Bukharian Jews:
at the crossroads of civilizations

On March 2, the opening of the exhibition "Bukharian Jews: at the crossroads of civilizations" took place at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. This large-scale joint project of the Jewish Museum and the Museum of the History of Jews in Russia presents the history and culture of the Bukharian Jews as a phenomenon of a special Jewish identity in the context of the cultures of Central Asia. The exhibition is supported by the World Congress of Bukharian Jews.

Berl Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia:

“I remember well when 35 years ago I first visited Tashkent. Then the time for the exodus had already come, many Jews were leaving Central Asia, and although the atmosphere of the Bukharian Jews was still clearly felt, people complained that traditions and culture were being lost. After all, they lived so compactly and amicably, and now everyone is scattered all over the world. Then, in 87, there was nothing that would help to preserve the traditions of the Bukharian Jews, but today in almost every country there is a community of Bukharian Jews. Despite the territorial fragmentation, they have their own home everywhere and observe traditions. Cuisine, clothes, language - everything is preserved even among the younger generation, children and grandchildren. And this is an example for us, those who are used to spending most of their lives in the virtual world, who have forgotten how to make friends, what good neighborly relations are. And probably It is no coincidence that the opening of the exhibition took place on the eve of Purim, a holiday that symbolizes unity and teaches us to be kind. Today I saw how strong the spirit of Bukharian Jews is, who know how to honor their roots, because self-identification is the basis of society. And may the memory of our origin, our ancestors and their traditions be preserved in the heart of each of us.”

The exposition met the guests in the central lobby of the museum and continued in the left gallery, taking the audience on an exciting historical, cultural and ethnographic journey, including the subsections "Home and Traditional Household Culture", "Religious Customs", "Life Cycle", "Traditional Occupations and Crafts, music, dance, theater”, “Traditional clothing”.

Alexander Boroda, General Director of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center:

“The community of Bukharian Jews is an indicative and most interesting example of how the identity of a sub-ethnic community is preserved, despite its resettlement from Central Asia around the world. The culture of the Bukharian Jews is completely alive, active, it does not go into the past, revering its unique historical content as a value, therefore it is especially important and necessary to get to know it for a wide audience and young people. The exhibition "Bukharian Jews: at the crossroads of civilizations" is somewhat unusual in form for our museum. This time we tried to recreate the oriental flavor and introduce you to history through artifacts, authentic household items and applied art. The exhibition space resembles a narrow street and conveys the atmosphere of a hot eastern city. Sure,

Borukh Gorin, Chairman of the Board of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center:

“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the curators of the exhibition, Grigory Kazovsky and Boris Khaimovich, who have been collecting bit by bit the history of Bukharian Jews for many years… Perhaps not everyone present knows, but it is customary for Jews to read one chapter from the Torah a week in order to meet all 54 in a year. And this gives reason to correlate the content of the chapters with the current events of our life. Sometimes these are amazing coincidences, and sometimes I myself look for some clues, especially during solemn events. So, this weekly chapter tells about temple utensils and clothes, some of which disappeared during the destruction of the First Temple about 2600 years ago, when Nebuchadnezzar, having destroyed it, drove the Jews to Persia. After a while, some of them returned, there was a second Temple, but many Jews never returned to Israel, and stayed in other countries. The history of Bukharian Jews is partly connected with the history of Persian Jews - they have become a real oasis of authentic, original Jewish life and traditions in Central Asia. It is difficult to imagine another example of peoples who for 25,000 years, living outside their homeland, could so preserve the memories of their origin. For a Bukharian Jew in the 21st century, living in New York, Vienna, Jerusalem or somewhere else, it is quite obvious that his ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he traces his genealogy back thousands of years. And this understanding is much broader than our exhibition, this is our life. Because the circumstances that the Jews went through do not encourage talking about eternity, but this story of the Bukharian Jews gives hope - everything will pass, and traditions, culture, names, everything that makes up the civilization of this small sub-ethnos,

The exhibition features about 200 exhibits, some of which have not previously been shown publicly. These are examples of folk art and household items, handicrafts, ritual items, amulets, unique historical documents and photographs. The core of the project was various decorative elements of traditional Jewish houses from Samarkand and Bukhara of the late 19th - first third of the 20th century: they formed the basis of a specially created installation that tells about the dwelling of a Bukharian Jewish family. A significant place in the exposition is given to the traditional clothes of the Bukharian Jews and samples of weaving and gold embroidery.

Sergei Ustinov, founder and director of the Museum of Jewish History in Russia:

“I thank the Jewish Museum and the Tolerance Center for the initiative and implementation of a large-scale exhibition project, in the creation of which we also took a direct part… When we created the Museum of the History of Jews in Russia, it was decided that for its better enrichment we would travel, where Jews used to live in order to have time to preserve traces of vanishing cultures. In total, we carried out about two dozen expeditions, four of which were just in Central Asia, where Bukharian Jews lived. It may seem to some that the exhibits presented at the exhibition are no different from the household items of the inhabitants of Uzbekistan, which can be purchased at the local bazaar, but I want to assure you that all of them are part of the everyday life of the Bukharian Jewish families, which my colleagues Grigory Kazovsky and Boris Khaimovich was brought back from expeditions. In a foreign environment, the Jews always somehow mimicked, took on the appearance of those peoples where they had to live. They mimicked but did not assimilate. And wherever they live and live today, they are united, because they are united by faith!”

Kristina Krasnyanskaya, Executive Director of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center:

“We are presenting a wonderful exhibition, which we have been waiting for and preparing for a long time. It was based on artifacts found in scientific expeditions of the 90s led by Grigory Kazovsky and Boris Khaimovich. The theme of the exposition is related to the history and culture of the Jews who lived on the territory of the Russian Empire, and then the Soviet Union. Today we invite you to a fascinating, amazing journey to the East, to the world of Bukharian Jews. The world of a completely authentic, special culture, a real civilization, which, like Atlantis, unfortunately disappeared. But its representatives, Bukharian Jews, who live today all over the world - in America, in Vienna, in Israel - carry a cultural code and honor their traditions.”

Lev Leviev, President of the World Congress of Bukharian Jews:

“It is a great honor for the World Congress of Bukharian Jews and me personally to support this large-scale joint project of the Jewish Museum and the Museum of Jewish History in Russia. Bukharian Jews in the diaspora were able to carefully preserve and pass on to their descendants our religion, continuous connection with Jerusalem, ancient chants, unique literature, painting, music and dances, rituals and traditions. And today, museum guests will see this multifaceted and colorful world.”

Most of the works are part of the collection of the Museum of Jewish History in Russia and collected from Jewish families during museum expeditions to Central Asia. The exhibition will also feature exhibits from the collections of the Russian Ethnographic Museum, the Marjani Foundation and private collections. There has never been an exhibition of this scale and content in any ethnographic, Jewish or art museum.”

Yulia Kupina, Director of the Russian Ethnographic Museum:

“The main discovery that we make at each exhibition is that traditions are modern, they contain such power! They are what take us to the future. Many specialists and museums took part in organizing the exhibition, but its main creators are visitors. Look at things, look at the details and you will see the beauty of work, the attitude to time, to your family and to yourself. I thank the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, the Museum of the History of Jews in Russia for the opportunity to cooperate!”