The Subbotniki Information Exchange
Established April 4, 2005
 
(Last updated on March 24, 2009)

Welcome! This web site is dedicated to research and information exchange regarding the Subbotniki — non-Jewish Russians including many Christians who converted to and/or adopted many tenets of Judaism. This site does not represent any organization, just individuals wishing to promote knowledge and understanding about these people. Please explore the content here and send us your comments or questions. New material or links are always appreciated.
Send corrections, suggestions, new information to: Bill Aldacushion

Web Site Guide
  1. Subbotniki (Cубботники) — An Introduction
  2. The Subbotniki Research Report Comprehensive, introductory research report with photos, maps and bibliography (material below was discovered after report was written)
  3. Subbotniki in Los Angeles: Background and History
  4. General Background Information and Research
  5. Subbotniki Around the World
  6. Contact Information
Purpose of this website: Prior to the launch of this web site (April 4, 2005), there was no central source of information on the Subbotniki, nor was information on this Russian religious sect easy to find. As a descendant of Subbotniki and Molokan parents in America, I have always wanted to better understand my religious and ethic heritage. I can remember that my Pivovaroff babunia [grandmother] and my Babashoff babunia practiced their religions in different ways and on different days, but beyond that, there were many similarities between them. Since the Subbotniki have essentially ceased to exist as an organized religion, except in a few pockets of the former Soviet Union, I feel it is important to document what we have found so far.

I am pleased to present the information on this website which I maintain with Andrei Conovaloff, who hosts a similar site about Molokans — Molokane.org. I am grateful for his support, without which this site could not be launched. My goal is to promote understanding and to encourage others to share what they may know about the Subbotniki.
Bill Aldacushion

1. Subbotniki (Cубботники) — An Introduction
Russian: Subbotniki — субботники.  English: Sabbatarians.

Subbotniki is a Russian Sabbath-observing sect — “Saturday people” —  "Sabbath keepers" — “the people of the Law of Moses” — non-Jewish Christians who obey the Old Testament, hold services on Saturday, and follow many Jewish laws and customs. Not to be confused with other Sabbath-keepers or Sabbatarians, like “Seventh-Day Baptist,” Church of God, Seventh-day Adventists, etc. Other spellings: "Subbotnikim" in Israel, "Subotnik", "Subbotnick", "Sobotniki". The Russian Orthodox Church punished their heresy — Christian- Judiazers. Some sub-groups have rabbis. Some emigrated to Israel, Europe and the US. Only a few Subbotniki congregations with dwindling numbers are known to exist today in Israel, Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan with some Sabbatarian congregations found in Transylvania and Hungary.

  
Subbotnik service in Vyoskii, Voronezh province, Russia, 2005. See photos in Armenia and America.

For the purposes of discussion on this web site, members of the Subbotniki sect can be broadly sub-categorized into two groups:
  1.  “Molokan-Subbotniki” relates to ethnic Russians who converted from the Molokan faith to Subbotniki, but 
    • Did not adopt the Talmud as a basis of their religious practices 
    • Continued to acknowledge their relationship to the Molokan community despite of their religious differences which sometimes divided family members
    • Were not able to read, speak or understand the Hebrew language
    • Some followed the Molokans when they emigrated to Los Angeles around 1910. More recently, some Molokan-Subbotniki living in the independent republics on the Former Soviet Union have resettled near Molokan communities in Stavrapol, Russia
  2. “Geres / Gers” (Russian: Gery [геры]) relates to ethnic Russians who adopted all aspects of Judaism and have closer affiliation with the Jews of Israel. 
The primary focus of my research is the Molokan-Subbotniki. For a more in-depth discussion of the Subbotniki sub-groups see the Subbotniki (Judiazers) article by A. Shmulevich below.

2. The Subbotniki Research Report


The Subbotniki Research Report with photographs, maps bibliography and citations of additional resources and references, by William Abram Aldacushion (Алдакушин), July 2000 — webmaster of this site. Bill is a descendant of the dissolved Molokan-Subbotniki congregation in Los Angeles.

3. Subbotniki in Los Angeles: Background and History
More About the Subbotniki In Los Angeles

80 Subbotniki known to be buried at Home of Peace Memorial Park (PDF 27K)
Short history of this Jewish cemetery in East Los Angeles used by the Subbotniki congregation since 1911 with 80 deceased listed with vital statistics, locations, comments.

In 1971, Los Angeles Subbotnik congregation dissolves, donates $800 to UMCA
Article by Alex Tolmas, Vice President UMCA, 1971.

