The
first ever Academic Bukharian Jewish Library is now open. A very special archive
of books, periodicals, photo, video, and audio material is housed in the grand
main library of Ariel University.
The
library catalog accessible both on Ariel University campus and via an online
platform was created under the auspices of Center for Research of Jewish
Communities of the Caucasus and Central Asia (CJCC) directed by Professor Golda
Akhiezer. The current collection of several hundred books and periodicals,
hundreds of photographs and documents are being carefully catalogued and
organized. More articles are added every week. The aim of the library is to
invigorate historical research of our rich history and culture and to infuse
the history curriculum of Ariel University and eventually the history curricula
in Israel and abroad with Bukharian Jewish narratives. These efforts will not
only enrich the current global Jewish history but move to create a more
comprehensive international understanding of Jewish history.
The
library welcomes volunteers who want to contribute to the collection. We are
continuously looking to increase our numbers of books, especially those
published in Soviet and pre-Soviet times. Old documents, letters, diaries and
notebooks are a really abundant resource for historians and researchers. They can reveal details about daily life,
traditional and religious observance, the inner workings of community life
within the local Jewish community and communication between Jewish communities
across the region and the world. We encourage for anyone who wants to
contribute any material, in either original or scanned digital format, to get
in touch with the library staff.
Professor Golda Akhiezer
This
new venture is also a source of educational opportunities for the greater
Bukharian community. Through a collaboration between Ariel University, the
Bukharian Congress, and other sponsors and donors, students can receive
academic scholarships while pursuing their Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral
degrees. These programs combine the study of Bukharian Jewish history with any
other field of study, like computer science, nursing, engineering, etc.
Library
staff can be easily reached at asia.research@ariel.ac.il. We are building the
future of Bukharian Jewry on the foundation of our rich and ancient roots. Join us!
Dr.
Lily Iskhakova,
Neuroscientist at Weizmann Institute of Science
