KYRGYZSTAN'S JEWISH COMMUNITY: THE LONG HISTORY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000885 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KIRF PGOV PREL KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZSTAN'S JEWISH COMMUNITY: THE LONG HISTORY AND CURRENT SITUATION BISHKEK 00000885 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Long gone are the days of a robust and vibrant Jewish community in Kyrgyzstan. Like in many former Soviet republics, most of the Jewish population has immigrated to Israel, Canada, or the United States. However, the Jewish community members who have chosen to remain, approximately 1500 strong, promote the traditions and history of the Jewish people through the programs of their charitable organizations. Prominent Jewish citizens in Kyrgyzstan provide the necessary financial support to continue these programs into the foreseeable future. End Summary. HISTORY OF JEWS IN KYRGYZSTAN -------------- ¶2. (U) The history of the Jewish community in Kyrgyzstan dates back to the 1880's, when the first Ashkenazi (German/Eastern European) Jews settled in the northern Kyrgyz cities of Pishpek (now Bishkek),Tokmok, and Karakol. They arrived together with an influx of Russian settlers. During this period, Yahudi or Bukharan Jews arrived from Bukhara and Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan) and in the southern Kyrgyz towns of Osh and Jalalabad. They fled their homeland as a result of restrictions impressed upon them by the Russian Colonial Administration that limited their movement within the Bukharan Khanate. ¶3. (U) During World War II, a flood of Ashkenazi Jews fled German Nazi-occupied areas of the Soviet Union and resettled in Kyrgyzstan. This period saw the height of the Jewish population reach an estimated 26,000. Members of the Jewish community fulfilled prominent roles in Kyrgyzstan society, as authors, scholars, politicians, artists, and scientists with little animosity from the Kyrgyz population. THE RETURN TO ISRAEL -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The exodus of Jews from the Soviet Union to Israel and other nations depleted the population in Kyrgyzstan to an estimated 7,200 by 1989, according to a government census. Doctor Boris Shapiro, Chairman of the Board of Jewish Culture Society of Kyrgyzstan "Menora," told Poloff that the severe limitations of freedom instilled by Soviet policies drove Jews to seek a better life in Israel, Canada, or the United States. Although his own children immigrated to Israel, he vowed never to leave Kyrgyzstan, stating that "I am old and this will always be my home." Shapiro is typical of the estimated 1,500 Jews remaining in Kyrgyzstan, comprised of a predominantly elderly population unwilling to uproot their lives. CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT JEWISH COMMUNITY -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Although their primary focus is to support Jewish seniors, Jewish charitable organizations also conduct outreach programs, sponsor youth sports and art clubs, and provide seminars on health care. Rosa Fish, Director of the Jewish Charitable Fund of Bishkek "Hesed Tikva" and Vice-Chairwoman of "Menora," told Poloff that the elderly Jewish community benefits from programs that provide food and other necessary household products, pay heating bills in the winter, and assist with medical care. In addition, she noted that their organizations support youth sports and art clubs, sponsor trips to Issyk-Kul for families and individuals, conduct health seminars on emergency medical care and child healthcare, and organize outreach programs in schools to educate students on the tragedies of the Holocaust. "Hesed Tikva" and "Menora" also fund a newspaper for the Jewish community and a school that conducts lessons on Judaism, with the goal of promoting the traditions and history of the BISHKEK 00000885 002.2 OF 002 Jewish people. LOCAL DONORS SUPPORT JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The primary source of funding for the Jewish assistance organizations and the local synagogue in Kyrgyzstan is the Jewish community itself. Shapiro and Fish agreed that without the support of members of the Jewish community, businessmen, politicians, and other wealthy individuals, their organizations would not exist. When asked about financial support from Israel, Rabbi Arie Raichman, head of the only Jewish synagogue in Kyrgyzstan, told Poloff that funding for his facilities came from within the community and that "the State of Israel supports us morally, as we do the same for it." GFOELLER