Chanukah Miracle Celebrated Widely Across the FSU * Special Gallery

Hundreds of Jewish communities across the former Soviet Union organized Chanukah celebrations during the 8 days of the festival of lights, with events and programs fitted for every age and taste.

Finalists Chosen in Darkeinu’s
Olympics Contest in the FSU

Over 1,300 kids from Jewish schools across the FSU participated recently in the first rounds of FJC’s Darkeinu Olympics contest. 109 students have made it to the finals that will take place in the spring, one in Moscow, Russia and one in Dnepr, Ukraine. This is the fourth year the Jewish Olympics contest is running and it has become a well-known event in the region’s Jewish calendar.

Tragedy: Moscow Jewish University Student Killed in Driving Accident; Another Critical

In a serious driving accident this Friday on the road between Rostov and Sochi in Russia, a student of the Moscow Jewish University, Shalom Shapira was killed. Another student, Shimon Nisanov was injured and remains in serious condition. Both of them attended FJC’s Or Avner school in Rostov.

“Fiddler on the Roof” Awards
Hosted by FJC Russia

During the days of Chanukah, last week, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia hosted its 16th annual awards ceremony “Fiddler on the Roof”. The awards recognize individuals, who have made a lasting impact on the social and cultural life of the country.

Uzhgorod Jewish Community
Confronted by Antisemitism

The Jewish community of Uzhgorod in West Ukraine became increasingly worried of anti-Semitic attacks this week, with anti-Semitic graffiti proclaiming, “Death to the Jews” and calling for “revenge” appearing on the wall of city’s Jewish charity center on Saturday night and on the fence of the synagogue Sunday night.

Two Memorials Opened In Russian Villages, Sites of Mass Murders

About 70 Volgograd Jews, from school children to Holocaust survivors, took part in a memorial trip organized by city’s Jewish community to two villages, whose Jewish residents were murdered in 1942. Volgograd is a city in southwest Russia, where the Battle of Stalingrad took place in 1942-1943, which changed the course of the war.

EnerJew Coordinators’ ‘Family’
Gathers in Jerusalem

A hundred young Jewish adults from Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Estonia and four more FSU countries came together as one large family in Jerusalem this weekend for an inspirational EnerJew Coordinators seminar. This seminar was organized specifically for the youth movement’s coordinators, who lead EnerJew city club activity and are responsible for programming and local development.

Third Chanukah Candle with Jewish Prisoners in World’s Oldest Prison

The Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berl Lazar made a very unusual visit. He went to the Butirsky Prison in the center of Moscow in order to strengthen and encourage the Jewish prisoners who are serving time there amongst the three thousand prisoners of various degrees.

YAHAD Leadership School
Begins New Season

YAHAD’s 5th School of Leaders seminar opened this Sunday, gathering representatives from 50 cities across the FSU, including Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Baltic states. Almost 100 young Jewish adults, aged 18 to 30, came together in Moscow to learn informal education skills from the leading regional professionals.

7,000 Visitors Welcomed at Petersburg Synagogue’s Open House

This Sunday the Grand Choral Synagogue in Petersburg, Russia opened its doors for the annual Open House it hosts every fall for the last nine years. Last year 6,500 visitors came to learn more about the synagogue, and this year the numbers were even higher.