Belarusian Jews celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Bobruisk Jewish community.
The head of the Bobruisk community, Leonid Rubinstein, marked the celebration by writing a musical about its history that was perforned by local children and adults.
“Jews have lived in Belarus for a long time, and three other towns’ Jewish communities have celebrated their 500th anniversaries in recent years,” the head of the Belarusian Jewish community, Leonid Levin, told JTA .
Bobruisk, a city of 227,700 located 81 miles southeast of Minsk, now has a Jewish population of approximately 1,350. Some 20,000 Bobruisk Jews were shot by the Nazis during World War II and buried in mass graves. Most of the remaining Jews were killed in ghetto and labor camps established in the town.
Levin said historical documents note the 500-year presence of Jews in Bobruisk. He added that the Mogilev community would celebrate the same anniversary in 2020.
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