The history of the Jews in Kazakhstan connects back to the history of Bukharan and Juhuro Mountain Jews. Kazakh Jews have a long history. At present, there are several thousand Jews in Kazakhstan.
AChabad-Lubavitch synagogue in Almaty is named after Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the Rebbe, who is buried at the city's cemetery, close to the synagogue. Levi Yitzchak Schneerson was exiled to Kazakhstan from Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk, where he was a chief rabbi.[4] Lubavitcher Jews from all over the world come to pray at his grave.[5]
Kazakhstan's Jewish population rapidly increased between 1926 and 1959, being almost eight times larger in 1959 than in 1926. Kazakhstan's Jewish population slowly declined between 1959 and 1989, followed by a much larger decline after the fall of Communism between 1989 and 2002 due to massive Jewish emigration, mostly to Israel.[8]
There are fourteen Jewish day schools attended by more than 700 students. There is a Jewish kindergarten in Almaty.[14] Between 2005 and 2006 attendance in religious services and education in Almaty among Jews greatly increased. The government of Kazakhstan registered eight foreign rabbis and "Jewish missionaries". It has also donated buildings and land for the building of new synagogues.[1][2]
According to the National Coalition Supporting Soviet Jewry, "Anti-Semitism is not prevalent in Kazakhstan and rare incidents are reported in the press," contrary to incorrect perceptions in popular culture caused by the country's portrayal in the 2006 film Borat as a "hot-bed of anti-Semitism."[15]
^DellaPergola, Sergio (2002). "World Jewish Population, 2002". In Singer, David; Grossman, Lawrence (eds.). The American Jewish Year Book 2002(PDF). Vol. 102. American Jewish Committee (AJC). pp. 601–642.
^DellaPergola, Sergio (2010). Dashefsky, Arnold; DellaPergola, Sergio; Sheskin, Ira (eds.). 2010 World Jewish Population(PDF) (Report). Berman Jewish DataBank. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023.
