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| Jewish Community of Moscow | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jewish Community of Moscow |
| Native name | Еврейская община Москвы |
Jewish Community of Moscow is the collective designation for the Jewish population, institutions, and communal life centered in Moscow. The community has roots stretching from the medieval period through the Russian Empire and Soviet Union into the Russian Federation, interacting with institutions such as the Council of Europe, the United Nations and diasporic centers like New York City and Jerusalem. It encompasses religious, cultural, educational, political, and philanthropic networks linked to organizations including Chabad-Lubavitch, the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.
The community's formative periods include medieval settlement near Kiev, growth during the Pale of Settlement under the Russian Empire, and significant changes after the Petersburg Manifesto and the Emancipation reform of 1861. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, figures associated with Zionism, the Bund and Jewish Labour Bund emerged, intersecting with political events such as the 1905 Russian Revolution and the February Revolution. The Bolshevik Revolution and subsequent Soviet Jewry policies reshaped communal life through suppression of religious institutions, while wartime evacuations during the Great Patriotic War and postwar campaigns like the Doctors' plot affected population and leadership. The revival after Perestroika and the Glasnost era saw reestablishment of synagogues, cultural centers, and ties to global Jewish philanthropy led by actors such as Natan Sharansky and organizations like the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
Population estimates reflect migration waves including emigration to Israel, United States, Germany, and Canada following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Census records from Russian Census (2010) and municipal surveys track shifts tied to policies such as the Law on Citizenship (2002), labor market changes related to Gazprom, and return migration influenced by events in Ukraine. The community is diverse with Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mountain Jewish, and Bukharan subgroups linked to regions like Baku, Tbilisi, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Demographic composition includes elderly Holocaust survivors who passed through sites like Treblinka and Majdanek, Soviet-era intelligentsia connected to institutions such as Moscow State University, and younger professionals employed at companies including Yandex and Sberbank.
Religious life centers on synagogues and yeshivot including institutions associated with Chabad-Lubavitch, communities linked to the Chief Rabbinate of Russia, and historic synagogues such as the Moscow Choral Synagogue. Cultural institutions encompass the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Jewish theaters with ties to the Moscow Art Theatre and performers connected to Moscow Conservatory, as well as community centers funded by organizations like the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Rothschild family philanthropic initiatives. Festivals and commemorations draw partnerships with Yad Vashem, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and local bodies such as the Moscow City Duma.
Educational infrastructure includes Jewish day schools modeled after curricula from Tel Aviv University, supplementary cheders linked to Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and yeshivot connected to networks like Tomchei Tmimim. Youth organizations active in the community include chapters of Bnei Akiva, the Boy Scouts of Russia affiliates, and programs supported by BBYO and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation. University student groups operate at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Higher School of Economics, and technical institutes engaged with exchanges to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Columbia University.
Community leaders have engaged with municipal authorities including the Moscow Mayor's Office and national institutions such as the State Duma and the Federation Council. Prominent civic organizations include the Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations in Russia and advocacy groups interacting with international bodies like the European Jewish Congress and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Political figures of Jewish origin connected to Moscow public life have links to parties such as United Russia, Yabloko, and movements like Solidarnost. Philanthropic engagement involves donors and foundations including the Genesis Philanthropy Group and corporate actors such as Sistema.
The community has confronted episodes of antisemitism documented alongside events like the Pogroms in the late imperial period and post-Soviet attacks connected to extremist groups and skinhead networks monitored by the Russian Interior Ministry. Security responses have involved coordination with the Federal Security Service and municipal law enforcement, installation of protective measures at synagogues and schools following incidents linked to international trends noted by the ADL and European Commission against Racism and Intolerance. Legal frameworks affecting protection include statutes within the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation addressing extremism and hate crimes.
Notable Moscow-associated Jews include historical figures such as Golda Meir's contemporaries, dissidents like Alexander Solzhenitsyn's critics and allies, refuseniks including Anatoly Shcharansky (Natan Sharansky), cultural figures such as Isaac Babel, musicians from the Moscow Conservatory like Sviatoslav Richter's circle, and business leaders connected to Leonid Nevzlin and families linked to the Rotenberg family. Philanthropists and communal leaders include names associated with the Leviathan philanthropic networks and civic activists who worked with institutions such as the Memorial (society) and the Human Rights Watch.
Category:Ethnic groups in Moscow Category:Jewish communities by city