Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies

The Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS), founded by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, is envisioned as an academic think-tank and platform for academic and professional exchange among leading experts that study Jewish communities of the Former Soviet Union, Balkan and Asian countries, as well as “transnational Jewish diasporas”—communities that are detached from their countries of origin.

The Institute will facilitate academic and applied studies that examine the current affairs and needs of Euro-Asian Jewish communities, their social and political standing in their host countries, as well as their relations with the State of Israel and other global and regional powers. It will also investigate Jewish migration processes and the historical, cultural and political heritage of these communities.

Communities, organizations included in the EAJC and Congress partners can assist in researching and collecting materials, selecting authors for publications, developing proposals and ordering projects (including their co-financing). Moreover, they can help organizing presentations of the Institute’s materials.

The institute, in partnership with colleagues from the countries of the former USSR, has launched a large-scale sociological study “Jewish communities of the post-Soviet space: the current state and the dynamic trends”. The study includes a survey of the Jewish (in the broad sense of the word) population of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Moldova in order to understand the development of the Jewish and other ethnic identities of these communities better, as well as to observe the current trends in the formation of Jewish communities. Additionally, the survey will help to evaluate the preferred mechanisms of joining the Jewish community by non-Jewish and mixed origin individuals. Moreover, it will help to examine migration dynamics, socio-economic status of various groups of Jews of these countries and their relationship to Israel.

The institute will be happy to assist communities in organizing this survey, and will provide them with the results of this study, which, in our opinion, should help in their future work planning.

Sunday educational platform “JFuture”

JFuture – Sunday educational platform with the use of new technologies and teaching methods, where children and parents will get new knowledge, take advices from professional specialists and can spend time productively in a warm family atmosphere.

Creating a JFuture – an educational platform to involve non-affiliated Jewish families and strengthen the Jewish heritage.

Principles:

  • Jewish heritage: studying the history and traditions of Jewish people
  • Novelty in learning: A system of unique, creative, and intellectual development that helps to open up and “unlock the potential”. Studying process based on STEAM approach stands for Science (Science), Technologies (Technology), Engineering (Engineering), Art (Art) and Math (Mathematics). All these components are related to the most promising and prospective sectors and areas of the future.
  • Global Jewish Network: the feeling of unity of the Jewish people, regardless of the place of living, a sense of belonging to the global Jewish community.
  • Warm family atmosphere: A platform where you can discuss topics of interest, learn, develop and feel like at home.

JFuture platform opens on the basis of a community center. The project involves weekly Sunday meetings for groups of children and parents.

Participants unite in age groups: J-fan 5–6 years old, J-lab 7–9 years old, J-prof 10–12 years old, parents. In each age group – from 6 to 15 people. Lessons are held in different formats: separately for children and parents and once a month for all groups together. Sunday platform includes 3 hours of productive classes for each age group. It is suggested to have 15-minute breaks for participants between classes (if possible).

Project programs are developed by leading experts and are based on best practices. They are interactive and focused on practical application. In each lesson we use multimedia equipment (interactive Smartboard, projector, etc.). Lessons are developed for three age groups, taking into account individual age features. For the smallest, we use lego-technology. This makes the lesson unusual, interesting, attracts children’s attention and allows them to better absorb the material.

For all questions related to the project, you can contact the EAJC Israeli branch:  [email protected]

Сhildren’s camp “Integration”

The children’s camp “Integration” is an international project for children with disabilities. The city camp serves as a platform for the integration of families with special children into society and the Jewish community. This project has existed at the Moscow Jewish Community House since 2004.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress has been actively supporting the camp’s activities for several years and assisting in the implementation of activities that help to ensure social adaptation of families in order to establish constructive contacts with the outside world. In addition, the camp promotes backward integration, when ordinary children who interact with special children within the framework of projects become more open, tolerant, understanding, and accepting “other” children. The desire and readiness to help them whenever possible is formed. Unjustified fears and prejudice disappear.

This project allows families with children with disabilities along with ordinary children to go on excursions, to get acquainted with the historical past of our people, to develop their horizons and get new experiences and experience. In workshops and classes all participants are united by a creative process, a special atmosphere. Special children get experience in a group, learn to bring things to a logical end.

Professional psychologists, social workers and art educators take part in the project. Psychological support promotes morale and strengthens relationships within the family. Thanks to the successful work of the project, new people come to us, hoping for real help.