The Subbotniki: Secret Jews of Boyle Heights
Article by Rabbi William M. Kramer, PhD — Western States Jewish History, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2000

Memories and Music
Article by Roberto Loiederman — The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, April 28, 2006
Efforts are underway to restore the Breed Street Shul near where the Subbotniki congregation in Los Angeles once conducted services.

Couple celebrates 70 years at ages 89, 92 - Daily Pilot (Newport Beach, California), November 27, 2007  Item added January 21, 2009
Article about Morris Abram Pivaroff (son of a respected leader in the fomer Los Angeles Subboniki community) who maintained some of the basic tenets of his religion within his family upon his marriage to his beloved non-Subboniki spouse Lillian. Note: Morris passed away on January 7, 2009 at the age of 93.
"Their mothers decided a few months before the scheduled wedding date that the couple's cultural and religious differences just couldn't be ignored. The couple was young, respectful and didn't want to hurt their families, so they ended their relationship. .... 'Well, here's how {we got back together}," Lillian said. "He called me up after a couple of months and asked me if we got married and had children, if it would be all right if we raised them in his religion.'"
Historical Relationship with Molokans

Judiazers
Encyclopedia Judica
"Simeon Uklein ... introduced many Jewish customs among the members of his sect. His disciple Sundukov called for greater association of the sect with the Jews; this resulted in a split within its ranks and the creation of the 'Molokan Sabbath Observers'. ... The Judiazers succeeded particularly in the province of Saratov, where the preacher Milyukhin won over whole villages to his faith."

P. N. Miliukov on Molokans and Judiazers
Excerpt translated from: Miliukov, P.N., Ocherki po istorii russkoi kul'tury (Essays of the history of Russian culture). Volume 2 of 3. Moscow. Reprinted 1994. Pages 126-7. [Original published in 1942.]
"Especially numerous were judaizers in the Saratov region were this unorganized sect had its own leader / preceptor [наставник — nastavnik], Semyon Dalmatov."

Early Molokan "Jumper" Prophets Criticize Teachings of Subbotniki, Steadfast Molokans and Russian Orthodox Church. Item updateded December 14, 2008
Comments on 2 passages from the Jumpers' Book of the Sun: Spirit and Life. in which the Jumper leaders scorn the Subbotniki and all other 666 false faiths.

70 Molokan families converted to Judaism in Saratov, Russia, before 1925.
 1946 interview with Mrs. Clara Adamovna, whose Molokan family all became Jews.

Субботники (Иудействующие)  by Abraham Shmulevich, Mark Kipnis as it appeared online in Notes of Jewish History Number 1 (50), January 2005  Item added March 24, 2009
Subbotniki (Judaisers) - rough, unoffical English translation PDF

This article presents a concise history of the Subbotniki movment in Russia and concludes with a classification of the various factions or branches of Subbotniki.
" ....There were various and often incompatible Subbotniki factions (sub-sects).... {which} can be categorized into two groups:  Actual Subbotniki (i.e. those who converted to Judaism) and Christian sects complying with certain requirements and rituals of Judaism.
The first group includes
   1. Subbotniki in the Kuban also known as Psaltirschikami ....
   2. Geres, also called Talmudistami or Shapochnikami  ....
   3. Subbotniki-Karaimity ....
The Christian factions include
   1. Subbotnik-Molokans .....
   2. Christian Subbotniki ...."

3. General Background Information and Research
Research by American & European Scholars

Hebrews of the Russian Steppes  
Article by Eliezer Schindler in the United Israel World Bulletin, Union, NY Mar-Apr, 1947 (Contributed by Jerry Silverman - Bayonne, NJ in Sept. 2002.)
The writer of this article, Eliezer Schindler, while a prisoner­oner of war during the first World War, came in close con­tact with many converts to Judaism of the Kirghiz Steppes in whose midst he spent the greater part of his forty months in Russia.

Judaism and "Jewishness" as Other in 19th Century Russia:
The Conscription/Conversion Policy of Nicholas I
Thesis by Joey Bacal, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Lexis & Clark College — July 27, 1997

Heretics and Colonizers: Forging Russia's Empire in the South Caucasus
by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, Professor of History, Ohio State University
 2005 book from his 1998 PhD thesis examining how the “harmful sects” (Molokans, Doukhobors, Sabbatarians) were resettled to the Caucasus and their interaction with each other, often changing membership for privileges.
Research by the Russian Scholar Aleksandr L'vov

