"Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia (autonomous oblast) situated in the Far Eastern federal district, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. The region was created in 1934 as the Jewish National District. It was the result of Joseph Stalin's nationality policy, which allowed for the Jewish population of Russia to receive a territory in which to pursue Yiddish cultural heritage within a socialist framework."
(from Wikipedia)
This was an attempt to counter Zionism in Palestine and secularize the Jews within the U.S.S.R. Thousands of Jews throughout the world emigrated there. Sadly, it was a victim of Stalin's purges After 1991, most of the Jews living there left for Israel. For more info on its sad history, read the Wikipedia page on it.
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