Subbotniki in Sevan, Armenia

Updated February 2024

About 2000 an American-Armenian student at the University of Georgetown, Vartan Akchyan, wrote his master's thesis about Jews in Armenia, including Subbotniki, got a grant to make a documentary video in Armenia, which won an international award, then published a summary article. He is still working at Georgetown.

The thesis, video and article are all titled: Jews in Armenia: The Hidden Diaspora.




CNDLS STAFF    Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship
Vartan Akchyan, M.A.
Educational Media Production Specialist
https://cndls.georgetown.edu/people/


Learning Management System
https://contact.georgetown.edu//view/akchyanv/#
Assistant Director, LMS Administrator
University Information Services (UIS)

Segment from video: Jews in Armenia: The Hidden Diaspora, a film by Vartan Akchyan
2002, DVD/video, 25+ minutes, $46 — Russian, Hebrew, Armenian, and English with subtitles in English. Based on his thesis of the same title about the history and existence of the Jewish communities in Armenia. Made in the summer of 2001 in Armenia, Israel, and the US. Nominee for "Best Documentary" at the 2002 AFFMA International Film Festival, September 27-29, Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Archived web pages from 2002:  HomeAbout the FilmCreditsNews
The film was shown
  • 2002 September 28, AFFMA International Film Festival, Raleigh Studios, Hollywood CA
  • 2002 June 28, New York City Armenian Film Festival, Cantor Film Center, New York University
In the 1730s, many Subbotniki were resettled from central Russia, some to Armenia where they built the village of Yelenovka, now called Sevan, at the north shore of Lake Sevan. An American-Armenian student at the University of Georgetown, Vartan Akchyan ("Educational Media Production Specialist"), wrote a thesis and produced a video:

 "Jews in Armenia: The Hidden Diaspora". Chapter 5 of the video, titled: "Modern Communities", is 3.5
minutes about the Subbotniki (9:23 to 12:51 min.). Below is a storyboard of Chapter 5 showing the English subtitles.

For more details, download his published thesis (PDF): Jews in Armenia: The Hidden Diaspora, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Culture & Society, Winter/Spring 2003. The Subbonik information is on pages 81-86.

CLICK on PICTURES to ENLARGE

Jews in Armenia: The Hidden Diaspora

CLICK to ENLARGE CLICK to ENLARGE
[Panorama of Lake Sevan with
singing]
CLICK to ENLARGE
Sevan, Armenia
CLICK
                  to ENLARGE
Three frames from the video were joined to make this panoramic view of part of the
Subbotnik prayer meeting in Sevan, Armenia. Their song melodies on the video
are somewhat similar to tunes sung by other Spiritual Christians from Russia. After this
song, a narration begins in Russian which is translated in the subtitles below.

CLICK on PICTURES to ENLARGE
CLICK to ENLARGE
I was born in Sevan, formerly
known as Yelenovka, renamed
Sevan in 1935. 
 CLICK to ENLARGE
We have been living here until
now.
CLICK to ENLARGE
I was born here, and will probably
die here. Where else can we go?
CLICK to ENLARGE
This is our Homeland. We love
our Homeland. We love Armenia.
 CLICK to ENLARGE
Subboniks are Armenian citizens
whose religion is Judaism. They
observe the Sabbath.
CLICK to ENLARGE
Rimma Warzhapetyan, Leader
of the Jewish Community of
Armenia
CLICK to ENLARGE
Well, we are locals here.
CLICK to ENLARGE
Our ancesters settled here in the
1730s. They came from Russia.
CLICK to ENLARGE
They were Russians who
renounced Christianity....
CLICK to ENLARGE
...and accepted the five books
of Moses.
CLICK to ENLARGE
When the split of Christianity
[raskol] took place our ancestors
broke away.
CLICK to ENLARGE
There were probably missionaries
from Israel in Russia who won
them over.
CLICK to ENLARGE
And our ancestors considered that
his religion was...
 CLICK to ENLARGE
...the truest of all the religions
hat existed in the world.
CLICK to ENLARGE
And we have continued the
traditions of our ancestors until now.
CLICK to ENLARGE
Fishing, stockbreeding -- it seems
that this is what our ancestors
survived on.
 CLICK to ENLARGE
The fish was very good. The
trout was big then, very tasty.
CLICK to ENLARGE
Our ancestors had their own
synagogue where they prayed.
CLICK to ENLARGE
They had their own Rabbi and
prayer books, which were
translated from Hebrew to
Russian.
 CLICK to ENLARGE
We continue to use these prayers
today.
CLICK to ENLARGE
The subbotniks had been
considered a sect.
CLICK to ENLARGE
But we have come to realize that
they are not a sect at all because
the Torah ...
CLICK to ENLARGE
...constitues the very basis of their
beliefs and there is nothing except
the Torah.
CLICK to ENLARGE
We gather on Saturdays, pray to
our God, sing, talk...
CLICK to ENLARGE
..discuss things and then return to
our homes.
CLICK to ENLARGE
They are genuinely religious
people and I respect them greatly.
CLICK to ENLARGE
[Return to views of Lake Sevan
with singing]
CLICK to ENLARGE CLICK to ENLARGE CLICK to ENLARGE


In September 2006 only 13 of these 23 Subbotniki in Armenia remained in Sevan. From: JTA, Around the Jewish World: Small community in Armenia strives to preserve its heritage

Back to The Last of the Saturday People
Back to Subbotniki.net