Vorkuta, Siberia: 5764 will be Year 1 for Rosh Hashanah Celebration

KOMI REPUBLIC – For many years, Jews in the former gulag prison camp of Vorkuta marked the time in suffering. This year, for the first time, they will turn to the Jewish calendar and celebrate their first Rosh Hashanah.

"Discovered" last August, the Jewish community in this city of 200,000 on the barren, frozen plains north of the artic circle is only now learning about their Jewish heritage and how to celebrate major holidays. This cultural journey began when representatives of the JDC arrived to reach out to those Jews who still knew they were Jewish.

Situated in the bleak artic tundra, the ground in Vorkuta is permanently frozen, and so no trees can grow there. The many graves on the outskirts of town rise above ground, as it is impossible to dig a conventional grave.

The Jews of Vorkuta are mostly the children of Jewish intelligentsia sent to the gulag decades ago by Stalin. When the state closed down the prison camp, most of the inmates, with no worldly goods or means of travel, settled locally. Cut off from the rest of the world, these Jews only knew this part of their identity as a passport notation of nationality.

To help themselves become a stronger Jewish community, the Jews of Vorkuta recently sent two women to a regional seminar on how to further Jewish communal life, set up Jewish programs of welfare and renewal and learn about Jewish customs and traditions. The seminar, sponsored and organized by JDC took place in the Komi republic (formerly northern Siberia) in the former Soviet Union.

Elena and Margarita tried to explain the enormity of their task as emissaries of Judaism. "It is hard for western people to understand the impact of this event for Jews who have never made Rosh Hashanah before," said Elena. "Our first feeling is that we are scared we will not be able to do this the right way and fulfill our obligations." Margarita agreed, adding, "There is this mixture of fear and great excitement. We are humbled by something so profound as the Jewish New Year."

The seminar was conducted by JDC’s Semyon Vaisman and two other JDC professionals. It was Vaisman who first visited Vorkuta last summer. He was accompanied by photojournalist Sharon Faulkner.

"When I first entered Vorkuta, there was no community, only individuals who had never revealed their Jewish identities to each other. But upon our arrival," notes Vaisman, "you could sense the buzz throughout the town. That first evening, the Jews of Vorkuta held their first meeting as a community. Since that day, the transformation has been breathtaking."

Over the ensuing months, the Jewish community of Vorkuta and JDC have begun several programs, including a study-tour of Israel for Jews aged 17-26. When the group returned, they created a Sunday Jewish kindergarten. Weekly Shabbat services now boast an average crowd of 30 Jews.

"Today, Vorkuta has 150 active community members out of a Jewish population of 500," states Elena proudly. "We help support 59 local Jews who need medical or welfare assistance. It feels wonderful."

With the new holiday comes the need to prepare. "The apples and honey are bought at the end of Summer, and kept until the holiday," stated Margarita. "By Rosh Hashanah, the snows will be deep and the temperature well below zero. So we must do our holiday shopping early."

How will the Jews of Vorkuta celebrate their first Rosh Hashanah? "JDC has provided educational brochures on the holiday and its customs," says Elena confidently. "We will rent out a café in town, and a performer from Vorkuta who knows Jewish songs from his repertoire of different national tunes will sing to the crowd. Everyone now has JDC and Chabad calendars, so we know they will not miss the date."

"For many years, there have been Jews in Vorkuta," smiles Elena. "But we always kept our identity a secret, even from each other. This year, being Jewish will mean something more. This year, will bring the Jewish New Year to Vorkuta."