Supporting “Hillel” Russia

Hillel Russia – part of the world’s largest Jewish student organization that introduces young people to the history, traditions, values and culture of the Jewish people.

Hillel Russia was formed in 1994 with the mission of strengthening Jewish identity among young people and encouraging them to actively participate in the life of the global Jewish community. The focus of Hillel’s cultural activity – informal study of Jewish history and traditions, introduction to Israel and participation in leadership and volunteer programs.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress supports various Hillel Russia projects, including:

• Madrichim School – an intensive three-month training course for madrichs in non-formal Jewish education. The school of madrichim educates leaders who are well-versed in matters of Jewish culture and history, able to organize, captivate and pass their knowledge onto others.

• Young Jewish Leaders: Student Leadership and Self-Government – a program that develops and supports a new generation of leaders in the Jewish communities of Russia. Participants implement their projects over the course of six months, after which the best project managers undergo special trainings at Hillel and participate in Moscow shabbatons. The program contributes to the enrichment of Jewish life in Russia and the awakening of Jewish identity among its participants.

• Online Course: Leading Shabbat – preparatory crash course for Shabbat leaders to learn about the culture of Shabbat in webinar format with the help of rabbis, cultural scientists and Jewish leaders. The two best participants, based on test results, will be rewarded with a trip to a Hillel of another city with the possibility of leading a Shabbat for local youth.

• Student initiatives, including tsevet and volunteering:

— Tsevet supports and gives new knowledge to active students of Hillel – madrichs or project coordinators.

— Volunteering – support program targeting volunteer initiatives. The project aims to support and develop the motivation of community activists in Russia.

• Professional Training – four-day conference for all Hillel Russia staff to increase knowledge in areas of work, exchange of experience and professional development.

• Jewish Holidays – student celebrations of the main Jewish holidays: Purim, Pesach, Rocha ha-Shanu, Hanukkah, etc. Each time the program includes something new: parties, picnics, seminars and lectures.

Supporting Hillel Case

The main task of “Hillel CASE – education of the new generations of educated and enlightened Jews who are proud of their heritage, the involvement of Jewish youth in the process of the revival of Jewish life and raise a new generation of Jewish leaders, the study of Jewish history, religion, traditions and culture, the formation of Jewish identity of young Jews , the implementation of programs aimed at promoting the spiritual development of young people in education and culture.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress actively supports the activities of the organization and assists in the implementation of the following projects:

HAP (Hillel Art Project)

The project is conceived as a platform for professional, creative development in the company of like-minded and new friends from different cities. Under one roof collected participants from different cities of the region, led by star to teachers, the real masters of their craft to comprehend the secrets of creative professions. Every year, 30-40 participants gather in Kiev, where they painted and photographed, removed, and write, produce advertising and installation. In a word – create.

HAP- is a four-day workshop consisting of lectures, workshops and creative studios. This is a great opportunity to socialize and make new friends in gilelevskoy family

The project involves the introduction of actively produced during the workshop skills and knowledge into practice “Hillel” in the field, as well as creating the actual product operations for the 4 days of the seminar, applicable in further Hilel’s life.

HAP includes the four artistic direction:

– Video: try for yourself and learn all the nuances of shooting (script, directing, shooting, editing) within the format “48 hours”?

– Theater. Participation in staging theatrical process, acting work, in parallel with the obtaining of relevant knowledge (rhetoric, stage speech, acting)

– Media. Getting knowledge and practical skills of modern media technologies. Blogging and vlogs, the subtleties of creating content for the social. networks

– Art. A study of trends in contemporary art, as well as the creation of installations, the creation of individual creative products.

Intellectual wars

The international tournament on the popular smart games. Intelligent War Hillel – a unique educational project, born in Odessa in 2007. The International tournament on intellectual games involving teams “Hillel» CASE region, Odessa Jewish organizations and teams from other cities and countries. Since 2013 the festival has received the status “International”. For teams from Belarus, Moldova and Russia were joined by representatives of Israel. In 2018, for the first time in history, USA representatives joined.

Summer Forum

Every year in late August, “Hilel” gathers more than 150 new kids on the Black Sea, to, acquaint them with programs and projects that inspire “Hillel”. Top madrichim trained in gilelevskoy “School madrichim” prepared for the participants of a unique thematic program, which will never be repeated. Five days of educational and entertainment programs, intellectual battles, interesting meetings, new friends, good mood and positive sea, contribute to the fact that most children become regular participants of our programs, and eventually many of them can be seen among the activists and leaders of the “Hillel” of their cities.

