September 19 - Birobidzhan

We came here to do a story on what remains of Jewish culture in Birobidzhan. Few people are aware of this city's unusual history. Founded in 1927, it was later designated the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Region by Stalin in 1934. Yet little evidence of this special status remains. The Birobidzhan train station (R) is one of the few buildings with signs written in both Russian and Yiddish.

One of the first places we wanted to visit was the town's only synagogue. Our taxi driver, a Tatar named Zarig, had no clue where it was and drove in circles until he finally stopped to ask directions. Eventually, we found the synagogue, and with it the beginning of our story.

Sasha and Maya had arranged for us to stay in an empty one-room apartment owned by their friend Tanya. By the distinct aroma of mothballs and the layer of dust coating the furniture, it appears that nobody had lived here for some time. But we're not complaining -- it's got two beds and running hot water, which is about all we really need. Well, almost. The only serious drawback is that we don't have a phone, our lifeline. This means that we will have to run over to Maya's place-- about a five-minute trip -- in the morning and evening to check our email.



[ DAILY CHRONICLES ] [ ROAD STORIES ] [ IN THEIR WORDS ]
[ SITE DIRECTORY ] [ INTRODUCTION ] [ RUSSIAN ATLAS ]
[TRIP AT A GLANCE] [ MAILBOX ]

FocalPoint f/8 World Media Network
Co-produced by FocalPoint f/8 and World Media Network
Designed and Developed by FocalPoint f/8
About Our Sponsors
Production Credits


All HTML and Graphics © 1995 by FocalPoint f/8, Photos © Gary Matoso