E-mail from Dr. L'vov, June 1, 2005
Alexander L'vov specializes in research about the religion of Jews and Subbotniki at the Center for Jewish Studies, European University, St. Petersburg, Russia. Alexander’s web site: Researching the Russian Jew
“Dear Bill,“Thank you very much for your letter and your excellent web site. Recently I've found and downloaded a newspaper article about the village of Iudino (Siberia) and a short but interesting record about Privolnoe in the published letters (in the letter of 13.10.1985) of Galina Starovoytova, a famous Russian ethnologist and public figure (see attachments) [listed below]. They are from the database www.integrum.ru. And have you seen my paper Emigration of Judiazers to Palestine?“ All the best, Alexander”
  1. Iudino article: "Chosen place on a creek bank" 
  2. Galina Starovoytova letters (PDF, Russian)

Jews and Subbotniks: History of impact and stereotypes of perception
 Paper by A. L'vov, presented July 24, 2002, at the 7th EAJS 2002 Congress:
"Jewish Studies and the European Academic World"
Abstract — My paper deals with a religious sect appeared in Russia at the end of the 18th — beginning of the 19th c.. Soon this sect was widespread among Russian peasantry. The sectarians were called ‘zhidovstvuyushchiye’ (Judaizers) or Subbotniks in different official documents. They identify themselves with Jews, seek to be in touch with Jews and to read the Jewish religious literature in Russian and in Hebrew. A few of the sectarians have been adopted by Jews, and a few of the sectarian congregations have preserved a specific ethno-religious identity: neither Russian nor Jewish. They consider themselves as pupils of Jews and many Jews came to Subbotniks’ communities as teachers. This sort of inter-ethnic relations looks like a Jewish messianic ideal, but in reality there are many difference between them. In particular the teachers of Subbotniks were those Jews who happened to come to Central Russia, not only Rabbis and devotees. The ideal model and real contact experience interaction have been reflected in some folklore texts collected during several expeditions in recent years. My investigation considers these texts in historical and ethnological perspectives.

Иудействовать и молоканить недозволено
или об особенностях народной герменевтики
Страница Александра Львова
“Judaizers and Molokans are Unlawful”
or, About the Features of the National Germenevtiki
Article by Alexander L’vov — (To be translated from Russian.)

Геры и субботники — «талмудисты» и «караимы»  
Страница Александра Львова
Gery and Subbotniks — “Talmudists and Karaimy” (DOC)
Article by Alexandr L’vov — (Translated from Russian.)

Русские иудействующие: проблемы, источники и методы исследования
  Страница Александра Львова
Russian Judiazers: Problems, sources and methods of research
Article by Alexander L’vov — (To be translated from Russian.)
Miscellaneous References to Subbotniki and Judiazers

A Crash Course on the Subbotniki
Article by Anne Herschman in Kulanu, Volume 9, Number 3, Autumn 2002, page 13. (PDF)
“...there are now about 10,000 to 15,000 Subbotniki left in the Former Soviet Union. Most of them are elderly and they are unfortunately a dying breed. There is a community that lives in Yitav, the Jordan valley (Israel), which has about 30 families. ... ”

Where Is the True Church? Information on Churches and Sectarianism
Part II: Sects and Heresies in Russia, by Bishop Alexander (Mileant)
"Another secret sect was 'Jewish-like.' ... The preaching of Skaria attracted many people ... this sect was outlawed and its followers were scattered into various prisons. From surviving members of this sect grew a new sect under the name of "Saturday People." [who]... appeared in the 18th century; they celebrated Saturday, instead of Sunday and acknowledged only the Old Testament. Some even practiced circumcision according to Jewish tradition. Emperor Nicholas I banished them all to the Caucasus [sic] Mountain region."

Subbotniki
 By Herman Rosenthal, S. Hurwitz in
The Jewish Encyclopedia.com		 Judaizing Heresy (zhidovstvu-yushchaya yeres)
By Kaufmann Kohler, and Herman Rosenthal in
The Jewish Encyclopedia.com
Judaizers
Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology		 Subbotniks
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Judaizers
New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia

The Sabbatarian Context

General Background Information on Sabbatarianism
The term Sabbatarian generally refers Christians who observe the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday rather than Sunday and/or those who follow of the Mosaic laws and traditions as a dominant part of the group's religious practices and observances. This section of the Subbotniki Information Exchange web site is dedicated to exploring and understanding general information relating to Sabbatarianism in order to place the Subbotniki within this context.

