Russian Community Life: The Jewish Community of Baltimore, MD

Letter from Freda Goldman

Dear Sabina and Peter:

I have inclosed an article published in the Baltimore Sun, the major paper in Baltimore. I want to tell you something about Baltimore Soviet Jews. There are, I believe, from 4 to 5 thousand Russian Jews in Baltimore. The newspaper stated 8000 in Maryland. Perhaps then there may be more than 5,000 Russian Jews in Baltimore. There exists in Baltimore unworthy Hebrew adult education which offers classes of English and Jewish history to Russian immigrants for a cost. This is run by the non-religious Jews.

There's a Rabbi Diskid, a well-known rabbi who is American but speaks fluent Russian. He busily forms small groups of Russian children whom he teaches Hebrew and Judaism. The children love him. I work only on Sundays and I teach a class of seven students. Rabbi Diskid is the advocate for Russian immigrants. He is religious and is not paid by the Federation rather by the religious community. He has a shabbat service, and he even visits each family (a lot of work) to teach them and help them out with a problem. Those who really want to attend a Hebrew day school, he gets them into the school on scholarship.

The other synagogues, the Reform or Conservative, practically ignore the immigrants. They complain that they receive too much help. Only the Orthodox have an outreach program for the Russian Jews. By the way the rabbi does not charge any Russian Jew for teaching or for any services or for any help. He and others try to welcome the immigrants and teach them about their culture and faith which was robbed from them.

Baltimore is a vibrant Jewish city, 100,000 Jews, 20,000 religious, 80,000 not. But even the nonreligious are very Jewish culturally. I love Baltimore and so do my children.

Take care, Shalom,

Freda