Jewish Autonomous Region: Between Myth and Reality

The monograph examines the basic concepts of political and cultural-historical prerequisites for the creation of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the USSR, which could be transformed into a republic. The formation of a Jewish administrative district in Biro-Bidzhan gave rise to hopes of turning it into a center of Jewish science, culture and art in the USSR. The struggle of ideas and international perception of the "Birobidzhan project" is shown. The project became one of the options for building a secular Jewish state, based not so much on religion, as on the folklore traditions, enshrined in the art, lifestyle and professional activities. It was perceived abroad as a "Soviet myth. The construction of the socialist city of Birobidzhan was supposed to complete the formation of the Jewish Autonomous Area "national in form and socialist in content". Because of the isolated development of the EAO, it was Yiddish that became the conductor of the culture of the people who spoke this language, expressing their thoughts, aspirations, hopes, despite all development problems, which ultimately allowed the unique cultural formation - the Jewish Autonomous Region - to persist.