An Overview
Background of the Jewish Russian Community Center of Queens
The Borough of Queens was one of the first destinations for immigrants from the FSU starting in the early 1970’s. As the Eastern European (Russian) immigrants established themselves, many have chosen to move to New Jersey, Staten Island and the tri-state area. Nonetheless, many have chosen to remain and call Queens their home. The current estimate is that there are between 5,000-7,000 Eastern European (Russian) Jews living thorough-out Queens. Our data base contains a record of over 3,000 families and individuals.
The largest concentration of Russian Jews lives in Forest Hills and Rego Park, with the next largest groups being in Kew Gardens and Jackson Heights. There are also pockets of seniors primarily in subsidized housing like Self Help and Bnei Brith in Flushing. There’s a sizable community of seniors in Far Rockaway and smaller amounts (with no definite numbers) in Middle Village, Woodhaven, Astoria, Whitestone, Woodside, Bayside and Laurelton. Our goal is to reach as many as possible and to create a sense of community.
Unlike the Jews from Central Asia and Georgia, the Russian Jews were more religiously and culturally repressed and as a result tend to be less outwardly affiliated with the Jewish community. With this in mind, the Jewish Russian Community Center of Queens was created by Rabbi Eli Blokh. Our goal is to create a sense of community among Russian Jews and help them strengthen their Jewish identity. We publish a bimonthly magazine; organize outings, holiday celebrations and cultural events. We encourage them to celebrate important Jewish life cycle events they could not have observed in Russia i.e. Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Jewish weddings, traditional Jewish Burial etc.
This past year, 2013, the JRCC of Queens organized Passover Seders in five locations-Jackson Heights, Middle Village, Rego Park, Flushing and Far Rockaway. As many of the residents in these areas are elderly and are on fixed incomes, the Fee was either waived or steeply reduced.
The JRCC of Queens is funded through community support with grants from The UJA Federation and COJECO.
The goal is for either a full time or part-time representative of The JRCC of Queens to live in the above neighborhoods to see to the spiritual and communal needs of The Russian Speaking community. Currently there is a center in Kew Gardens under the direction of Rabbi Shlomo and Liora Nadtochyy, Rego Park under the leadership of Rabbi Eli Blokh, with plans to soon establish a branch in Jackson Heights.
