Walking in the Footsteps of my Ancestors

Organized by SAMi – Sephardic American Mizrahi Initiative

There are no words that could possibly come close to explaining how my trip to Uzbekistan went. Coming from a Bukharian Jewish background, whose ancestors have lived in this region for over 2000 years, and being able to get a gist of what life was like for them was absolutely surreal. Amongst my immediate family members, I was the only one to be born outside of that region, thousands of miles away in New York City. I have only heard stories upon stories of what life was like for my family members before they moved to the United States in 1992. Finally, after nearly 30 years I was able to piece some of the puzzle pieces together by going on this heritage retreat. 

This trip was organized by an organization called SAMi (www.samiglobal.org), who serves as a central hub for Sephardic Jewish life on campuses and their local communities. The founder of SAMi is now my dear friend, Manashe Khaimov, who is very passionate about his Bukharian heritage and even an adjunct professor at CUNY Queens College specializing in Bukharian Jewish history and culture. He is the only person from the states that plans Bukharian Heritage Retreats for all those who have wanted to go back to Uzbekistan and visit, but just didn’t have the opportunity to do so in a group setting. In our group we had 20 people.

The trip was planned out into seven days with the goal of visiting the three major cities that Bukharians Jews have primarily lived in : Tashkent, Bukhara, and Samarkand. All meals that were provided were supervised under a mashgiach that was hired to ensure that the food was Kosher. I ended up staying an extra few days in hopes that I might have been able to see just a bit more through the lens of the locals living there. 

Day One

We flew out with a nonstop flight from New York(JFK) to Tashkent(TAS). I had to find my way to the airport since I now live in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Once I got to the airport, I met up with the other group members and was very glad to see that many of them were just as excited as I was. For some, like myself, it would have been their first time ever being in Uzbekistan. For others, it would have been their first time back after about 30 years had passed.  

When I got to the counter I had to present my passport as well as my E-Visa to enter Uzbekistan as a US citizen. Getting on the plane was such a thrill, because a good amount of the passengers happened to have been Bukharian Jews who were also heading there for either business or pleasure. It just happened to be that the Chief Bukharian Rabbi, Rabbi Babayev, was also on the same flight for a meeting in the Bukharian Cemetery in the city of Kokand. We even had enough men to gather a Minyan, the quorum required for Jewish communal worship that consists of ten male adults. The symbolism behind that alone was so powerful to me, I knew it was going to be the start of an amazing and action packed trip.

After 12 hours of nonstop flight, we finally arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. From the airport, the group gathered up to the tour bus that took us directly to our first stop, the Gabrielle International Hotel. Once we dropped off our luggage and settled in, we headed to Tashkent’s Bukharian Jewish Orthodox Sephardic Synagogue, only to find out it was closed for the day and there was no one else who could have opened its doors. 

So we continued on to the next synagogue, Tero, which was Tashkent’s only other current and active bukharian synagogue. The doors were graciously opened to us by Mr. Arkadiy Isakharov who is the chairman of the synagogue. Mr. Isakharov gave us a brief history of the synagogue and he opened up the arc that contained numerous Torah Scrolls royally sitting in the arc, awaiting to be read. There were scrolls in there that survived a fire as well as scrolls that were over 250 years old! He explained to us that this synagogue was formed because of the Jewish cemetery, called Textile, that was nearby. In Tashkent there are two cemeteries that were used to bury Bukharian Jews. One being Textile, and the other being Chigatai. 

After the synagogue we went off to tour a bit of the bazaars of Tashkent. The bazaar that we visited was called Chorsu Bazaar. Chorsu Bazaar is the traditional bazaar located in the center of the old town of Tashkent. “Chorsu” is a word from the Persian language, meaning “crossroads” or “four streams”. Chorsu Bazaar was very intriguing to visit, as there were many many people selling necessary foods and items needed to the local people, as well as gift souvenirs for the many tourists that visit daily. 

The group split up into smaller groups and everyone was free to travel and wander off on their own. We had a designated place and time to meet back up with the group again.

Day Two

We had the opportunity to go to where my relatives, whom I’ve never met, were buried. When we arrived at Chigatai Cemetery in the Old City district of Tashkent, I was astounded to see just how beautiful and tranquil the cemetery was. I was very impressed at how well preserved it was as well. (Thanks to the organization, The Tashkent Fund(fundtashkent.org), which is an organization focused on preserving the only 2 Bukharian Jewish cemeteries in Tashkent.) 

There was a man there that helped us find our relatives by using a book specifically designed to help locate graves using last names, first names, and which years they were alive. The cemetery has been operating since 1822.

Being able to visit them, after hearing stories from my parents, was truly a significant and meaningful experience for me. It symbolizes that, without knowing where we came from, and what our ancestors have gone through, we won’t appreciate where we are heading and how our legacies will continue. It was more so touching to visit the person I was named after. Lots of emotions and processing was done while visiting this cemetery. There are other Bukharian Jewish cemeteries located throughout Uzbekistan in cities such as; Kokand, Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, Ferghana, etc., but some of my family members were located in Chigatai Cemetery in Tashkent. 

After visiting the cemetery, we went off to tour a bit of the city of Tashkent. Our next stop was “Hasti Imom”. The world famous Quran of Caliph Uthman – Ottoman has been preserved here. An ancient manuscript, consisting of 353 parchment sheets of very large size with the original text of the Quran for centuries, was kept in the treasury of the Caliphs (consistently in the cities of Medina, Damascus and Baghdad). The architecture of the buildings surrounding us also was truly magnificent to set eyes on. 

