Birobidzhan Jewish National University
The Birobidzhan Jewish National University is a university in Russia.
[edit] Overview
The university works in cooperation with the local Jewish community of Birobidzhan and the Birobidzhan Synagogue. It is unique in the Russian Far East. The basis of the training course is study of the Hebrew language, history and classic Jewish texts. [1]
In recent years, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast has grown interested in its Jewish roots. Students study Hebrew and Yiddish at a Jewish school and Birobidzhan Jewish National University. In 1989, the Jewish center founded its Sunday school, where children study Yiddish, learn folk Jewish dance, and learn about the history of Israel. The Israeli government helps fund the program.[2]
In 2007, The First Birobidzhan International Summer Program for Yiddish Language and Culture was launched by Yiddish studies professor Boris Kotlerman of Bar-Ilan University. [3] Yiddish is still the region’s second official language after Russian, although it is spoken only by a handful of the 4,000 remaining Jews.[4] This program includes a workshop on the village of Valdgeym and its Yiddish heritage. [5]
