The ''Birobidzhaner Shtern'' (

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

: ; russian: Биробиджанер Штерн ''Birobidžaner Štern''; "The Birobidzhan Star") is a newspaper published in both Yiddish and Russian in the

Jewish Autonomous Oblast The Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO; russian: Евре́йская автоно́мная о́бласть, (ЕАО); yi, ייִדישע אװטאָנאָמע געגנט, ; )In standard Yiddish: , ''Yidishe Oytonome Gegnt'' is a federal subject ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. It was set up in November 1930 in

Birobidzhan Birobidzhan ( rus, Биробиджа́н, p=bʲɪrəbʲɪˈdʐan; yi, ביראָבידזשאַן, ''Birobidzhan'') is a town and the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia, located on the Trans-Siberian Railway, near th ...

to cater for the newly arrived

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

immigrants. It is the oldest national newspaper in the region.

History

Birobidzhaner Shtern was established on October 30, 1930. Jankel Levin was first editor of the newspaper. He received the first printing equipment from China.

Emmanuil Kazakevich Emmanuil Genrikhovich Kazakevich (russian: Эммануи́л Ге́нрихович Казаке́вич, yi, עמנואל קאַזאַקעװיטש; February 24, 1913 – September 22, 1962) was a Soviet author, poet and playwright of Jewish ext ...

, who was awarded the Stalin-Prize twice, the highest literary award in the country, was an author and staff member of the newspaper in 1935–1938. During the Second World War, Birobidzhaner Shtern became part of the newspaper “Birobidzhanskaya Zvezda”. In May 1945 the Birobidzhaner Shtern resumed its independent edition. The Jewish Autonomous Oblast had been set up by the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

government in an attempt to resolve the

Jewish Question The Jewish question, also referred to as the Jewish problem, was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century European society that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other " national ...

and provide an alternative to the

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

Jewish experience offered later by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The publication was interrupted in 1949 and continued since 1952. According to official data it had an edition of 12,000 in 1970. Birobidzhaner Shtern was the only newspaper in Russia that contained a section in Yiddish. The newspaper, led by a local Yiddish-speaking woman, Yelena Sarashevskaya, features Yiddish and Russian articles written by contributors from different countries.

Mordechai Scheiner Mordechai Sheiner ( he, מרדכי שיינר; russian: Мордеха́й Шейнер) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi associated with the Chabad Hasidic movement. Sheiner served as Chief Rabbi of Jewish Autonomous Oblast from 2002 to 2011.

, a Yiddish speaker and the former

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

for the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and head of the Birobidzhan Synagogue, and additional Jewish settlements such as

Valdgeym Valdgeym (russian: Валдгейм; yi, װאלדהײם, ; german: Waldheim) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Birobidzhansky District of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia. Valdgeym was the place where the first collective farm was establ ...

. was one of the paper's readers and supporters. The current rabbi, Eli Riss, was born in the city and supports Yiddish activities in Birobidzhan. In 2009 Birobidzhaner Shtern and the regional newspaper Birobidzhanskaya Zvezda united under Birobidzhan Publishing House.

Recognitions

In 1980 Birobidzhaner Shtern was awarded the

Order of the Badge of Honor The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

Chief Editors

* Henekh Kazakevich (1932–1935) * Buzi Goldenberg (1936–1937) * Buzi Miller (1941, 1944–1948) * Naum (Nokhem) Fridman (1949–1950) * Naum Korchminski (1956–1984) * Leonid Shkolnik (1984–1988) * Inna Dmitrienko (from 1994)

References

External links

''Birobidzhaner Shtern'' (Official Website)

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page) {{authority control Jewish anti-Zionism in Russia Jewish anti-Zionism in the Soviet Union Mass media in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Yiddish newspapers Newspapers published in Russia Newspapers published in the Soviet Union Yiddish-language mass media in Russia Birobidzhan Newspapers established in 1930 1930 establishments in Russia

History

Recognitions

Chief Editors

See also

References

External links