The center of the Jewish community “Beit Rambam”

Shtetl Anatevka is described in the play “Tevye the Milkman” by Shalom Aleichem. In the old Jewish cemetery near the village is located the oel of the great tzaddik Rabbi Mordechai from Chernobyl, who foresaw the Chernobyl disaster almost 200 years before its implementation. In the early twentieth century the shtetl gradually came to desolation. On the initiative of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe-Reuven Asman, in 2015, the revival of the Jewish town began in the same place. To date, the hostel, a synagogue, a cheder, a training and educational complex “Mitsvat Moshe”, a kindergarten “Gan Zelda”, two apartment buildings are functioning in Anatevka. In the process of construction – a separate header building, the third apartment building, a multi-profile rehabilitation center, a Jewish museum.

The revival of Anatevka was a response to the needs of low-income Jews of Ukraine in a comfortable and safe environment for the conduct of the Jewish way of life. The concept of the Beit Rambam center implies social, psychological, physical, spiritual rehabilitation for those who find themselves in a difficult life situation, as well as for elderly members of the community.

Particular attention “Beit Rambam” refers to members of the community of golden age. On the basis of the center, it is planned to create a full-day club for the elderly, where they could spend leisure time in the Jewish environment, engage in self-education, improve health, and receive full-fledged kosher food.

Jewish Culture and Education in Georgia

The purpose of the project: To increase the level of Jewish self-awareness of the younger generation, to introduce young people to the Jewish tradition and to help them learn the Jewish sources, the succession of generations and the expansion of the program participants’ program; the renewal of shortened programs; the study of Hebrew and traditions; the study of the history and culture of Jewish communities in the Euro-Asian region.

The project is implemented jointly with the Jewish Cultural and Educational Foundation (JCC)

“Rod`n`ya“ Project – family history research

“Rod`n`ya“ Project was carried out through the cooperation of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Hillel International and Genesis Philanthropy Group.

“Rod`n`ya“ Project is a leadership educational program that enables young Jewish leaders to get acquainted with their family history and contribute to the development and strengthening of community life.

For several months the project participants were exploring their roots, the history of their families and communities. They were studying the Jewish history and tradition, visiting archives and looking through the family albums.

For a detailed study of a family history, 45 Jewish students from Russia, Ukraine and Israel visited Poland and the Czech Republic. The participants made a real expedition, visited places where before the Second World War numerous Jewish communities lived and flourished. In the framework of the project, students also strengthened their leadership skills, gained new tools for project management, and also collected material for further planning and implementation of their own projects, in order to keep the memory of both their families in particular and Jewish people as a whole.

Publication of the book “The popular history of Bukharian Jews”

“Popular History of Bukharian Jews” was recently published, with a support of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. The authors, Ilya Dvorkin and Markel Fazylov, have covered a rich history of Bukharian Jews for almost 2600 years:  from the Persian Empire period (6th century B.C.) through the Bukhara Khanate foundation (16th century) to Russian Empire (19-20th centuries), including the Soviet period.

The purpose of the book is to present the history of Bukharian Jews in a comprehensible and lively manner. The book refers to little-known pages of history. Of particular interest is investigation of Jewish communities in the Central Asia settlements. Through thoughts and memories of particular people, the reader can see the changes in the authorities’ policy towards the Jews, and the effect it had on their legal and economic state. Important to note, the history of Bukharian Jews is shown in a book not only on the basis of statistics and archival documents.

Along with the opinions of scientists and travelers, the book contains reasonings and judgments of the Bukharian Jews themselves, which is extremely important for a deep understanding of nation’s culture and ethnography.

Reconstruction of the old Birobidzhan synagogue

The project is implemented jointly with the Public Organization of the Jewish Autonomous Region – the Federation of Jewish Organizations.

The project is aimed at reconstruction of the old Birobidzhan synagogue of the Beit Tshuva community, bringing it in line with religious canons. Creation of an exhibition exposition on the history of the Jewish community and Jewish resettlement in the Jewish Autonomous Region in the synagogue building.

The aim of this international project, in which representatives of Russia and Israel participate, is to preserve the focus of Jewish culture, spiritual life and historical memory of the first settlers of autonomy.