The Jewish community in Belarus is the third-largest in the former Soviet Union, just behind those in Russia and Ukraine. While there are 17 active Jewish communities, at its heart is the city of Minsk, which is home to some 50,000 Jews. Over the past century, the Jewish community in the area then known as Byelorussia produced some of Zionism’s most celebrated leaders, including Chaim Weizmann and Menachem Begin. Byelorussia was also the birthplace of artist Marc Chagall.

Until 1939, the western-most region of Byelorussia was ruled by Poland. The population in this area was nearly 90 percent Jewish. Almost all of these Jews perished in the Shoah. Today, scores of elderly Jews reside in Belarus. Many are Holocaust survivors who cannot afford the basic necessities of food and medicine. Casting further shadows on their lives is the continued cleanup from the Chernobyl disaster.

JDC’s renewed involvement in Belarus began in 1989, with the advent of Glasnost. Between 1989 and 2001, 70,409 Jews made aliyah. Those who remain in Belarus – either by choice or by circumstance – are creating a vibrant and expanding Jewish community, despite incredible challenges and ongoing political and economic uncertainties.

2005