Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Subject of the Russian Federation Jewish Autonomous Oblast of Еврейская автономная область flag coat of arms Federal district far East surface 36,266  km² population 176,558 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010) Population density 4.9 inhabitants / km² Administrative center Birobidzhan Official language Russian Ethnic composition Russians (90.7%) Ukrainians (2.8%) Jews (0.9%) (as of 2010) governor Alexander Lewintal (acting) Founded May 7, 1934 Time zone UTC + 10 Telephone prefixes (+7) 426xx Postcodes 679000-679999 License Plate 79 OKATO 99 ISO 3166-2 RU-YEV Website www.eao.ru

Coordinates: 48 ° 33 '  N , 132 ° 45'  E

The Jewish Autonomous Oblast (also Jewish Autonomous Region, Russian Еврейская автономная область / Jewreiskaja awtonomnaja oblast; Yiddish ייִדישע אױטאָנאָמע געגנט / Yidische ojtonome Gegnt ) is an autonomous administrative region of Russia .

geography

The oblast is in the Far East Federal District and is on the border with the People's Republic of China . The Amur River forms the border between the two states here.

population

Jews never made up the majority of the population in the area that the Soviet government initially designated as Jewish-Soviet Zion from the late 1920s . They reached the highest proportion shortly after the Second World War with around a third of the population, many of them refugees evacuated from the European part of the Soviet Union. After Stalin's death in 1953 at the latest , the Soviet government abandoned its plan to establish a Jewish settlement area outside Israel with the Jewish Autonomous Oblast . When the Soviet Union collapsed , just under 9,000 Jews, or just over 4% of the oblast's population, lived there. At that time, that corresponded to barely 0.5% of all Jews in the Soviet Union . In the meantime, their share has fallen to around 1% of the total population of 176,558 people in the oblast due to strong emigration to Israel and Germany . The population of other minorities such as the Ukrainians , Belarusians , Mordvins and Russian Germans have also decreased massively since 1989 due to emigration. In 2010, more than 90% of the population were Russian . The Chinese population in the capital Birobidzhan has recently increased significantly.

Ethnic group	VZ 1939		VZ 1959		VZ 1970		VZ 1979		VZ 1989		VZ 2002		VZ 2010 1
	number	%	number	%	number	%	number	%	number	%	number	%	number	%
Jews	17,695	16.2%	14,269	8.8%	11,452	6.6%	10.163	5.4%	8,887	4.2%	2,327	1.2%	1,628	0.9%
Russians	75.093	68.9%	127.281	78.2%	144.286	83.7%	158.765	84.1%	178.087	83.2%	171,697	89.9%	160.185	90.7%
Ukrainians	9,933	9.1%	14,425	8.9%	10,558	6.1%	11,870	6.3%	15,921	7.4%	8,483	4.4%	4,871	2.8%
Tatars	994	0.9%	1,293	0.8%	1,158	0.7%	1,456	0.8%	1,499	0.7%	1,196	0.6%	879	0.5%
Belarusians	1,400	1.3%	1,578	1.0%	1,429	0.8%	1,789	0.9%	2.121	1.0%	1,182	0.6%	717	0.4%
German	212	0.19%	414	0.25%	257	0.15%	398	0.21%	403	0.2%	453	0.24%	247	0.14%
Mordwinen	1,835	1.7%	1,446	0.9%	992	0.6%	844	0.4%	795	0.4%	401	0.2%	179	0.1%
Other	1,776	1.6%	2,150	1.3%	2,317	1.3%	3,425	1.8%	6,372	3.0%	5,176	2.7%	7,852	4.4%
Residents	108,938	100%	162,856	100%	172,449	100%	188.710	100%	214.085	100%	190.915	100%	176,558	100%
1 3,832 people could not be assigned to any ethnic group. These people are probably distributed in the same proportion as the ethnically classified inhabitants.

Before the Stalinist purges , around 4,500 Koreans (so-called Korjo-Saram ) lived in the area, who were then completely deported to Central Asia as part of the new policy . During Stalinism , some (an estimated 1,000) Russian mennonites also migrated to the Amur region and a little later emigrated to Paraguay via the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and China .

Today Yiddish is being taught again in schools and there are Yiddish radio broadcasts. The Birobidschaner Schtern appears partly in Russian and partly in Yiddish.

Religions

At the end of the tsarist empire there were around 20 Russian Orthodox communities in what is now the Jewish Autonomous Oblast . After the establishment of the autonomous oblast in 1928, however, the Soviet authorities forbade any practice of religion.

