Continuation. Previous chapter here
Fleeing
from inhuman totalitarian regime, Bukharian Jews began to leave the place of
residence in the years of stagnation, leaving to Israel, USA, Canada, and
Western Europe. During the period of perestroika (since 1989) the cultural
centers of Bukharian Jews were established in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but
instability and then collapse of the USSR following this period caused their
mass exodus from the Central Asian republics. Now, in the countries of their
former residence there are only a small number of communities. The new,
contemporary stage in the history of Bukharian Jews is associated with their
adaptation in new countries.
In immigration Bukharian Jews have gained not only an
opportunity to retain their religion and traditions, but also a true freedom to
create. In addition to traditional music and dance, they are actively involved
into the development of national theater, cinema, literature, painting and
architecture.
What could the consequences be for Bukharian Jews who left their centuries-old
homes? Would they lose their ethnic distinctiveness as a result of exposure to
a fundamentally different socio-economic, cultural, and psychological climate?
The analysis undertaken in this study, gives every reason to believe that
Bukharian Jews, deprived of their original centuries-old land, not only
successfully adapted to the new conditions of life and work, but they did so
with an admirable commitment to preserving their best national and religious
traditions.
Exploring the impact of historical events on the fate of the Bukharian
Jewish ethnic group, the author adhered to the historical and geographical
principle. We wanted to trace the formation of communities through the
centuries. We used this issue as the task of this book. It was hard to believe
that our traditions in such a remote prospect still exist today. The most
important point was to establish a close link between the traditions and
religion.
The book includes separate extended essays on various aspects of the
life of the community – history, chronology of the main events in the history
of the Bukharian Jews, demography, religion, life, customs and traditions,
religious holidays, and religious figures. We were also interested in the
general and special in the religious traditions of Bukharian Jews in comparison
with the Jewish communities of Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Eastern Jews.
These essays show that our ancestors while remaining faithful to our
primordial religion - Judaism, living among other nations, adopted the language
and some customs, that did not contradict Judaism, and our religious leaders
preserved their faith among the people by their deeds, risking their lives in
an Islamic environment. This is their undoubted merit to the Bukharian -Jewish
people.
The book describes the history of the Bukharian-Jewish communities of
the cities of Central Asia within the modern borders of independent states –
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, and provides
data on their communities in the cities of Azerbaijan and Russia. The
communities of Bukharian Jews in the countries of the world are also
represented. Updated information is given about the history of a particular
Bukharian-Jewish community, its development in the pre-revolutionary, Soviet
and post-Soviet periods, about cultural life, synagogues, and cemeteries, about
famous representatives of these communities.
The book is intended as a reference material that you can refer to if
necessary. We also hope that it will help you to answer the questions that your
children or grandchildren may ask you. The author will consider that he has
achieved his goal if, after reading this book, you value your Jewishness more.
This book, as it were, sums up my 25-year work on the search for data
on the history and culture (in the broad sense of the word) of Bukharian Jews.
I hope that it will serve to preserve our culture and national identity. I
would like to express my deep gratitude to my sponsors and all those who helped
in collecting information and preparing the book for publication.
Dr. Robert Pinkhasov, PhD.
