Chabad Lubavitch of Kazakhstan
Chabad-Lubavitch in Kazakhstan: Chief Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen's network of synagogues from Almaty to Astana, and the Almaty grave of the Rebbe's father, Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
| Chabad Lubavitch of Kazakhstan
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Chabad-Lubavitch emissary network |
| Founded | 1994 (Beit Menachem, Almaty) |
| Founder(s) | Yeshaya Cohen |
| Headquarters | Jewish Center Chabad Lubavitch, 206e Rayimbek Avenue, Almaty 050034 |
| Area served | Kazakhstan |
| Key people | Yeshaya Cohen (Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan); Elchanan Cohen |
| Website | chabad.kz |
| Remarks | Affiliations: Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS. |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Kazakhstan is a network of Chabad-Lubavitch synagogues and centres led by Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen (Yeshaya Elazar Cohen), Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan. In 2018 Cohen told The Astana Times that the Jewish community had asked the CIS Chabad association to send a rabbi, and that he had then served in Kazakhstan "for almost 25 years now".[1] Chabad's Almaty site dates Beit Menachem in Almaty to 1994, "with the assistance of Mr. George Rohr".[2] Lubavitch.com lists ten institutions in seven cities.[3]
- Placement: Kazakhstan is listed by Lubavitch.com under Asia. The Chabad sidebar currently carries this title in its Europe row.
Emissaries and centres
| City | Centre | Emissaries (directory) | Address (directory) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almaty | Jewish Center Chabad Lubavitch | Yeshaya Cohen; Elchanan Cohen | 206e Rayimbek Avenue |
| Almaty | Bais Chabad Levi Yitzchak | Elchanan Cohen and Leah Chana Perl Cohen | 68 Kabanbai Batyr Street |
| Almaty | Ohr Avner Chabad | Shevach Zlatopolsky and Sarah Zlatopolsky | 28 Klochkova Street |
| Almaty | Jewish Community of Almaty | — | 28 Klochkova Street |
| Astana | Chabad Astana | Shmuel Karnaukh and Ionyt Hadassa Karnaukh | 8 Pushkin Street |
| Karaganda | Chabad Karaganda | Asher Eliyahu Tumarkin and Rachel Chaya Tumarkin | 80 Djambula Street |
| Kostanay | Chabad Kostanay | Menachem Mendel Zalmanov and Dvora Zalmanov | 2 Baygambetov Street |
| Pavlodar | Chabad Pavlodar | Shimon Ash | — |
| Shymkent | Chabad Shymkent | Mordechai Aharon Morozow and Shoshana Morozow | — |
| Ust-Kamenogorsk | Chabad Ust-Kamenogorsk | Asaf Fainshtein and Keren Fainshtein | — |
Source: Lubavitch.com directory.[3] In 2018 Cohen named six synagogues, in Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar and Ust-Kamenogorsk, all built after independence. The first opened in Almaty in 1997 and the latest in Karaganda in 2015.[1]
The Rebbe's father
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was exiled to Chiili in southern Kazakhstan in 1939. He died in Almaty in 1944.[1] Cohen told The Astana Times that his arrival marks the "start of the modern stage in the history of Kazakhstan Jews", and that several thousand people gather in Almaty each year on the anniversary of his death.[1] Chabad's Almaty site says the grave is about ten minutes' walk from the main centre.[2]
Relations with the state, business and Israel
- Beit Rachel, Astana (2004). On 7 September 2004 the "Beit Rachel – Chabad Lubavitch" synagogue opened in Astana, described as the largest in Central Asia. President Nursultan Nazarbayev attended.[4] CentrAsia's headline reported that Israel's Chief Rabbi presented Nazarbayev with an award.[4] The synagogue was named after the mother of Alexander Mashkevich, president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and the Jewish Congress of Kazakhstan. Israel's Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger was among the invited guests.[5]
- State "tolerance model". Cohen presents Hanukkah as a "reflection of the tolerance model in Kazakhstan". He notes Jewish participation in the state-sponsored Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.[1]
Funding
- George Rohr helped found Beit Menachem, Almaty, in 1994.[2]
- An Almaty centre carries the name of the Ohr Avner Foundation (Ohr Avner Chabad).[3]
Controversies
None found in the sources consulted.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1939–44 | Levi Yitzchak Schneerson in exile in Kazakhstan; dies in Almaty in 1944 |
| 1994 | Beit Menachem, Almaty, founded with help from George Rohr |
| 1997 | First post-independence synagogue opens in Almaty |
| 7 Sep 2004 | Beit Rachel – Chabad Lubavitch synagogue opens in Astana; Nazarbayev attends |
| 2015 | Karaganda synagogue opens |
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Kazakhstan
- Chabad Lubavitch of Uzbekistan
- Chabad Lubavitch of Kyrgyzstan
- Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Kazakhstan's Jewish community is prospering, says Chief Rabbi", The Astana Times, July 2018. Press (state-aligned outlet; interview).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chabad Kazakhstan, "Chabad Lubavitch Almaty", chabadkz.org, accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lubavitch.com centres directory, Kazakhstan (city listings), accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kazinform via CentrAsia, "В Астане открылась крупнейшая в ЦентрАзии синагога. Главный раввин Израиля вручил Н.Назарбаеву премию", 7 September 2004 (Russian). Press.
- ↑ "В сентябре в Астане откроется крупнейшая в Центральной Азии синагога", Karavan, 2004 (Russian). Press.