4. Subbotniki Around the World
Armenia
  
  • Sevan [north shore of Lake Sevan, population 23 in 2001]

The Last of the Saturday People
Article by Frank Brown, The Jerusalem Report. Nov. 19, 2001. pg. 72
SEVAN, Armenia — "After 200 years, ...remaining in Sevan are 23 elderly Subbotniks"

Jews in Armenia:The Hidden Diaspora (PDF)
Thesis/article by Vartan Akchyan
Summary of page 83: “The People of the Sabbath” relocated in the 1730s from central Russia (Tambov, Saratov, and Voronezh) to build their own town of Yelenovka, now Sevan, on Lake Sevan. This was 100 years before Molokans and Doukhobors came. Their beliefs are based only on the Torah though they are ethnically and linguistically Russian. Ancestors had their own synagogue, rabbi, and prayer books which were translated from Hebrew to Russian. Their song melodies are similar to Molokan-Jumpers.”

Jews in Armenia: The Hidden Diaspora (link to film site with purchase information)
Thesis/film by Vartan Akchyan 2002, DVD/video, 25 minutes, $46
History and existence of the Jewish community in Armenia.Made in the summer of 2001 in Armenia, Israel, and the US. — Includes 3.5 minutes of interviews and services with the Subbotnik congregation and leaders in Sevan, Armenia (formerly: Yelenovka village). Subtitles: English, Russian, Hebrew, Armenian, English
Small community in Armenia strives to preserve its heritage
"Round the Jewish World" article by Yasha Levine, JTA.  Sept 7, 2006.
SEVAN, Armenia — "Mikhail Zharkov, the 76-year-old leader of Armenia’s tiny Subbotnik community, says only 13* of the 30,000 people living in his small alpine town of Sevan are Subbotniks. There are three men and 10 women, and all are nearing the age of 80." [*Down from 23 in 2001, see above.]
Australia

Researching Famly History in Subbotniki Communities of Kemerovo or Bolotnoy, Russia
  Item added Oct 22, 2007
Brisbane, QLD Australia — "My name is Olga Savina-Taylor.... I would love to ask anyone who knows any ... details about the Subbotniki community in Kemerovo, or in Bolotnoye please to let me know. Also any personal accounts on travelling through Kirgiz Steppes to reach Siberia would be much appreciated......" See full article for more deatils


Azerbaijan

  • Privolnoe & Navtlug [south], Kuba [north]

Expedition to Azerbaijan in June 1997
Article by V.A.Dymshits — Petersburg Judica.  Analysis of 2 Jewish-like villages in Azerbaijan — 1997

Belarus

  • Kosachevka, Rodion and Kostyukovka, Yekaterina: Two villages that were once in Belarus, Mogilovskaya Oblast, Klimovicheskiye Rayon. Now in Russia, Smolenskaya oblast Roslavl Rayon.

The Ageyev Family
Web link contributed site by Ilan Guy (Ageyev), Ashdod, Israel
"I am a descendant of a Russian family who converted to Judaism in 1921 and moved to Palestine together with a few more families. I am very much interested to investigate the reasons and the events which made my grandfather Rodion Trafimovich Ageyev decide to make such a change in his life. I have created this Internet site which tells the story of my Russian family."
Iran (Persia)

  • Rahmatabad (to 1950)

Light Through the Shadows: The True Life Story of Michael Simonivitch Beitzakhar
Excerpts about Subbotniki and Molokans in Persia/Iran
Translated and Edited by Daniel V. Kubrock [from Beitzakhar's Russian manuscript] — 1953.
Israel
  • Beit Shemesh [20 miles west of Jerusalem]
  • Hula Valley (to 1980s) [south end, 10 miles north of Sea of Galilee, 2 miles west of Golan Heights]
  • Tel Adashim
  • Yesod Hama'alah (early 1900s) [Galilee]
  • Yitav [6 miles north of Jericho]

Russian Jews who don't drop out (PDF)  
Article by Carl Alpert in The New Jersey Jewish Standard— July 31, 1987
(contributed by Jerry Silverman - Bayonne, NJ in Sept. 2002)
"In recent years only two out of every ten Jews leaving the Soviet Union have been coming to Israel. The remainder drop out at Vienna and proceed for the most part to the US. There is one exception to this. The descendants of Russian converts to Juda­ism, some of them third- or fourth- generation Jews, who succeed in getting out of Russia come straight to Israel - all of them. There has not been a single case drop-out, among the dozens who have reached this country, and all of them appear to have been absorbed and integrated successfully."

Cheese to Please
Article by Ava Carmel in The Jerusalem Post — Jerusalem, Aug 9, 1991
"Ten years ago the second generation moshavniks would never have imagined that one day they would be producing authentic French cheeses. Avi's grandparents, who came from Russia and Yemen, had the honor of being among the first "mixed" marriages in Israel. [Michal Brakin] is a physiotherapist, whose Sobotnik grandparents walked to the Holy Land from their native Russia, then converted to Judaism."

