Jewish Gates of Learning Widening as SEFER Conference in FSU Hits 10th Year

MOSCOW -- "Jewish knowledge is a growth industry," smiles Dr. Mochalova. And she should know.

For over ten years, Dr. Mochalova has invested her energies in helping to establish and expand Jewish studies at the university level across the former Soviet Union. And the investment is paying off.

Recently, Dr. Mochalova - Vica, to her friends - hosted the tenth annual SEFER conference - a gathering of more than 500 scholars, educators and students from all over the former Soviet Union, Europe, Israel, the United States and Canada. The conference, a series of lectures and seminars, provides academicians with a unique opportunity to network and further promote their once taboo mission of Jewish studies.

"Ten years ago," Mochalova reminds us, "Jewish study anywhere in our society was only 'semi-legal.' Today, thanks to SEFER, Thousands of college students are studying Judaism seriously. It is that knowledge which is the foundation for our future."

SEFER (the Hebrew word for book) is officially known as the Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization, which Mochalova co-founded with Professor R. Kaplanov in 1994. Established in association with the International Center for University teaching of Jewish Civilization of Hebrew University in Jerusalem and JDC (the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), SEFER has grown to a network of educators spanning 80 cities in 19 formerly Communist countries. The organization's status can be discerned by the location of its headquarters in the Russian Academy of Sciences.

By bringing the scholars together, SEFER serves two critical purposes; to allow the teachers to learn from each other and enrich their base of knowledge; and to create a sense of community among the academicians who feel isolated in their regional universities throughout the rest of the year.

In a part of the world where reading and studying are engrained in most local cultures, SEFER has earned a reputation among both Jews and non-Jews through its establishment of dozens of course in many state-run universities. "People who are not on our radar screen call me up to connect with Jewish learning. I received a call the other day from a "secret city" (totally isolated Russian municipalities which host top secret military industrial plants). The official calling requested a lecture series on Jewish mysticism. When I asked why, he told me, 'There are Jews in this place, too and we have a right to learn Judaism.'"

Dr. Mochalova noted the stark contrast to Soviet times, when many of her colleagues had been imprisoned for illegally teaching or studying Hebrew, Jewish culture and Jewish history. "The gates of learning were locked shut. Even attempting Jewish study could be hazardous to one's health."

Every year as part of its strategic partnership with the Hebrew University, SEFER sends 20 advanced students to Jerusalem for an intensive month-long program of Jewish studies. Eshnav, as the program is known, is co-sponsored by JDC and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

And how does Dr. Mochalova feel about the successful strides SEFER has made? "We have only scratched the surface. A vast sea of Jewish people are rushing in through these gates of learning in a search for deeper understanding of their Jewish identity. Now that we have opened the gates, I think no one can hold back the waters."