Roots, #5-6
January-December 1996
The Roots magazine #5-6 opens with an article The Achsenzeit of Jewish History by Emmanuil Mendelevich from Oryol (the section is Articles. Researches). The article substantiates the unique character of Jewish history throughout its course.
The article by the representative of JDC in Central Russia and Volga Region Mr. Yitzchak Averbuch under specific title The Region: Five Years of Life attracts special attention. In this article the author summarizes his work in the Region and thinks over its future.
The same section of the magazine includes article Aleksei M. Gorky and Jews by Steve Gutin-Levin from Saratov. The latter is a detailed research work containing rich bibliographical material.
In the section The History of our Days Natalya Bass tells about the people of the Samara Jewish community and their deeds. Mikhail Fige from Samara gives a detailed analysis of the activities of the Tarbut newspaper published in Samara and well-known throughout the Volga Region. The section also includes a minute review of the Jewish funds in regional state archives which must become widely known to all researchers in Jewish life.
Of much interest to the reader is the section Memoirs and Documents. It includes the memoirs by Klara Aronchik from Saratov, a former prisoner of many Nazi concentration camps, written down by Prof. D. Drankin. Yeva Tsvetova from Samara tells about the talented actor Mikheyev, together with whom she worked out and staged an interesting literary and musical composition which tells about Jewish culture.
With great love Boris Pudalov from Nizhny Novgorod relates the interesting story of the Zakhoder family, whose founder was a rabbi who built a synagogue in Nizhny Novgorod. His children and grandchildren made a significant contribution to Russias history and culture.
In the section Our Genealogies Aizik Bargteil from Perm tells about the history of the Jewish community in Perm. This is the first detailed research on the history of Jewish presence in the city, which earlier was a place for exile and which nowadays is one of the countrys more important cities.
Boris Zilbert from Saratov relates his impressions of the Jewish Museum in Prague where in the Middle Ages the local Jewish community created a monument of national culture.
The section Chronicles tells about the activities of the city lecture clubs of the Public University for Jewish culture during the 1995-96 academic year.
The spacious section Opinions. Reviews. Criticism includes reviews of materials published in previous issues of the magazine. The reviews were submitted by our readers as well as experts. A special place in the section is occupied by the article written by Arkadi Tsoglin from Saratov, in which the author voices an opinion that Anti-Semitism has religious roots.
At the end of the issue the reader will find information about its contributors.