Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia
Umbrella organisation unifying Chabad-affiliated Jewish communities in Russia
| Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Emblem of the FJCR |
| Type | Jewish religious organisation |
| Founded | 1999[1] |
| Headquarters | Moscow, Russia |
| Location | Russia |
| Key people | Berel Lazar (Chief Rabbi and Chairman of Council of Rabbis) Alexander Boroda (President) |
| Website | feor.ru |
The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJCR; Russian: Федерация Еврейских Общин России, ФЕОР) is a major Russian Jewish religious organisation that primarily unifies Chabad-Lubavitch communities across Russia.[2][3]
It operates as the largest religious Jewish umbrella body in Russia, focusing on synagogue development, education, humanitarian aid, and cultural activities.[3]
Berel Lazar serves as Chief Rabbi of Russia and chairman of its rabbinical council, while Alexander Boroda is president.[4]
History
The Federation was formally established in 1999.[1] Politico dated its creation to 1999, when, it said, Putin enlisted Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich to set it up as a rival to the Russian Jewish Congress.[1] JTA reported in 2007 that the Chabad organisation had in effect split in 1996 from KEROOR, the multi-denominational umbrella group, to create FEOR, led by Rabbi Berel Lazar.[5] In 2000, 25 rabbis elected Berel Lazar as Chief Rabbi of Russia, solidifying its position.[6]
According to the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, it has grown into a network supporting hundreds of communities, particularly in the post-Soviet revival of Jewish life.[3] By contrast, in 2018 the FJCR's president, Alexander Boroda, said it had "more than 160 communities in all of Russia".[7]
Jewish Agency case (2022)
When the Russian Ministry of Justice applied in July 2022 to liquidate the Russian arm of the Jewish Agency for Israel, FEOR's head of public relations, Boruch Gorin, told Interfax that it was "very upsetting news, whatever the reasons for the decision". He said the governments should have worked out measures to correct the shortcomings rather than ban the agency's activity in Russia.[8] According to the Jerusalem Post, Gorin suggested that the agency had been targeted not because it was Jewish or Israeli but because it was "a body with overseas influences". He contrasted its position with FEOR's own: "The shluchim [emissaries] of Chabad are all working in their communities across Russia as usual." He added: "What is disturbing is that people feel that now the Jewish organizations are next in line."[9] For the case itself, see Jewish Agency for Israel.
Activities
The organisation provides religious services including synagogues, holiday celebrations, and kashrut supervision. It runs educational programmes, youth initiatives, humanitarian aid projects such as soup kitchens and medical clinics, and maintains the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow.[3][2]
It also engages in cultural preservation and social welfare across Russia.[3]
Role in Russian Jewish Life
The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJCR or FEOR), the Russian branch of Chabad-Lubavitch, emerged in the early 2000s as the dominant force in Russian Jewish life and a self-proclaimed speaker for Russian Jewry.[10]
According to scholar Galina Zelenina, the FJCR represents a nation-building project that has constructed both a limited real religious community and a large amorphous “imagined community,” offering an inclusive agenda for Russian Jewry.[10]
It shifted from the traditional “lachrymose” concept of Jewish identity centred on suffering to one emphasising success, achievement, and heroism: “The Russian Jewish community [...] is the coolest in the world. Being Jewish is no longer considered inferior; on the contrary, Jews are ahead of all the planet.”[10]
Strategies and Ideology
The FJCR blends Lubavitch messianism and miracle narratives with Russian trends of national revival and “rising from its knees.” It claims authenticity as the true successor of Russian Judaism while importing American Chabad models.[10]
It employs military imagery (emissaries as soldiers in “the Army of God”), modern technologies, prestigious symbols (e.g., Hanukkah in the Kremlin), and a cult of success, including the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow described as Europe’s largest.[10]
Alliance with the Kremlin
The cornerstone of its victory is its effective alliance with the Kremlin, reflecting both Lubavitch tradition and the Russian concept of state-church “symphony.” Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar has maintained close ties with Russian leadership, receiving unprecedented state support.[10]
Vicarious Religion
Many supporters practice “vicarious religion,” belonging symbolically or consuming services without full observance. The FJCR builds widening circles: a core observant group and a broader imagined community of Russian Jewry.[10]
Leadership
- Berel Lazar – Chief Rabbi of Russia and Chairman of the Council of Rabbis.[4]
- Alexander Boroda – President.[4]
- Roman Abramovich – chairman of the board of trustees, according to The Moscow Times in 2018; it reported that he had been ranked Russia's top philanthropist in 2013 for giving $52 million to the FJCR, among other causes.[11]
See also
- Berel Lazar
- Chabad-Lubavitch
- Alexander Boroda
- Judaism in Russia
- Chabad Lubavitch of Russia
- Berel Lazar and the Kremlin
- Russian oligarchs and Chabad
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ben Schreckinger, "The Happy-Go-Lucky Jewish Group That Connects Trump and Putin", Politico Magazine, 9 April 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, Home FEOR.ru, accessed June 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, Home FJC-FSU.org, accessed June 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Kremlin.ru, Meeting with Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia Alexander Boroda Kremlin.ru, 28 January 2026.
- ↑ "Taking a back seat to Chabad in Russia", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 14 February 2007.
- ↑ Chabad.org, A Tall Order for Russia’s Jewish Communities Chabad.org, 20 February 2008.
- ↑ Tamara Zieve, "The tycoon who donated half a billion dollars to Jewish causes", The Jerusalem Post, 30 April 2018, republished by the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, retrieved 23 October 2026.
- ↑ "В ФЕОР огорчились планам ликвидировать «Сохнут» в России" (FEOR saddened by plans to liquidate Sochnut in Russia), Interfax, 21 July 2022 (in Russian): «Мне это кажется очень огорчительным известием вне зависимости от того, каковы причины такого решения».
- ↑ "Russia wants to close the Jewish Agency - how have Russian Jews reacted?", Jerusalem Post, 29 July 2022.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Galina Zelenina, “Our Community is the Coolest in the World”: Chabad and Jewish Nation-Building in Contemporary Russia Contemporary Jewry, 2018.
- ↑ "Abramovich Donates $500M to Jewish Causes Over 2 Decades", The Moscow Times, 1 May 2018.