The Russian Orthodox Church now has 16 parishes again, which are spread across the entire region. The Jewish community "Freud" was founded in 1987 (see also Synagogue in Birobidzhan ). There are two synagogues . The Subbotniki community has around 200 followers, some of whom have migrated to Israel in recent years. There are also Protestant communities in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast . The Baptists have their two churches in Birobidzhan and Naifeld , Pentecostal Christians (Slavnaya Wetw) and an official Seventh-day Adventist church are also in Birobidzhan and Kuldur . In the past, church services were held in the old wooden synagogue of Birobidzhan by elderly women who worshiped Jesus and obeyed Jewish laws ( Messianic Jews ).

history

This section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

The area was explored by a Russian expedition in 1644, and the first settlers soon settled here. In 1898 the Trans-Siberian Railway reached the area and caused a further increase in population.

As a settlement area for Jews, the previous Biro-Bidschaner Rajon plus some surrounding areas was formed on March 28, 1928 as part of the Far Eastern Krai of the Russian SFSR . On August 20, 1930, it was renamed Biro-Bidschaner Nationalrajon and on May 7, 1934 in Jewish National Oblast . With the Soviet constitution of 1936 there was another name change to Jewish Autonomous Oblast . After the Far Eastern Krai was dissolved, it was part of the Khabarovsk Krai from October 20, 1938 . The first Jewish settlement was Waldheim . The basic idea of Stalin when it was founded was to counteract Western Zionism and the migration to Palestine and to establish a "Soviet Zion" with Yiddish as the official language. For the state and the party, however, it was not about the fulfillment of Jewish dreams of a home. Rather, one goal was to prevent further Jewish agricultural settlements in the Ukraine and on the Crimea (see: Komzet ), as these encountered an anti-Jewish sentiment in the local population. In addition, the autonomous oblast should form something like a buffer zone against a feared Chinese or Japanese expansion. Last but not least, the rulers hoped for the exploitation of natural resources such as iron, wood, tin and gold. In the Soviet Union, the plan was advertised among the Jewish population with a considerable amount of propaganda. In fact, the “pragmatic” and “defensive” project contributed to strengthening Jewish identity in the Soviet Union and also strengthened Jewish nationalism. The chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets Mikhail Kalinin said of the area: "We consider Birobidzhan to be a Jewish national state."

Jewish collective farm , 1930

The plans provided for around 150,000 Jews to be settled in the region by 1937. The project initially sparked enthusiasm among Jewish communists abroad. Otto Heller of the Communist Party of Austria wrote, “The Jews moved into the Siberian forests, if you ask them about Palestine, they just laugh. […] These settlers found a home in the Siberian taiga not only for themselves, but for millions of members of their people. ”Even Jewish anti-communists like Chaim Schitlowsky were impressed. It was believed that Birobidzhan would become a republic and center of a Jewish socialist culture. Despite the harsh climate, initially thousands of Jews moved to the area. Foreign settlers also came to the region from the late 1920s to the mid-1930s. Many of them had Russian roots and had not been able to get used to Europe or America. In addition to immigrants from Lithuania , there were also immigrants from the USA and Argentina . Most of the new settlers, however, often returned to their homeland after only a few months, disappointed by the miserable living conditions.

Settlement stopped in the mid-1930s when many Jews were killed and Yiddish schools were closed in the course of the Stalinist purges . After the Second World War , the idea of ​​a Jewish territory got a new impetus, and the proportion of Jews reached its peak at around a third. After that, however, the Jewish settlement was never pushed again. Several local politicians and writers were arrested during Stalin's purges.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991, the area was separated from Khabarovsk Krai and became an independent federal subject of Russia; However, there are efforts to reunite the area with the Khabarovsk region.

politics

Alexander Borissowitsch Levintal has been the managing governor of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast since 2015 .

There are 14 parties in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast that also have a regional office there.

Administrative division

Map of the Rajons (excluding the city district)

The republic is divided into five Rajons and a city ​​district , which forms the Oblast Administrative Center Birobidzhan. A total of 12 urban and 18 rural communities are subordinate to the Rajons (status: 2014). There are no municipalities in the urban district and only one town, the city that gives it its name.

