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 Astrakhan rabbi with his family | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 5,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Astrakhan | 3,000[1] |
| Israel | 436[2] |
| Languages | |
| Russian,Hebrew,Yiddish,Bukhori,Juhuri | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism, other (includingatheism) | |
Astrakhan Jews are people ofJewish ethnicity andfaith originating from or living in the historically Central Asian city and region ofAstrakhan inSouth-Western Russia. They are a culturally heterogenous entity, coming from various sub-ethnic backgrounds such asAshkenazi,Juhuri,Sephardi andBukhori, but share a common Jewish identity and form a united community.
The first significant group of followers ofJudaism in Astrakhan were theTurkic-speakingKhazars who disappeared as akhaganate and a distinct ethnic group over a millennium ago. After that, there was no significant Jewish population in and around Astrakhan until the 18th century, occasionalBukhori andJuhuri merchants being the only known exception.
The Jews of theRussian Empire were granted the right to settle in the area in 1791, and the first known Russian Jewish settler in Astrakhan was Leiba Davydov fromViciebsk.[1] Virtually all Jews living in Astrakhan were Ashkenazi, until an influx ofMountain Jewish settlers began around 1850. Many of them settled in the southern part of the Old Town to the west of theBolshiye Isady market along and around the street now known asShaumyana. The quarter was informally known asJewish Street orJewish Town.
Even though historically Astrakhan had four synagogues, only one exists today. It was originally built in 1879, but was then destroyed in the 20th century and rebuilt in the same place in 2003. It is located within the historically Jewish quarter, on the street now known asBabushkina (historicallyKatolicheskaya after theCatholic church located in its opposite end[3]). It was originally maintained and frequented by the local Sephardic community and thus calledSphard. It still bears this name, even though many of the regular worshippers, including the current rabbi, are Ashkenazi.[1] The bigger Ashkenazi synagogue was demolished by the order of theSoviet government during its anti-religious campaign.
Another synagogue was built during/after World War I, in the 1910s. It was designed by two Hungarian prisoners (Teofil Makra, Sándor Gerő) of war who were interned there and won the construction in a design competition.[4]
The Jews who remain in Astrakhan typically speak Russian as their native language, with some being native or fluent in variousJewish languages such asJuhuri,Yiddish andBukhori. Those who practice Judaism are also familiar withHebrew.
Sergey Lagodinsky - lawyer and politician.
