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Jewish Autonomous Region established
May 7, 1934, upon the resolution of the All-Union Central Executive Committee, Birobidzhan area gained the status of an autonomous Jewish national region.
Jewish Autonomous Region is located in the southern part of the Russian Far East. On the west it borders upon the Amur Region, in the east – upon the Khabarovsk Territory, in the south its border along the Amur River coincides with the state boundary between Russia and China.
The region covers an area of 36, 300 square kilometers. Preliminary assessment of the population by January 1, 2014 is 170, 600 people. Regional center is the city of Birobidzhan.
Unlike other national autonomies, part of the Russian Federation, the Jewish autonomy has a unique history. At the beginning of the 1920s, Soviet authorities began to actively discuss the plans of settling toiling Jews on the land and finding areas for their compact residence. Initially, mass migration of Jews in the Crimea and the areas near the Sea of Azov was assumed. However, in the mid-1920s, government policy changed for various reasons.
In 1927, the area for the future colonization was defined - Birobidzhan. In August of the same year, the expedition of agricultural scientists and representatives of KOMZET (Committee for the Settlement of Toiling Jews on the Land) and OZET (Society for Settling Toiling Jews on the Land) visited the area. The Commission generally welcomed the prospects of future colonization area.
Materials of the expedition were summarized and KOMZET decided "to request the Presidium of CEC of the USSR to allocate Birsko-Bidzhansky area to KOMZET and to start works on the settlement of working Jews on the land there." A decree of SNK USSR of March 28, 1928 complied with the request of KOMZET, allotted it about 4.5 million hectares of land in the Far Eastern near Amur and authorized the commencement of the mass migration of the Jewish population to Priamurye (Outer Manchuria).
In April - May 1928, trains with the first settlers, the Jews from the cities and towns of Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and central regions of Russia, regions of Siberia, the Far East, as well as from abroad started to arrive to Tikhonkaya rail station. In late 1928 and early 1929, according to OZET, another 900 persons arrived.
In the first years of resettlement, many immigrants returned "to the point of their issue." The main causes of "return" were unprepared conditions to accept immigrants, shortages of goods and basic goods, harsh climatic conditions and others.
By a decree of All-Union Central Executive Committee of August 20, 1930 the resettlement area in the basin of Bira River and Bijan River as a result of settlement and economic revival of lands was given the administrative name of Birobidzhan region with the center in the village of Tikhonkaya.
Intensified influx of population, strengthening of inter-regional relations, rapid pace of economic development in the period of 1928-1934 created the conditions for the organization of the Jewish Autonomous Region, designed to independently carry out its administrative tasks of regional importance. By a resolution of the Central Executive Committee of May 7, 1934 Birobidzhan district gained the status of the autonomous Jewish national region. The first Regional Congress of Soviets, held in December 1934, finalized the autonomy.
In 1991, by a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of USSR, the Jewish Autonomous Region was allocated from the Khabarovsk Territory to become an independent subject of the Russian Federation. After converting all the other Russian autonomous regions into republics in the early 1990s, the Jewish Autonomous Region has remained the only autonomous region of the Russian Federation.
After the beginning of the Russian colonization of the area, mutual enrichment of different cultures, Russian, Jews, Belarusians, Ukrainians and others has taken place in the territory of the Jewish Autonomous Region.
In recent years, the regional culture has regained its nationality. With the advent of the Jewish religious community "Freud" somewhat Jewish traditions lost in the past have revived.
Under the auspices of the community, several distinctive creative teams are working. Celebration of Jewish holidays has become traditional: Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Purim, as well as the International Festival of Jewish Culture. Regional Library has preserved unique collections of Jewish literature. During the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Jewish Autonomous Region, there was held the grand opening of the main synagogue, built by all the canons of Judaism.
Lit.: Еврейская автономная область / ред. И. Попкова. Хабаровск, 2004; Еврейская автономная область : энциклопедический словарь / отв. ред. В. С. Гуревич, Ф. Н. Рянский. Хабаровск, 1999; Календарь знаменательных и памятных дат по Еврейской автономной области на 2009 год / сост. О. В. Редькина [и др.]. Биробиджан, 2008.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Брук Б. Л. Биробиджан : с географической картой района и 7 фотографиями. М., 1928;
Группа писателей ЕАО с Э. Г. Казакевичем [Изоматериал] : [фотография]. [Биробиджан, 1930-е гг.];
Диманштейн С. М. Еврейская автономная область — детище Октябрьской революции. М., 1936;
Доброхотов М. Н. Мало-Хинганский железо-рудный район. Л.; М., 1936;
Друянов М. Б. Еврейская автономная область. (Биробиджан). М., 1934;
Казакевич Э. Г. [Изоматериал] : 1940-е гг. : [фотография]. [1940-е гг.];
Каменецкий И. В. Природные богатства Еврейской автономной области. М., 1936;
Кобленц Б. Валдгейм : [еврейский посёлок в Биробиджане]. М., 1934;
Мережин А. Н. Вопросы земельного устройства трудящихся евреев. М., 1927;
Мережин А. Н. О заселении Биро-Биджанского района трудящимися евреями. М., 1928;
Мережин А. Н. Что такое Биро-Биджан. М., 1929;
Неманов Л. М. Экономическое положение еврейского пролетариата в России. Ростов н/Д., [190-?];
Письмо Э. Казакевича Николаю Дмитриевичу [Уварову] от 10 января 1962 года. М., 1962;
Хавкин М. П. Еврейская автономная область к своей первой годовщине. М., 1935;