Amurzet is a village (selo) in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Jewish Autonomous Oblast

The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated in the Russian Far East, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan....

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, located 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) from Birobidzhan

Birobidzhan

Birobidzhan is a town and the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Trans-Siberian railway, close to the border with the People's Republic of China....

.http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=225680http://www.travelpost.com/AS/Russia/Birobijan/Amurzet/1408075 It is the administrative center of Oktyabrsky District

Oktyabrsky District, Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Oktyabrsky District is an administrative district , one of the 5 in Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia....

. The population of amurzet is 5,213 (2006 est.).http://population-of.com/en/Russia/89/Amurzet/

History

Amurzet began in 1929 as a large collective farm. http://www.eao.ru/eng/?p=361 Specifically, Amurzet has a history of Jewish settlement in the JAO since its inception. http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=225680 Concerning the period 1929 through 1939, this village was the center of Jewish settlement for the area south of Birobidzhan. http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=170388

Jewish community

The present day Jewish community

Community

The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...

 members hold Kabalat Shabbat

Shabbat

Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...

 ceremonies and gatherings that feature songs in Yiddish, Jewish cuisine

Jewish cuisine

Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...

, and discussions on Jewish culture

Secular Jewish culture

Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the international culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews...

. Today, many descendants of the founders of this settlement have left their native village, while others remain. Present day inhabitants of Amurzet, especially those having relatives in Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, are learning more about the traditions and roots of the Jewish people and religion.http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=267005 As of 2004, Amurzet has an amateur Yiddish theater. http://www.fjc.ru/communities/news.asp?AID=117464&cid=84435&NewsType=80052 In 2005, in preparations during Purim

Purim

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...

, Amurzet held a stage performance based on the Book of Esther

Book of Esther

The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...

. http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=267005

See also

• Jews and Judaism in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
  Jews and Judaism in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
  The history of the Jews in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast , Russia, began with the early settlements of 1928.Yiddish, along with Russian, are the two official languages in the JAO.-Early settlement:...