Points of Jewish interest in Belarus abound, including: The Great Synagogue of Grodna, a 2007 candidate UNESCO World Heritage Site; Holocaust memorials at the sites of mass graves in Pinsk, Minsk, Novogrudok, Volozhin, Radun, Mir, Slonim, Braslav, and Dolginovo; a well preserved Jewish cemetery in the village of Lenin dating back to the Sixteenth Century, characterized by its wooden tombstones; the burial place of the venerated Chofetz Chaim in Radin, where he lived and ran his flourishing Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin; and other grave sites of esteemed rabbis throughout Belarus such as Reb Chaim Volozhin, Reb Yerucham from Mir, Reb Yosef Slutzker and the Yesoid Hoavoida etc.
Moreover, visitors can trace the family trees and roots of their ancestors in the many Jewish shtetls that once thrived in various locales such as Pinsk, David Gorodok, Polotsk, Antopol, Borisov, Grodno and other centers of Jewish life scattered across the Belarusian countryside.
Tourists to Belarus can also visit: The famous Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin, the Yama Holocaust Memorial in Minsk, the Great Synagogue of Pinsk, the Karlin Stolin Synagogue in Pinsk and the site of a well-known Holocaust revolt in Lachwa.
In addition, you can visit the birth places of world famous Jews: Former Israeli Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres, whose grandfather studied in the Volozhin Yesiva, was born in Wiszniew, Poland, now Vishniyeva, Belarus; Israel’s first President Chaim Weizmann was born in Motal, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Brest and the renowned Jewish artist Marc Chagall in Vitebsk.
Graves of Zadikim in Belarus
| Rav Yehuda Lev Schneerson, Hamaharil
Rav Naftali Zvi Traf Rav Yehoshua Isaac Shapira Harif Rav Zvi Rav Menachem Nachum Kaplan of Harodna Rav Shimon Yehuda HaCohen Shkap Rav Meir Maarim Shafit Rav Shneur Zalman Aharon Rav Menachem Eliezer of Minsk Rav Mordechai Malkovitz Rav Chaim of Volozhin Rav Alexander Ziskind, Mekubal of Harodna Rav Yosef Yitzhak, Admor of Avarotsh Rav Aharon Hagadol of Karlin Rav Yechiel Michael Halevi Epstein Rav Yisroel Meir HaCohen, Chafetz Chaim |
3 Heshvan
3 Tishrei 4 Tevet 7 Tevet 8 Heshvan 9 Heshvan 10 Heshvan 11 Heshvan 13 Tevet 13 Shvat 14 Sivan 18 Adar Bet 18 Kislev 19 Nisan 22 Adar Bet 24 Elul |
Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin
The Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin was established in 1803 by Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and has produced some of the greatest Rabbis, scholars, leaders and artisits of the past century. The influence of these illustrious allumi of the Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin still impacts countless Jewish communities throughout the world.
Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin is considered a cultural and architectural landmark and in 1998, the Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin was registered on the State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Belarus.
The Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozin is an integral part of the Jewish heritage and is in the process of being renovated to preserve the pride and dignity of what it was and still is today.
Join Yad Yisroel in renovating the Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Volozhin: www.yeshivavolozhin.org
General Information about Belarus
Belarus is a country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine. The country is located in a transitional zone between continental and maritime climates.
Belarus is a presidential republic, governed by a President and the National Assembly. It has a population of 9,464,000. Its official languages are Belarusian and Russian.
It has a Soviet-style state controlled economy, with 51.2% of its workforce employed by nationalized companies; its currency is the Belarusian Ruble (BYR), with 1 BYR = 0.000091 USD on the international currency exchange.
Its primary religion is Eastern Orthodox. Electric voltage in Belarus is 220-240 Volts.
