World Jewish News

Jews of Tatarstan have equipped their house among successors of the Golden Horde.

In 1994, when local authorities have proclaimed independence of the region, Jews of Tatarstan have decided there has come the moment to adjust their communal and spiritual life. They have addressed to the government to get in possession the local synagogue constructed before the revolution. That time the synagogue was in hands of local association of teachers. When teachers refused to leave the building, Jews blocked it.
"We decided to organize picket. Certainly, it was the real scandal but we did not see another way to return the building", Michael Skobilenok, one of strikers, said.
Now the synagogue became the center of revival of Judaism in Tatarstan. Despite the last year's attack on the Jewish school many Jewish inhabitants of Kazan say that feel benevolence in the city.
The synagogue newly built building is stylized in spirit of the Jewish center in New York or Montreal. The organization spreads the activity to people of different age categories: from youth up to aged persons. The youth club has in its structure 350 members. Both students and older persons spend their free time here. Older persons aspire to return to traditions which they were compelled to put aside during the Soviet period. Youngsters come to find tradition which they have never had.
Synagogue is not the only achievement of the Jewish community in Kazan.
The Jewish education in the city has reached so high academic level that students of Russian and Tatar ethnic origin enter the programs which include Hebrew and the Jewish history.
Activity of the community is financed by many organizations, including those rom the USA and Israel. One of such groups sponsoring the community is the Union of Jewish communities of the Western Connecticut. The union constantly sends its representatives to Tatarstan and doctors from the community are sent abroad for training.
Israel was and remains to be the original Jewish resource. Many people come to Russia and the rabbi of the synagogue, Itzkhak Gorelik is the Jew born in Israel whose roots come from Russia. His parents coming from the Central Asia, from Tashkent, immigrated to Israel before his birth in 1974. Their son, on the contrary, from Israel has moved to Kazan together with his wife under the invitation of the Chief Rabbi of Russia (FJOR) Berl Lazar.
Rabbi Gorelik considers that Jewish life in Russia began to revive since 1987 when Jews have started to organize local communities and to search for rabbis for synagogues.
Many people think the situation in Russia is now more or less stable, therefore rabbi Gorelik can live easy in Kazan. "I want to stay here for ever", admits rabbi. "I have three children who go to a kindergarten, and I want to bring them up to be real Jews in Kazan".
Jews here start to be proud of the heritage and, despite of intense situations in some areas of the country, Kazan Jews are not afraid to speak aloud about who they are. "Ten years ago nobody in public transport could dare to say they are Jews or to talk in Hebrew", says Gorelik. "Today they can be publicly proud of the nationality. I think we have reached the most important aim: Jewish children are not afraid to be Jews".

Источник: Jewish.ru