A time to remember: The Subotniki of Russia (PDF)
Article by David C Gross in The Jewish Week — NY, Aug. 23-29, 1991
(contributed by Jerry Silverman, - Bayonne, NJ in Sept. 2002)
"Among the hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews who have immigrated to Israel in recent years are a purportedly tiny number of descendants of the Subotniki, a sect of Russians dating back to the 18th century....Some Subotniki a century ago joined the early Zionist pioneers in Galilee colonies; over time they were completely absorbed by the Jewish population. Probably the same thing will happen to the new Subotniki arrivals in modem Israel."

An Early Russian Immigrants' Farm: Sobotnoks'Brave Malaria in Hila Swamp
Article by Aviva Bar-Am in The Jerusalem Post — Jerusalem, Sept. 26, 1991

Rejected
Article by Yossi Klein Halevi in The Jerusalem Report — Aug. 21, 1997
Subbotniks were hated and beaten in Russia, but after moving to Israel their Jewishness was questioned.

Abandoned in the Jordan Valley
Article by Ari Ben Goldberg in The Jerusalem Report.— Nov. 19, 2001
Subbotniki were moved from Russia to Israel and placed in the West Bank where the Palestinians hate them and they get no help from the Israeli government.

The Dubrovin Farm: The Sobotniks
Gems in Israel: Spotlighting Israel's Lesser Known Tourist Attractions and Travel Sites, the Gems. Map. April/May 2002
SOHULA VALLEY — “The Dubrovin family came .. from the Astrakhan region of Russia in the early 1900's. They were Sobotniks (Hebrew: sobotnikim) ... After their conversion, they took Hebrew names; ...Yo'av and his wife, Rachel. They dug a well, began farming the land and were quite successful, ... most of their children succumbed to malaria from the nearby Hula swamps. ... Yo av, was 104 at the time of his death — and the family never left the site. The last family member to live on the farm, Yitzhak, gave the farm to the Jewish National Fund, which restored the site and opened it as a tourist attraction [in 1986]. There is a reconstruction of the Dubrovin's living rooms, kitchen, ... An audiovisual program in English. ... a working potter, a blacksmith display and a non-kosher restaurant, ...”
Joyce Bivin, a Molokan-Armenian who lives in Israel reports:
“Around the 1920's, a group of Subbotnikim came to Israel [from Russia] and settled in the Hula Valley.” This is the farm of one family.
She also says:
“Years ago when I shopped at a certain supermarket, nearly all the cashiers were Russian and lived in Beit Shemesh (...30 minutes west of Jerusalem). I asked one of the girls if they knew about the Molokans (some have vague ideas) and after I described who they were, she said there were a group of Subbotnikim living in Beit Shemesh and described them having blond hair (why that was unusual, I don't know as most of the Russian immigrants are blond anyway). I was very excited to hear this but never followed up not knowing which section of Beit Shemesh they lived. ... I'll start asking again.”

Dubrovin Farm and Yesud ha Ma'aia
The Jewish Agency for Israel, Department for Jewish Zionist Education: History and photos

Saving Russia’s Subbotnik Jews
Jewish World — May 22, 2005:
"Over a dozen Subbotnik Jews from [Vysoki, Voronezh] moved to Israel last month and settled in the Beit Shemesh area outside of Jerusalem."

Panel: Bring in 10,000 Subbotniks
Article by Nina Gilbert in The Jerusalem Post — June 21, 2005
Members of the Knesset Immigration and Absorption Committee called on Interior Minister Ophir Paz-Pines on Monday to use his authority to allow into the country some 10,000 "Subbotniks"
Poland

The Jewish Community in Subotniki
by Kazimierz Niechwiadowicz translated by Jan Sekta
Russia
  • Astrakhan', Golossow (1918)
  • Astrakhan', Liman [north shore of Caspian Sea]
  • Birobidzhan, Chabarovsk [Jewish Autonomous Region, Far East]
  • Bondarevo / Iudino [Khakasiia, 1800s]
    Borisogleb Raion     [Voronezh, 1964]
  • Essentuki and Prohlodnensk [Caucasus before WWII]
  • Il'inka [population 100, Voronezh province, 1991]
  • Staniza Novoprivolnaia [population: 300, Stavropol' territory]
  • Rasskazovo and Michurinsk [Tambov, 1959]
  • Staraia Zima [Siberia before WWII]
  • Volgograd Region [Leninsk, Tsarev, Zaplavnoye]
  • Vysokii [population: 800, Voronezh province, 2007]

Субботники (Иудействующие)  Added Sept. 27, 2005
Авраам Шмулевич, Марк Кипнис — КЕЭ, том 8, колонка 635-639
(To be translated from Russian.)

