What is birobijan?

Birobijan is a town located in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO), situated in the Far East region of Russia. It was established in 1931 as the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, a territory created to provide a home for Jews who wanted a separate Jewish region within the Soviet Union. The name "Birobijan" is a combination of the Yiddish words "Biro" (meaning region) and "Bijan" (a Slavicized form of "Baykal," the name of the nearby lake).

The population of Birobijan is approximately 75,000 people, with a Jewish population of around 1,500. The town has several cultural institutions dedicated to promoting Jewish culture and history, including a Jewish museum, a synagogue, and a Jewish community center. Birobijan is also home to several universities, a theater, and a music school.

While the Jewish Autonomous Oblast never became the Jewish homeland that its founders envisioned, Birobijan remains an important center of Jewish culture in Russia, and the town's history and unique position within the Soviet Union continue to fascinate historians today.