraine. A country synonymous with crisis; with shelling, destruction, and death. And yet, it’s there, amid all that, that a flame has […]
German Politician Takes Shelter with Jewish Orphans
Katrin Göring-Eckardt, a member of the German Bundestag, took cover with Jewish children during an air raid siren while visiting the FJC “Mishpacha” Jewish orphanage in Odessa, Ukraine. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, a member of the German Bundestag, was forced to rush to a shelter together with Jewish children during an air raid siren in Odessa, Ukraine, […]
35 Years Later: Rabbi Lazar Marks Jewish Educational Renewal in Moscow
The academic school year in Moscow opened this week with a deeply symbolic event: the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, sounded the shofar before a packed assembly of students at the ‘Mir Intellect’ Jewish Day School in the Marina Roshcha neighborhood. This ceremony did more than mark the start of classes—it reflected a […]
The First Bell Rings with Hope: A New School Year Begins in FJC’s Jewish Educational Institutions Across Ukraine
This morning, as thousands of young learners filed into the Federation of Jewish Communities (FJC) Or Avner network of Jewish preschools, schools, high schools across Ukraine, the traditional First Bell ceremonies took place with both excitement and concern in the air. In many cities, the resonant “First Bell” soundtrack was suddenly interrupted by alarm sirens mid‑ceremony. […]