Hebrews of the Russian Steppes   
Eliezer Schindler,United Israel Bulletin, March-April 1947, pages 13-14
"The majority ... reside in the Kirgis-Steppes along the banks of the Volga and the Caspian Sea. ... steppes of the Saratow-Astrakhan provinces. ... the Caucasus and in Siberia. Nearly all ... are agriculturists, smiths, carpenters and plumbers. Only a few are merchants and traders."

History of Religious Sectarianism in Russia (1860s-1917),
A. I. Klibanov. 1966. (translated 1979)
"The population of was primarily sectarian — Molokan, Subbotnik, and Kristovover — and this village had a reputation of being 'the sectarian capitol'." (pages 397-8) "My encounter with Subbotniki in Rasskazovo Raion of Tambov Oblast during 1959 and in Borisogleb Raion of Voronezh Oblast during 1964 confirmed my opinion that we are dealing with followers of Judaism who give primary importance to its rituals and customary side." (page 46)

Современное Состояние Сектантства в Советской России,
English: A modern Condition of Sectarianism in the Soviet Russia,
Н.А. Струве. ("Вестник РСХД", 1960 г.)  (To be translated from Russian.) by N.A.Struve. (Bulletin RSHD, 1960); translated in Religion in the USSR, Munich, July 1960, Series 1, No. 59
Before WWII Subbotnik worship was marked in Siberia (Staraia Zima), in the Caucasus (Essentuki, Prohlodnensk) and in the Western Kazakhstan. Subbotniki exist in a small numbers in Tambovshchin (30 in the city of Rasskazov, 15 in Michurinsk). The number of Subbotniki was not great before the Revolution (37,173 in 1900).

Jewish community of Astrakhan
FJC—The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
ASTRAKHAN, RUSSIA — “... a large group of Gers ... Molokan Subbotniks... who .. came to adopt Jewish practices ...converted to Judaism. ... The Gers owned a mill and lived prosperously ... By 1880, there were ... about 2000 Gers. In 1905, Gers established a prayer house and a mikvah. ... In the late 1940s, many Gers suffered from the state repression and their prayer house was closed in the 1950s. The Gers reside in the village of Liman until this very day and sometimes visit the Ashkenazi Synagogue. Despite their relative poverty, they always bring gifts for the synagogue. ..”

The Last Jews of Il'inka
The Jerusalem Report — Feb. 14, 1991
VORONEZH, RUSSIA — "...about 100 mostly elderly Jewish residents; within a decade, only the graves will remain of this unusual Jewish community." Maps added

Die Subbotniks: Russen mit mosaischer Religion (original in German) 
The Subbotniks: Russians with mosaic Religion (English translation PDF) 
Article by Lubmilla Borissova in Moscow German Newspaper — Mar. 23, 2001
"To the services in the synagogue of Birobidzhan also come Russians – brearded men with typical Jewish Kipa on the head and old women. About 200 Russians who profess to a mosaic religion live in the vicinity of Chabarowsk the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Region in the Far East. They are members of  the Subbotniks community, the so-called Sabbatarians. "

Veterans of Russia's Jewish land take lots of pride in the good ol' days
Article by Sue Fishkoff, National Conference on Soviet Jewry, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sept. 23, 2004
BIROBIDZHAN, RUSSIA FAR EAST — “Dov Kofman, 55, joined them in 1983, moving with them in 1986 to their current synagogue — a small wooden hut on the outskirts of town. For 10 years they shared their building with half a dozen females, who follow a kind of Seventh-day Adventist religion that considers Saturday the day of rest.”

Where Russians cursed in Yiddish
Article by Sue Fishkoff, Jerusalem Post, Oct. 5, 2004
BIROBIDZHAN, RUSSIA FAR EAST —  “Until it affiliated with the Congress of Jewish Religious Communities and Organizations of Russia (Keroor) in 1996, Kofman's ad-hoc congregation prayed together with a group of "Subbotnikim," elderly Russian women who practiced a kind of Seventh-Day Adventist Christianity.”

