Full Name: Turkmenistan
Local Name: Turkmenistan
Capital: Ashchabad
Languages: Turkmen, Russian, Uzbek
Currency: 1 Tukmen manat (TMM) = 100 tenesi
Independence: 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Total Area: 488,100 sq km
Comparative Area: slightly larger than California
Borders: Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
General Population: 4,015,000
Jewish Population: 2,000
Life Expectancy: male 57.68 years, female 65.11 years

Background

Most Jews in this predominantly Muslim country are Ashkenazim who settled in the area during the period of Soviet rule. A minority of Jews in Turkmenistan are of Iranian descent. The largest Jewish community, 800 people, is in Ashchabad, while a significant number of Jews also live in Chardzhou and Mary.

Jewish Life

Turkmenistan's Jewish organizations and services are scarce. The Jewish community has no formal status. There are no other synagogues besides the Ashchabad Synagogue. Jews are scattered throughout the region, but they try to meet for programs around holiday time. The JAFI has been active in promoting Jewish identity and in assisting those Jews who wish to leave for Israel.

Israel

Israel and Turkmenistan have full diplomatic relations. Israel is represented by its ambassador in Moscow.
Aliya: Since 1989, 1,050 Turkmeni Jews have emigrated to Israel.

UCSJ Work

The UCSJ provides antisemitism documentation to assist Jews in Turkmenistan. To receive materials or find out more information regarding UCSJ's research documentation, please contact Nikolai Butkevich at nbutkevich@ucsj.com or call
(202) 775-9770 ext.12.

To learn about Human Rights issues in Turkmenistan, see the following link:
HRW World Report 1999

http://www.hrw.org/hrw/worldreport99

Related Links

Information provided by the following websites:
Duke University's Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies
<(http://www.duke.edu/web/CSEEES)
Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
(http://www.fjc.ru)
Jewish Communities of the World
(http://virtualjerusalem.com/communities/wjcbook)

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