Uzbek Jewish archives are opened to public

Historical Jewish-Uzbek archives are being opened to the public, showing how the central Asian state of Uzbekistan became a sanctuary for Jews fleeing Russia during the Second World War.

Hundreds of years after the rule of Mongol warlord Genghis Khan, a Jewish community thrived there, complete with Yiddish theatre, one of several facets of Jewish life.

Among the 150,000 data entries, archivists can detail how thousands of Jews fled there from war, as authorities in Uzbekistan and Israel seek to work together to tie up information.

Dr Yochai Ben-Gedaliah, director of the Central Archives in Jerusalem, said the agreement with Uzbekistan “was made possible due to the country’s openness policy and thanks to the vigorous efforts” of the new Uzbek ambassador to Israel.

Uzbekistan’s national archive director, Ulugbek Yusupov, said:  “Experts from Uzbekistan and Israel will be able to carry out joint research projects.”