Birobidzhan, Russia

Nestled deep in the vast Siberian forest, the remote city of Birobidzhan was established as a Jewish Autonomous Oblast by Stalin in 1934. Despite the Yiddish signage and snippets of spoken Yiddish floating through the air, the city was mostly Yiddish in culture only. At its peak, the Jewish population made up nearly a quarter of the overall population with about 50,000 residents; now it is home to a meager few thousand, almost all of them still missing out on the beauty of Yiddishkeit.

Rabbi Eliyahu Riss, the local Chabad Shliach, is attempting to change that. Originally from Birobidzhan, Rabbi Riss was inspired by the previous Shaliach to become Shomer Torah U’Mitzvos. He moved to Eretz Yisroel, but then returned seven years ago, after he married, to take over the reins.

Previously, the closest Mikvah involved a treacherous drive, which endangered the Rabbi’s life some years ago. The approximately 10 families brave enough to undertake the journey generally remained overnight.

Through the immense dedication of Rabbi Lazar, Rabbi Riss, and Mikvah Tahara, December 26, 2019, went down in history as the day a Mikvah was filled in this historical Jewish town for the very first time! Today there are around 400 families actively participating in events and/or attending shul, with about 50 young people involved in the community.