Strategies of Constructing a Group Identity:
the Sectarian Community of the Subbotniki in the Staniza Novoprivolnaia
Article by Sergey Shtyrkov, Folklore, Vol 28, Dec. 2004, page 91
STAVROPOL, RUSSIA — L'vov and Panchenko assist Shtyrkov with 14 hours of interviews with Subbotnik elders taped in September 2000. 300 Subbotniki resettled from Azerbaijan to this village where Molokans also live. They call themselves: "Subbotniki", "Russians of the Mosaic Law" or "people of the Mosaic Law", not Jews.

Субботний исход: В начале прошлого века жители Заплавного, Царева и Ленинска уходили в Палестину, недела городa, 16 декабря 2004
(Link contributed by Sergey Petrov — Dept. of Religious Studies, Univ. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in Mar. 2006. Annotated map site contributed by Ilan Guy (Ageyev), Ashdod, Isreal)
(Original site no longer avaialble; Translation in-progress)
The Saturday Outcome:  Article in Nedelya-Gorodo Newspaper, Dec. 14, 2004
In the beginning of the last century inhabitants Zaplavnogo, Tsareva and Leninsk in the Volgograd region emigrated to Palestine where the Mesiah was expected soon.

What is happening in Misrad ha Pnim (again)? 
Blog by Paul about previous article, Feb. 17, 2005
"..the Ministry's attitude on this issue puzzling. It raises, of course, the philosophical-ideological question of the attitude of the Jewish people and of the State of Israel to not-quite-Jews who really, really, want to be part of our nation, our people and our religion ..."

Israel takes up the repatriation of "Subbotniks"
News agency Cursor: News of day — Mar. 22, 2005
Израиль приступает к репатриации «субботников» 
Информационное агентство Cursor: Новости дня — Обновлено 22.03
20 Subbotnik families from Vysokii will be "repatriated" by Israel according to Michael Freund. (See "Save the Subbotniks!" above.)

Saving Russia’s Subbotnik Jews
Jewish World — May 22, 2005 -  copied at: Shavei Israel — Israel National News — May 20, 2005
"Over a dozen Subbotnik Jews from [Vysokii, Voronezh] moved to Israel last month and settled in the Beit Shemesh area outside of Jerusalem."

Russian Runaround
Article by Wendy Elliman,  Hadassah Magazine — May 2006  (contributed May 2006 by Michael Fruend of Shavei Israel Jerusalem, Israel) Article contains extensive discussion of history of Subbotniks and their relationship with Russian Jews.
"Until recently, Israel made no distinction between Russian Jews and Subbotniks, and thousands of Subbotniks were among the million-plus Russians who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union. .... {Nowadays} Subbotniks [from Vysokii, Voronezh and elsewhere] are denied entry to Israel because of the ambiguity of their origins."

Russia's New Jewish Refuseniks 
Article by Michael Fruend, The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 3, 2007
"Believe it or not, but there are thousands of Russian Jews being denied the right to make aliyah. Only this time, it isn't Soviet communists standing in their way, but rather Israeli bureaucrats who are blocking their path!" Comments can be sent directly to author Michael Fruend or to letters@jpost.com 

Subbotniki in Siberia 
Subbotniki founded Iudino village (now Bondarev), Khakassi territiory. Maps, 3 translated articles, 1 book excerpt about 1800s setlers from Voronezh, including the most famous Subbotnik: Timofei M. Bondarev who wrote a book, corresponed with Tolstoy, and was honored with the village name and in 2005 with a monument.

Subbotniks  Item added August 3, 2008
Subbotniki content on Shavei Israel web site: Founded by Michael Freund, this team of academics, educators and rabbinical figures "reaches out to 'lost Jews' and assists them in coming to terms with their heritage and identity in a spirit of tolerance and understanding."
"There are still an estimated 15,000 Subbotnik Jews living primarily in southern Russia and in Siberia, most of whom wish to return to the traditions of their ancestors and emigrate to Israel."
Specific content links of interest include:
Personal Stories: 
Rabbi David Winitz Interviews Pavel Kzanichev (Zanin) - a subbotnik living in  Zima, Russia
Articles:
Save the Subbotniks! Article by Michael Fruend appeared orignally in The Jerusalem Post, Feb. 17, 2005, pg. 15
VORONEZH, RUSSIA — "...there are an estimated 10,000 Subbotniks spread throughout several dozen communities..." Maps added
Saving Russia's Subbotnik Jews (revised version to article appearng above in this index)
"Dozens of Subbotnik Jews from Russia have been allowed to move to Israel after the Jerusalem-based Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org) organization helped them overcome years of waiting due to bureaucratic delays."
Sharon Orders To Bring Subbotniks to Israel by Ettan Rabin Mar. 22, 2005
"Following the exposure in NRG Maariv, the Prime Minister’s office approved the immigration to Israel of about 20 Subbotnik families living in Russian villages."
A Universal Jew by Eliyahu Birnbaum (not dated)
"From the research of Dr. Zev Chanin and Velvel Charnin, we learn there are between 10,000 to 12,000 Subbotniks spread out in over a dozen communities. Some of them live in their traditional centers, in the Veronezh area, the Volga area, eastern and central Siberia and in the Caucasus region."


