Some 600,000 Jews – 90 percent of the Jewish population – were killed in Belarus (then known as Byelorussia) during the Holocaust. Those who survived had to rebuild their lives amid the grim reality of enforced atheism and official anti-Semitism. It would be 45 years before they could rebuild Jewish communal life.

During the Soviet years, Belarus had relatively well-developed industries and a strong agricultural base. In 1986, radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was carried by winds toward Belarus. The fall out created a public health crisis and left large sections of the countryside unsafe for habitation and cultivation. The effects of this disaster are felt in Belarus to this day.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, newly independent Belarus has suffered from rampant inflation – reaching at times as high as 200 percent. Recent poor harvests have added to the strain on the economy. Elderly Jews who rely on pensions must struggle to survive.

Today, with JDC’s help, impoverished elderly Jews are receiving welfare assistance, and an increasing number of Belarusian Jews are embracing their Jewish heritage.

2005