Birobidzhan

**Birobidzhan** (; ) is a toun an the admeenistrative centre o the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Roushie, locatit on the Trans-Siberian Railway, close tae the border wi Cheenae. Population: 

## Name an geografie
The toun is namit efter the twa lairgest rivers in the autonomous oblast: the Bira an the Bidzhan, awtho anerly the Bira flows throu the toun, which lees tae the east o the Bidzhan Valley. Baith rivers are tributars o the Amur.

## History
Planned bi the Swiss airchitect Hannes Meyer, it wis established in 1931 an grantit toun status in 1937.

## Jewish an Yiddish cultur in Birobidzhan
Accordin tae Rabbi Mordechai Scheiner, the Chief Rabbi o Birobidzhan an Chabad Lubavitch representative tae the region, "The day ane can enjoy the benefits o the Yiddish cultur an no be afraid tae return tae their Jewish traditions. It's safe athoot ony anti-Semitism, an we plan tae open the first Jewish day school here." Mordechai Scheiner, an Israeli faither o sax, haes been the rabbi in Birobidzhan for the last five years. He is an aa the host o the Roushie telly show, *[[Yiddishkeit (TV show)|Yiddishkeit]]*. The toun's synagogue opened in 2004. Rabbi Scheiner says thare are 4,000 Jews in Birobidzhan, juist ower 5 percent o the toun's 75,000 population. The Birobidzhan Jewish community wis led bi Lev Toitman, till his daith in September, 2007.

Jewish cultur wis revived in Birobidzhan muckle earlier than elsewhaur in the Soviet Union. Yiddish theaters opened in the 1970s. Yiddish an Jewish tradeetions hae been required components in aw public schools for amaist fifteen years, taught no as Jewish exotica but as pairt o the region's naitional heritage. The Birobidzhan Synagogue, completit in 2004, is next tae a complex hoosin Sunday School classrooms, a leebrar, a museum, an admeenistrative offices. The biggins wur offeecially opened in 2004 tae merk the 70t anniversary o the foondin o the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. Concernin the Jewish community o the oblast, Govrenor Nikolay Mikhaylovich Volkov haes statit that he intends tae "support ivery valuable initiative maintained bi oor local Jewish organisations.". In 2007, The First Birobidzhan Internaitional Simmer Program for Yiddish Language an Cultur wis launched bi Yiddish studies professor Boris Kotlerman o Bar-Ilan University. http://www.2all.co.il/web/Sites/yiddishproject/ The ceety's main street is named efter the Yiddish leid author an humorist Sholom Aleichem.

For the Chanukah celebration o 2007, offeecials o Birobidzhan in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast claimed tae hae biggit the warld's lairgest chanukia.

## Climate
Birobidzhan experiences a monsoonal humid continental climate (Köppen climate clessification *Dwb*) wi vera cauld, dry winters an wairm, vera wet simmers.

## Eddication
The Birobidzhan Jewish National University wirks in cooperation wi the local releegious commonty. The varsity is unique in the Roushie Far East. The basis o the trainin course is study o the Ebreu leid, history an classic Jewish texts. The toun nou boasts several state-run schuils that teach Yiddish, as well as an Anglo-Yiddish faculty at its heicher eddication college, a Yiddish schuil for releegious instruction an a kindergarten. The five tae seien year-aulds spend twa lessons a week learnin tae speak Yiddish, as well as bein taught Jewish sangs, dance an tradeetions.  The schuil menorah wis creatit in 1991. It is a public schuil that affers a hauf-day Yiddish an Jewish curriculum for those parents who choose it. Aboot hauf the schuil’s 120 pupils are enrolled in the Yiddish course. Mony o them continue on tae Public School No. 2, which affers the same hauf-day Yiddish/Jewish curriculum frae first throu 12t grade. Yiddish is an aa affered at Birobidzhan’s Pedagogical Institute, ane o the anerlie varsity-level Yiddish courses in the kintra.
The day, the ceety’s 14 public schuils must teach Yiddish an Jewish tradeetion.

## Sports
The bandy club Nadezhda http://hcnadezhda.narod.ru/ plays in the 2nt heichest diveesion o the Roushie Bandy League.

## Mass media
*"Birobidzhanscaya Nedelya" newspaper
*"Birobidzhaner Shtern", newspaper (in Roushie an Yiddish)
*"Di Vokh" newspaper
* "Birobidzhanscaya Zvezda" newspaper
*Taiga-Vostok Radio
*FM Биробиджан Radio
*"Bira" TV (unner Federal Broadcasting Corporation (GTRK))
*«BestVideo» TV

## ''L'Chayim, Comrade Stalin!''
A documentary film, *[[L'Chayim, Comrade Stalin!]]* on Stalin's creation o the Jewish Autonomous Oblast an its pairtial dounset bi thoosans o Roushie an Yiddish-speakin Jews wis released in 2003. As well as relatin the history o the creation o the proposed Jewish hameland, the film features scenes o life in contemporary Birobidzhan an interviews wi Jewish residents.

Accordin tae *The New York Times*, Stalin promotit the ceety as a hame for secular Jews.

## Internaitional relations

### Twin touns — Sister ceeties
Birobidzhan is twinned wi:
* Beaverton, Unitit States
* Hegang, Cheenae
* Ma'alot-Tarshiha, Israel
* Niigata, Japan

## References

## Freemit airtins

*''Birobidzhan frae 1929 tae 1931'' - photo album (Digitized page images) at US Library of Congress
*Atlas: Birobidzhan 
*Birobidzhan govrenment hamepage  (offeecial)
**Birobidzhan Photo Gallery  (offeecial)
*The Jewish story aboot Birobidzhan (Birobidjan) 1928-1970  (frae Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971 a.o., wi photos addit)