About Us
About Us
Jewish history in Belarus spans centuries, and the Jewish Religious Union has been continuing this tradition for over thirty years – since 1993. In 2025, the Union underwent re‑registration and today remains the only Jewish religious union of national level in the country.
Over more than thirty years, the Union has grown from an initiative of a few communities into a republican‑level structure, uniting 16 Jewish communities across Belarus. Throughout all these years, the Union has operated in accordance with the canons of Orthodox Judaism and remains the heart of the country's Jewish religious life.
The history of the Union is inseparable from the history of Jews on Belarusian soil. This land was home to the renowned Mir and Volozhin yeshivas, which influenced the development of Jewish thought worldwide, and the Jewish community of Belarus numbered over a million people at the beginning of the 20th century. The revival of this heritage – from the restoration of cemeteries and memorials to the opening of the Minsk Jewish Heritage Centre named after Polina Dobkina in 2023 and the launch of audio tours across Jewish Belarus – has become one of the Union's most important undertakings in recent years.
After decades of Soviet history — from the "Proletary" yeast factory to the "Komsomolka" sewing association — the building was handed over to the Jewish Religious Union in the Republic of Belarus in 1994 and became a synagogue. Today, it is not only a synagogue but also the home of the Minsk Jewish Heritage Centre named after Polina Dobkina — so the walls of the former distillery have become the spiritual and cultural heart of Jewish life in Minsk.
Our Mission
to preserve the Jewish heritage of Belarus: faith, history, traditions, and culture
Our work encompasses the full diversity of Jewish life – from preserving the memory of the past to supporting communities today.
- Preserving
MemoryWe built the first lapidarium in Belarus in Brest, install memorial markers, and open memorial alleys. - Creating
HeritageWe develop audio guides and video tours across Jewish Belarus, and build a database of audio, video and photographic materials. - Uniting the CommunityWe run heritage clubs, Shabbat gatherings, Sunday schools, conferences, exhibitions, and seminars for all ages.
- Publishing
and HelpingWe publish the newspaper "Berega" and books on Jewish heritage. We support communities and provide humanitarian aid.
- Rabbi Mordechai ReichinsteinChief RabbiBorn in 1969 in Mogilev. He received his religious education at yeshivas in Moscow and Jerusalem, served for many years as a rabbi at a community centre in Kyiv, and since 2005 has been leading the development of Jewish life in the communities of Belarus. In 2016, he was elected Chief Rabbi of the Union.
- Artur Petrovich LivshytsChairman of the BoardChairman of the Board of the Union since 2023. Born in Minsk, he was introduced to Judaism as a child in the United States. Under his leadership, 16 communities operate and the newspaper "Berega" is published, and thanks to his personal standing, the Union has become a member of the Association of European Jewish Heritage (AEPJ).
Your support keeps Jewish life in Belarus alive
Your donation supports 16 Jewish communities across Belarus. It helps restore Jewish cemeteries and create memorials at sites of memory, fund Shabbat services, festivals and heritage club gatherings, sustain the synagogue at 13B Daumana Street, and care for those in need.
We do not take international card payments directly on this site. You can make a secure donation through our two partner charities instead:
Both organisations are our official partners and process donations securely on their own websites.
revive Jewish life in Belarus.