The ''Birobidzhaner Shtern'' (
Yiddish
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
: ; ''Birobidžaner Štern''; "The Birobidzhan Star") is a newspaper published in both Yiddish and Russian in the
Jewish Autonomous Oblast
The Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO) is a federal subject of Russia in the far east of the country, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast in Russia and Heilongjiang province in China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan.
...
of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. It was set up in November 1930 in
Birobidzhan to cater for the newly arrived
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
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.
, 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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
government in an attempt to resolve the
Jewish Question and provide an alternative to the
Zionist Jewish experience offered later by
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. 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, including
Yoel Matveyev and
Velvl Chernin.
Mordechai Scheiner, a Yiddish speaker and the former
Chief Rabbi for the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and head of the
Birobidzhan Synagogue, and additional Jewish settlements such as
Valdheym. was one of the paper's readers and supporters. The previous Birobidzhan rabbi Eli Riss, was born in the city and supports Yiddish activities in the city. The current rabbi, Efraim Kolpak, is also a vocal supporter of the newspaper and Yiddish activism 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.
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)
See also
*
Jews and Judaism in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
*
History of the Jews in Russia and Soviet Union
*
Yevsektsiya
*
''Yiddishkeit'' (TV show)
References
External links
''Birobidzhaner Shtern'' (Official Website)''Birobidzhaner Shtern'' (Official Facebook page)
{{authority control
Jewish anti-Zionism in Russia
Jewish anti-Zionism in the Soviet Union
Mass media in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Yiddish-language newspapers published in Russia
Newspapers published in the Soviet Union
Birobidzhan
Newspapers established in 1930
1930 establishments in Russia