Kazakhstan is the second-large republic of the former Soviet Union (FSU). Though very large, this central Asian nation is largely uninhibited due to the harsh conditions. Its population, is about 47 percent native Moslem and 44 percent Russian.

The government has begun to implement economic reforms, and foreign companies have made large financial investments in the hopes of reaping benefits from the sale of petroleum to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. However, living standards are generally poor.

Though a disproportionately large segment of the Jewish population is elderly, families – whether by choice or circumstance – do remain in Kazakhstan.

This nation’s size and lack of inhabitants made it a natural choice as the testing ground for weapons and other noxious experiments of the Soviet Union. The result today is the population must cope with environmental hazards caused by radioactive and toxic chemicals sites. This legacy from the Communist era has caused severe health problems among the populace.

Since the early 1990s, JDC has been working with local Jewish leaders to create programs that will reach out to Jews who lost all ties to their heritage during the Soviet years and to develop Jewish communal life.

Today, Jewish communal life has taken root in more than a dozen cities, and JDC operates a liaison office in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. Jews live in more than 150 locales in Kazakhstan.

2005