(Source: http://www.museum.ru/alb/image.asp?7383)

Birobidzhan is interesting for the fact of its existence - no joke, that the capital of the Soviet "promised land" is located near the border between Russia and China. It is possible to find out the history of fascinating project of Jewish autonomy, a few years ahead of the establishment of the State of Israel, in the regional museum. It is located on Lenin Street, next to the synagogue and, although there is not much representatives of the "titular nation" in the Jewish autonomous region today, it is as a national cultural center.

The documentary part of the exhibition resembles a short silent movie showing the history of the major milestones. Construction of the Trans-Siberian and Tikhonkaya station, from which Birobidzhan grew, revolution, civil war, resettlement of Jews in the late 1920s, the Great Patriotic War, post-war "struggle against cosmopolitanism", Khruschov Thaw, life of Soviet Jews in the second half of the XX century, and finally, repatriation, turn to the Visa Office, and a steady decline in the population. In the early pictures you may see the enthusiastic settlers, aided by local Cossacks and Koreans; barracks along the railway station. Typical Soviet propaganda posters made all under the canon, only slogans written in Yiddish, from right to left, by square Hebrew letters.

Jews from the western regions of the Soviet Union have moved so far to the east, for practical reasons: in the European part of Russian there was no space for the new National Education found, and the lands from the Chinese border would have been necessary to develop and strengthen. Mesopotamia Bijan and Bireh were proved suitable for agricultural processing. Severe climate of the Amur region did not take into account, even though for half the people moved here it was unbearable.

The museum exhibition opens another side of the Birobidzhan history, neither national or political: it was the Far East Klondike and gold placers. By the mid-sixties the well-known deposits were developed up to cleanness, new one was found only in the early nineties. Besides gold, in the Jewish Autonomous Region they mine tin, iron and precious stones - all the wealth of the local subsoil is presented at the museum stands.

See also:

Reserve "Bastak"

Plan Your Trip to Bastak Reserve