Chabad Lubavitch of Kyrgyzstan
Chabad-Lubavitch in Kyrgyzstan: Rabbi Arie Raichman's Jewish Community of Bishkek since 2000, whose synagogue was firebombed and bombed in 2010
| Chabad Lubavitch of Kyrgyzstan
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operation |
| Founded | 2000 (Bishkek) |
| Founder(s) | Arie Raichman; Esther Raichman |
| Headquarters | Jewish Community of Bishkek, 193 Karpinskogo Street, Bishkek 720001 |
| Area served | Kyrgyzstan |
| Key people | Arie Raichman; Esther Raichman |
| Remarks | Affiliations: Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS. |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Kyrgyzstan consists of the Jewish Community of Bishkek, led by Rabbi Arie Raichman (also Aryeh Raichman, Reichman) and Esther Raichman. The Times of Israel reported that "In 2000, Chabad sent Belarus-born Rabbi Arie Raichman to Bishkek, where nearly all of Kyrgyzstan's Jews now live."[1] Lubavitch.com lists one institution, with a Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS web address.[2]
Emissaries and centre
- Jewish Community of Bishkek, 193 Karpinskogo Street, Bishkek, directed by Arie Raichman and Esther Raichman. The directory lists five departments.[2]
- The synagogue is "mostly attended by older members of the community". The Raichmans run a small Jewish kindergarten.[1]
Relations with the Jewish community
- Pri Etz Haim-ORT school. Kyrgyzstan's only Jewish school, founded in 1993 and part of World ORT since 2004, is run by community head Vladimir Kritsman. It is not described as a Chabad institution.[1] In 2022 a local campaign, Nashe Pravo, won an eviction notice against the school from the Bishkek city council. The eviction was called off on 2 June 2022 after lobbying through Robert Singer, the EU's antisemitism coordinator Katharina von Schnurbein, US diplomats and Israel's Foreign Ministry.[1]
- Population. Raichman put the population at about 2,000 in 2010.[3] The Times of Israel gave 300 to 1,500 in 2022, depending on definitions.[1]
Relations with the state, business and Israel
- 2010 attacks. The synagogue was firebombed in April 2010, during the unrest in which President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was overthrown. In September 2010, at Rosh Hashanah, a bomb packed with nails was thrown into it. No one was inside.[3] Raichman said the community had asked President Roza Otunbayeva to investigate "with urgency", and Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar also wrote to her office.[3]
- Israeli diplomacy. Israel has no resident ambassador in Kyrgyzstan; the ambassador to Kazakhstan is also accredited to Bishkek.[1]
Funding
No accounts were found. Robert Singer described the wider community in 2022 as "extremely poor".[1]
Controversies
No controversy involving the Chabad operation's own conduct was found. The 2010 attacks and the 2022 school campaign are described above.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Pri Etz Haim school founded |
| 2000 | Arie Raichman sent to Bishkek |
| Apr 2010 | Synagogue firebombed during the overthrow of Bakiyev |
| Sep 2010 | Nail bomb thrown into the synagogue at Rosh Hashanah |
| May–Jun 2022 | City council eviction notice against the Jewish school is withdrawn |
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Kyrgyzstan
- Chabad Lubavitch of Kazakhstan
- Chabad Lubavitch of Uzbekistan
- Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Judah Ari Gross, "Inside the international campaign to save Kyrgyzstan's only Jewish school", The Times of Israel, 6 July 2022. Press.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lubavitch.com centres directory, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Kyrgyzstan Govt Must Take Synagogue Bomb Seriously, Says Community Rabbi", Lubavitch.com, 13 September 2010. Chabad-side.