More than just Sabbath Jews 
Newspaper Column by Michael Fruend, The Jerusalem Post, Nov. 25, 2008
"Tomorrow may prove to be a fateful day for thousands of Russian Jews being prevented from moving to Israel by a cold-hearted bureaucracy. After months of delay, the Supreme Court is at last due to hear a petition regarding the 20,000 Subbotnik Jews of Russia, many of whom have found it increasingly difficult in recent years to get permission to make aliya." Comments can be sent directly to author Michael Fruend or to letters@jpost.com 
See related Nov 26, 2008 Shavei Israel press release and related Isreali newspaper articles:

The Foresaken Converts of Russia  Item added February 2, 2009
An account of a visit with the Subbotniki in Vysokii by Eli Bardenstein, Ma'ariv (Sof-shavua Weekend Supplement), November 28, 2008 (Translation courtesy of  Michael Fruend)
"They observe the Sabbath, practice ritual circumcision, and refrain from eating pork. They survived the oppression of the czars, suffered persecution by the communists and were murdered by the Nazis. Alexander Zaid and Rafael Eitan were two of them. But none of this is enough for the State of Israel, which decided to prevent the descendants of Subbotniks - Russians who converted to Judaism hundreds of years ago – from making aliya to Israel. According to the Ministry of the Interior: They are not Jews."


Daas Torah - an online forum to clarify some of the issues of Jewish Identy.
Subbotnik Jews of Ilyinka are Jews   Item added March 22, 2009
The particular forum thread started on February 11, 2009 explores pro and counter arguments to the principle that all Russian Subbotniki are Jewish and therefore deserve to right to emigrate to Israel. Some sample comments:
"......I humbly suggest that in light of this, your headline to the effect that "Subbotniks are not Jewish" warrants correction."
"......If some Subbotnik's aren't Jewish, such as those in Vysoky, and some Subbotnik's might be Jewish, such as the Jews of Ilyinka, then clearly Subbotnik is not a term that implies Jewishness."
".... Subbotniks is to general a term, since there are different groups of Subbotniks. So the title should read "Some/most/many Subbotniks are not Jewish" or something along those lines..."


Субботники (Иудействующие) by Abraham Shmulevich, Mark Kipnis as it appeared online in Notes of Jewish History Number 1 (50), January 2005  Item added March 24, 2009
Subbotniki (Judaisers) - rough, unoffical Englis translation PDF

This article presents a concise history of the Subbotniki movment in Russia and concludes with a classification of the various factions or branches of Subbotniki.
" ....There were various and often incompatible Subbotniki factions (sub-sects).... {which} can be categorized into two groups:  Actual Subbotniki (i.e. those who converted to Judaism) and Christian sects complying with certain requirements and rituals of Judaism.
The first group includes
   1. Subbotniki in the Kuban also known as Psaltirschikami ....
   2. Geres, also called Talmudistami or Shapochnikami  ....
   3. Subbotniki-Karaimity ....
The Christian factions include
   1. Subbotnik-Molokans .....
   2. Christian Subbotniki ...."

Uzbekistan

  • Kibrai district, Tashkent region

UZBEKISTAN: Believers are not even allowed to visit each other  Updated Nov 1
Article by Igor Rotar, Forum 18 News Service — Oct. 27, 2005
"The Subbotniki live in the Kibrai district of Tashkent region [capital of Uzbekistan], 15 kilometres (10 miles) north-east of the capital, and every week police come to community members and warn them that it is illegal to hold meetings in private apartments. On 9 August [2005] the police even forbade the Subbotniki from holding a religious ritual for one of the community's members who had just died."
Note from John Kinahan, Assistant Editor, Oslo, Norway:
"We are a Christian web and e-mail initiative to report on threats and actions against the religious freedom of all people, whatever their religious affiliation, in an objective, truthful and timely manner. The name Forum 18 comes from Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and we are based in Oslo, Norway. We have been mainly concentrating up to now on the states of the former Soviet Union... I would be happy to arrange for you to receive our weekly e-mail news summary every Friday."

5. Contact

William A. Aldacushion
Fairfax County, Virginia  USA
E-mail: billald@attglobal.net