The number of Jews in Chita, one of the important trading centers of Siberia, has been reduced from 6,000 to 1,500 since the end of the World War. The falling off in the Jewish population is laid to two factors, the most important being the fact that the capital of the Soviet Far Eastern Republic has been moved from Chita to Chabarovsk.
Another factor responsible for the reduction of Chita’s Jewish populace is the concentration of Soviet reconstruction activities in such cities as Vladivostok and Nikolaievsk.
What Jews there in Chita are the descendants of exiles sent to Siberia by the Czarist governments. The first Jews came here in the 1860’s and 1870’s. The construction of the Baikal railroad and the Russo-Japanese war led to an influx of Jewish population.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
