Birobidzhan is the capital and largest metropolis of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in Russia. It’s positioned on the banks of the Bira River, about 80 kilometers from the Chinese language border. The town was based in 1928 as a middle for Jewish settlement within the Soviet Union. Immediately, Birobidzhan is dwelling to about 70,000 individuals, together with a major Jewish inhabitants.
The identify “Birobidzhan” comes from the names of the 2 rivers that meet close to the town: the Bira and the Bidzhan. The stress within the identify is on the third syllable, so it’s pronounced “bee-roh-bee-DZHAHN.” Birobidzhan holds varied cultural and historic significance as a middle of Jewish tradition and a testomony to the Soviet Union’s makes an attempt to create a Jewish homeland inside its borders. Regardless of dealing with challenges and inhabitants decline in recent times, Birobidzhan stays an necessary image of Jewish identification and historical past.