DCM DONS A YARMULKE IN BIROBIDJAN

UNCLAS VLADIVOSTOK 000012


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM RS
SUBJECT: DCM DONS A YARMULKE IN BIROBIDJAN


1. A highlight of DCM Eric Rubin's trip to the Russian Far East
was a February 5 visit to the capital of the Jewish Autonomous
Oblast (JAO),Birobidjan. The Jewish Autonomous Region was
established in May 1934 as a homeland for Soviet Jews. It was a
social experiment that some historians contend was doomed or
even designed to fail. Though remote (5,000 miles from Moscow),
under-funded, and ultimately subject to harsh communist
repression, the city and its Jewish culture and religion have
nevertheless survived, and may be enjoying the best period in
the Oblast's almost 75 year history.


2. The town initially struggled to attract Jews and many who did
come to Birobidjan, from Russia and from abroad, left
disillusioned. The joke in Soviet times was that the JAO was
neither Jewish nor autonomous, with Jews outnumbered by Poles,
Ukrainians, and even indigenous people. But Birobidjan served
Moscow's purpose in securing another outpost along Russia's
thinly populated border with China, and as a Soviet propaganda
ploy to show the world that socialism was inclusive and tolerant
of all faiths. Today's Birobidjan is a mixture of that tragic
legacy and a much more hopeful future.


3. Ironically, for a city that suffered more than most from
Stalin, officialdom there maintains many of the Soviet
trappings. The DCM's meetings were well-choreographed set
pieces and the lavish lunch was an over-the-top, old fashioned
round of toasts with too much vodka. On a visit to the
synagogue and Jewish culture center, officials even took pains
to explain that the renaissance of Jewish culture was real and
"not just for show." To be fair, the Mayor was out of town and
the US delegation was met by a Deputy who stuck to his notes
during the formal meeting. Afterwards, however, officials were
quite open about Stalin's legacy, pointing out in the City Hall
portrait gallery which city founders were purged in the 1930's.
Many officials only lasted six months before being executed.
Beneath the clunky Soviet facade, Birobidjan's officials are
welcoming and open once the formalities are done with. The
Governor's office welcomed contact and partnerships with
American educational institutions, cultural groups, and
businesses. Officials noted that Birobidjan is processing
timber into products that could be exported directly to the US,
saving the cost of shipping raw timber for processing in China,
which stocks many American furniture store shelves with finished
goods.


4. The JAO has a population of 180,000 and with a huge nature
preserve just north of Birobidjan, the region has a rural and
small town feel. Light industry and agriculture are the bases
of the economy. So far, the global economic crisis has not been
as keenly felt here as elsewhere in the region. Along with the
furniture factories are textile plants, a university with 2,000
students, and a growing service sector. The JAO budget is a
healthy 4.5 billion rubles. Birobidjan is a city with a quality
of life rich enough to actually attract new residents to a city
in a region of decreasing population. Many pensioners prefer
the JAO's milder climate, clean air and water, and "stable"
(less corrupt) political situation.


5. The 5,000 Jews of the JAO make up only about two and a half
percent of the Oblast population, but Yiddish is everywhere in
Birobidjan, albeit more for cultural and historical pride than
as a working language. In Birobidjan itself, the Jewish
percentage is six percent, with about 2,000 people being active
in the life of the synagogue and community center. There are
anecdotal reports that some elderly people are returning to
Birobidjan from Germany and Israel, but not enough to make a
statistical impact so far.

In addition to teaching the language, the cultural center's
school also includes the study of Jewish culture, history, and
music. The center arranges popular cultural exhibits to villages
and small settlements in the JAO, and tourists come from
Khabarovsk to visit the center on a regular basis. Jewish
leaders were justifiably proud of the vitality of the synagogue
and their wide contacts with Jews around the world who have sent
contributions and visiting delegations to the "Zion of Russia."
The Jewish Cultural Center "Freyd" and the synagogue are funded
by a variety of Russian and international partners from
government and private sources. In 2009, the JAO Administration
promises to provide buses, vacation outings, and dances for the
center's school children. The center continues to provide
assistance to needy pensioners with free breakfasts and lunches.

The head of the center underlined that there are no nationalist
conflicts in JAO. The synagogue is located close to the Orthodox
Church and the two faiths enjoy good relations, celebrating some
public holidays together. This September a festival of Jewish
culture will mark the 75-year anniversary of the JAO's
foundation and organizers said that a US delegation would be
very welcome. The synagogue and cultural center are keeping a
small but steady flame of Jewish life and identity alight.


6. Today's Birobidjan features clean streets, tree lined parks,
and several furniture factories. The town is surrounded by a
nature preserve the size of Belgium that features many
endangered species and even a tiger in recent years. At the Far
Eastern State Academy for Humanities and Social Studies the
Vice-President for research explained that the institute
provides 63 different educational programs for 2000 students.
The Academy has good contacts with the universities in Israel
which help with teaching materials, books in Yiddish, and
summer schools for students. In the past cooperation with US
Universities was more active and fruitful than now, and
currently they have the only one US teacher. The Academy
administration stressed that they want to re-establish such an
interaction since interest in the English language continues to
grow. Birobidjan has sister city relationships with Beaverton,
Oregon; Niigata, Japan, several Israeli towns, and Hygan, China.
Three checkpoints line JAO's 530 kilometer border with China.


7. Comment: The Consulate has long been impressed with the
level of English from Birobidjan students and will try to
provide additional English language programming to the
university. Students were enthusiastic about the DCM's speech
on President Obama and the future of US-Russian relations and
they would benefit from more information about US educational
opportunities and programs like FLEX, IREX and Summer Work and
Travel. Birobidjan is a major cultural and environmental center
in the Far East and well worth including in Khabarovsk programs
as it is only a few hours to the West from there. The DCM's
February 2-6 Vladivostok and Khabarovsk events and meetings to
follow septel.


ARMBRUSTER