	Surname	Residents (October 14, 2010)	Area (km²)	Population density (inh / km²)	Urban population	Rural population	Administrative headquarters	More places	Number of urban communities	Number of rural communities	location
I.	Birobidzhan	75,413	169.38	445	75,413		Birobidzhan
1	Birobidzhansky	11,907	4,442.56	2.7		11,907	Birobidzhan	Country: Birofeld , Dubowoje , Nadeschdinskoje , Naifeld , Ptitschnik , Waldheim		6th
2	Leninsky	20,684	6,068.06	3.4		20,684	Leninskoye	Country: Babstowo , Bidschan , Deschnjowo , Lasarewo , Leninskoje		5
3	Obluchensky	29,035	13,294.48	2.2	24,952	4,083	Obluchye	City: Bira , Birakan , Chingansk , Iswestkowy , Kuldur , Londoko , Obluchye, Teploosjorsk Country: Paschkowo , Radde	8th	2
4th	Oktyabrsky	11,354	6,439.68	1.8		11,354	Amurset	Country: Amurset, Blagoslowennoje , Polewoje		3
5	Smidovichsky	28,165	5,856.74	4.8	19,016	9,149	Smidovich	City: Nikolayevka , Priamursky , Smidowitsch, Volotschajewka Vtoraja Country: Kamyshovka , Partisanskoye	4th	2

Remarks:

1. ^ Number of the Rajon on the map
2. ↑ Seats of urban (gorodskoje posselenije) and rural communities (selskoje posselenije)
3. ^ City district
4. ↑ The city ​​does not belong to the Rajon, but forms an independent urban district

Cities

The only larger city is the administrative center Birobidzhan . There is another small town ( Oblutschje ) and eleven urban-type settlements .

Cities * and urban settlements

Surname	Russian	Rajon	Residents (October 14, 2010)
Bira	Бира	Obluchensky	3,167
Birakan	Биракан	Obluchensky	2.151
Birobidzhan *	Биробиджан	Urban district	75,413
Chingansk	Хинганск	Obluchensky	1,459
Izwestkowy	Известковый	Obluchensky	1,809
Kuldur	Кульдур	Obluchensky	1,609
Londoko	Лондоко	Obluchensky	1,067
Nikolaevka	Николаевка	Smidovichsky	7.912
Obluchye *	Облучье	Obluchensky	9,379
Priamursky	Приамурский	Smidovichsky	4,047
Smidovich	Смидович	Smidovichsky	5,120
Teploosjorsk	Теплоозерск	Smidovichsky	4,311
Volochayevka Vtoraya	Волочаевка Вторая	Smidovichsky	1.937

Transport and economy

The Trans-Siberian Railway runs through the area and connects it with other major Russian cities. The most important economic sectors are mining (gold, iron ore), the timber industry and agriculture.

literature

• Robert Weinberg: Birobidshan. Stalin's forgotten Zion. New Critique, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-8015-0367-4 .
• Antje Kuchenbecker: Zionism without Zion, Birobidžan: Idea and history of a Jewish state in the Soviet Far East. Metropol, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-932482-20-4 (= Center for Antisemitism Research: Series of Documents, Texts, Materials . Volume 32, also dissertation at the TU Berlin 1998).
• The Israelite - A Central Organ for Orthodox Judaism / Founded by Dr. Lehmann in Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, May 17, 1934, number 20, p. 2

Web links

Commons : Jewish Autonomous Oblast  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website (Russian, English , Chinese)
• Birobidshan. Stalins forgotten Zion (English)
• Stalin's Zion
• University paper on the history of the area from its foundation until today (pdf) (709 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Administrativno-territorialʹnoe delenie po subʺektam Rossijskoj Federacii na 1 janvarja 2010 goda (administrative-territorial division according to subjects of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2010). ( Download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Tom 1. Čislennostʹ i razmeščenie naselenija (Results of the All-Russian Census 2010. Volume 1. Number and distribution of the population). Tables 5 , pp. 12-209; 11 , pp. 312–979 (download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)
3. ↑ Nacional'nyj sostav naselenija po sub "ektam Rossijskoj Federacii. (XLS) In: Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Rosstat, accessed on June 30, 2016 (Russian, ethnic composition of the population according to federal subjects , results of the 2010 census). 
4. ↑ Population of the Russian territorial units by nationality 2010 (Russian; lines 1110-1117) http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/per-itog/tab7.xls
5. ↑ Birobidshan shutters
6. ^ Jacques Hersh: Inconvenient Truths about 'Real Existing' Zionism. In: Monthly Review . Vol. 61, No. 1, 2009, pp. 19-38, ( online ).
7. ^ Walter Laqueur : The way to the state of Israel. History of zionism. Europaverlag, Vienna 1972, ISBN 3-203-50560-6 , p. 447.
8. ↑ Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Tom 1. Čislennostʹ i razmeščenie naselenija (Results of the All-Russian Census 2010. Volume 1. Number and distribution of the population). Tables 5 , pp. 12-209; 11 , pp. 312–979 (download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)
9. ^ Area and road network on the website of the Territorial Body for the Jewish Autonomous Oblast of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation
10. ↑ Biro Bidschan ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 25, 2014.