Minnikhanov visits Kazan synagogue

(KZN.RU, December 2, by Taisiya Basharkina). Kazan synagogue was visited by President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. Accompanied by Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, the President inspected the synagogue premises, including the spiritual center – the prayer hall and the exposition of the Jewish community of Kazan.

The Chief Rabbi of Tatarstan Yitzhak Gorelik and Chairman of the Jewish community Michael Skoblionok told the guests about the activities of the Jewish community of Tatarstan and about the history of the synagogue built in 1915, showed the Ark holding the Torah scroll. As noted by Yitzhak Gorelik, the scroll was written in Hebrew by hand.

Currently, the Jewish community of Kazan is one of the strongest in Russia. It co-sponsors Tatarstan’s welfare fund “Hesed Moshe”, an Ohr Avner kindergarten, an Ohr Avner school, secondary school No.12 ("ORT-Mishpahteynu") and the Center for Jewish Studies at Kazan Federal University.

The community runs several educational projects: a Sunday school (for children of preschool and early school age), Beit Midrash (for employees of the synagogue) and family and women's clubs. There are senior clubs: "Communicate in Yiddish" and "The Golden Age”. A club for interesting encounters meets on Sundays, when its members learn about Israeli cinema, music and literature. Summer camps are available for the community families and children.

The community publishes Tatarstan’s only Jewish Russian-language newspaper "Evreiskaya Ulitsa"; it runs an art studio and a dance club "Freylekhs." The artistic and dance groups of the community have been winners at numerous festivals. The Jewish community is part of the Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan.