Nikolay Mikhailovich Volkov (born December 19, 1951) is a 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...

n politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

.

Childhood and Education

Volkov was born in 1951 in Krasnoye village, in the Shablykinsky district of the Oryol

Oryol

Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...

 Region. In 1973, Volkov graduated from a civil engineer

Civil engineer

A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...

 institute in Odessa

Odessa

Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...

.http://www.eao.ru/eng/?p=346

Politics

Volkov is the current governor of 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....

 http://www.eao.ru/eng/. Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 Volkov is a member of Our Home Is Russia

Our Home Is Russia

Our Home – Russia , abbreviated as NDR, was a Russian political party between 1995 and early 2000.Our Home – Russia was founded in 1995 by then Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. It was a liberal, centrist political movement, founded for the purpose of rallying more technocratic-reformist...

 http://archive.tol.cz/Elections/Russia/Regions/About/JAO.html. Viktor Gozhy

Viktor Gozhy

Viktor Spiridonovich Gozhy is a Russian politician.Gozhy is the First vice-chairman of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. He is the next in the line of succession after the Chairman of the Government, Nikolay Mikhaylovich Volkov See also: List of Jewish Autonomous Oblast Leaders...

 is the First vice-chairman of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and next in the line of succession after Volkov. http://www.eao.ru/eng/?p=regnews_eng&newsid=1533 In 2006, Volkov met with an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Consul General, who also met with representatives of the JAO's Jewish community and visited Birobidzhan Synagogue

Birobidzhan Synagogue

The Birobidzhan Synagogue was established in 2004. The synagogue is in the city of Birobidzhan, which is the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, an autonomous oblast of Russia. It is "the first synagogue in Russia to be built partly with state money," according to the Federation of Jewish...

. The two men discussed the potential for cooperation between U.S. and JAO businessmen http://vladivostok.usconsulate.gov/archive/jao.html

Relationship with Jewish Community

In 1997, Governor Volkov stated that he wanted, "our Jewish community to have a permanent rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

 and a synagogue

Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...

." http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/5853/edition_id/109/format/html/displaystory.html

Concerning the Jewish community of the oblast

Oblast

Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...

 and the Birobidzhan Synagogue

Birobidzhan Synagogue

The Birobidzhan Synagogue was established in 2004. The synagogue is in the city of Birobidzhan, which is the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, an autonomous oblast of Russia. It is "the first synagogue in Russia to be built partly with state money," according to the Federation of Jewish...

, Volkov has stated that he intends to, "support every valuable initiative maintained by our local Jewish organizations." http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=221939 http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/041008/revival.shtml

In 2004, Nikolai Volkov received an award for the category 'Regional Leader' during the 'Man of the Year 5764' Ceremony organized by the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS

Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS

Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS is a Jewish organisation dedicated to restoring Jewish life, culture and religion in the Commonwealth of Independent States , the former Soviet Union...

. This award served as recognition for, "his initiative in the revival of Jewish life in Birobidzhan and in arranging the Jewish Autonomous Oblast's 70th anniversary celebrations."
http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=221939

See also

• List of Jewish Autonomous Oblast Leaders