Judaism's Second Homeland? The Jewish Autonomous Oblast

As a child, you’re told to dream of the land of milk and honey. When you visit, you’ll kiss the Kotel, consume record amounts of falafel, and see sunrise at Masada. A visit to Israel will yield these results, but a visit to the Jewish Autonomous Oblast will produce a vastly different experience exposing you to the other Jewish state.

The Jews have always yearned for a homeland, especially during times of religiously-based violence and oppression.  While the formation of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast did not lead to the state of Israel’s creation, the Oblast helped propel a movement providing a homeland for Jews.

With the unemployment rate among Jews exceeding thirty percent in 1924, the Soviet government pursued the settlement of all USSR Jews in a designated territory where a lifestyle of “socialist in content and national in form” could be followed. The Soviets chose the area surrounding Birobidzhan as the location for the territory. They hoped the establishment of oblast would prevent Jews from chasing Zionism.

The selection of the location was guided by military and economic reasoning. The sliver of land’s proximity to China was frequently infiltrated by the Chinese government attempting to obtain the land. Soviet General Pavel Sudoplatov argued, “The establishment of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in Birobidzhan in 1928 was ordered by Stalin only as an effort to strengthen the Far Eastern border region with an outpost, not as a favour to the Jews. The area was constantly penetrated by Chinese and White Russian resistance groups, and the idea was to shield the territory.”

Birobidzhan’s climate was not conducive to settlers resulting in many new residents vacating the area shortly after their arrival. The mountainous region has dry and severely cold winters paired with hot and moist summers. The government was aware of the conditions, so they offered private land ownership. Many non-Jews took advantage of this and reaped the benefits of a free farm.

The first Jewish settlers arrived in spring 1928 to settle the area. By October 1928, slightly under half of the 654 settlers left the region due to the severe conditions. The majority of the Jewish settlers returned to their home countries. When Russia liberalized their emigration policies, most Jews moved to Israel.

The first Jewish state compared to Israel lacks what many consider essentially Jewish. Israel has a robust Jewish population while the Jewish population of the Oblast consists of one percent of the population. The places Jews learn of in Hebrew school are predominately in Israel with the most Jewish site in the Oblast being the world’s largest menorah. Without thriving Jewish life, Jews do not seek out life in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.

However, before you book your next trip to Israel, consider visiting the first Jewish state. You’ll see a resurgence of Yiddish as the language is taught in schools, displayed on street signs, and exhibited on monuments. Come explore Judaism’s special history in the heart of Russia. This historic land is the perfect setting for your next Jewish vacation.