Afterwards we went back to the hotel to have lunch. Then we had the opportunity to tour with the group elsewhere or go on our own touring of the city. I decided to go take a visit to the Tashkent Tower. It is currently the 12th tallest tower(not building, but tower)  in the world. There I had a nice cold beer with tasty pistachios to munch on with one of the members from the group. 

About 7km away was Tashkent City Park. Here I was lucky enough to experience the water fountain show displayed for all to see. The lively and fun music that matched the show of the fountains was unexpected. I had a lot of fun visiting Tashkent City Park, and to top it off I came across the “Love” statue that is originally from philadelphia. It was as if a piece of Philly was brought to Tashkent just for me. 

Day Three:

For the 3rd day of our trip, we had to be up bright and early to make it on time to catch the train from Tashkent and head over to the ancient city of Bukhara. The total ride was about 4 hours long, and the stops that we passed by were Samarkand, Navoiy, and lastly Bukhara. Upon arrival we dropped our luggage at the hotel, Garden Plaza, had lunch and quickly made our way to Sitorai Mohi-Hosa Palace. It was a countryside residence of Bukhara emirs. Built in 1911 for the last emir, Alim Khan, the three-building compound incorporates elements of both Russian and traditional Bukharan architecture. It can be noted that the 2 Russian Architectures of the Soviet Union were Jewish which might explain why there were numerous Stars of David throughout the palace. 

After visiting the palace, we went and made our way to the Bukharian Jewish Cemetery of Bukhara. Here, the notable Rabbi Yosef Maimon(1741-1822) is buried as well as other Holy Tzaddikim of the community. Rabbi Maimon was originally born in Morocco but had moved to the city of Safed(Tzfat) to build Jewish Schools known as Yeshivahs. Back then, to have enough money to support these Jewish schools, he had to travel to various other cities that had jewish communities to ask for donations. Among those cities, he came across 2 Jewish men that had mentioned there was a community of Jews in the city of Bukhara. After making the visit to Bukhara, he realized that he needed to help them strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the Jewish laws pertaining to keeping Kosher. He agreed to stay as long as he was able to establish a Yeshiva in Bukhara. Rabbi Maimon served the Bukharian Jews for thirty years, until he died in 1823, having completely transformed the destitute Jewish community.

It was very special to be able to pray by the graveside of a very holy Rabbi who had such an impact on the continuation of the Bukharian Jewish community. Other notable Rabbis of Bukhara were Rabbi Pinhas HaGadol Ben Soro and Rabbi Yaakov Ben Pinhas HaKohen. 

 Click Here For more detailed link of Rabbinic Succession in Bukhara 1790-1930

After visiting the Bukharian Jewish Cemetery of Bukhara, we went to see the Bukharian Jewish Synagogue. It was breathtaking to see such a synagogue continue to exist. The interior of the synagogue had gold menorahs and Stars of David designed on the walls, with red and gold color scheme on the furniture and floor. Here we managed to have a prayer service of 10 men as well. However, none of the group members knew how to lead the prayer services, so the chairman of the synagogue, Abraam Itshakov, led it for us, and did so in a very beautiful Bukharian styled voice. (See Video of Abraam Itshakov leading prayer services) It was an experience to remember. It was symbolic to be able to be there and almost live vicariously what it would have been like to be a part of that synagogue many years ago when thousands of Bukharian Jews still lived in the Jewish Quarter of Bukhara. 

The story of this synagogue is extremely unique. It was built in 1620 when new synagogues were forbidden to be built under the rule of the Khanate of Bukhara. There was a Jewish widow who rightfully owned a piece of land and refused to sell it to a Vizier, or high-ranking political advisor (who also happened to be the uncle of the Emir of the time). He even took the Jewish widow to court in hopes that the Emir could coerce her into selling that piece of land. The Emir ended up ordering a congress of Muftis to see if there was anything that could be done legally and even they ruled that in this particular case there was no legal way to acquire the property without the widow’s consent. So she came to him agreeing to sell the property so long as the Bukharan Emirate rulers gave her another piece of land with the permission to build a synagogue there. The vizier agreed to the terms and even gave up his own piece of land for the synagogue to be built, which later this area would end up being called the “Jewish Quarter” of Bukhara. 

Day Four:

Today we took our tour bus and headed to the city of Samarkand. When we arrived at the hotel, we were all pleasantly surprised by the amazing warm welcome of an ensemble of Karnay and Surnay(see video of it here), which is the real Samarkand way of greeting guests. This type of an ensemble may have been seen at the entrance or courtyard of the Emir of Bukhara. We truly felt the wonderful hospitality of Samarkand the moment we stepped off that bus! 

After having lunch, we made our way to the Bukharian Jewish cemetery of Samarkand. It was recently redesigned in 2019 by “Fund Samarkand (samarkandfund.org)” where about half a million dollars was raised for the restoration process of the cemetery. 

The cemetery’s origins as well as the Jewish Quarter of Samarkand is thanks to a few prominent people of the 1800’s. Moshe Kolontar, born in 1815, became appointed as a Kalontar, or the headman of the community, at the age of 22. In 1843, he purchased about 47 acres of land and the Jewish Quarter of Samarkand was established. It was divided into 12 parts to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. In 1878, he managed to lead and help establish the Bukharian Jewish cemetery of Samarkand. However, due to his sudden passing, his sons David and Raphoel were among the people who helped the cemetery reach its completion. 

Another family that was involved with the cemetery was the Boruhov family. Rabbi Zecharia Boruhov and his family served 116 years in total in preserving and maintaining the cemetery. When visiting the Bukharian Jewish Cemetery of Samarkand make sure to visit the tombs. 

At this cemetery there was a section for children buried here as well. It is a Jewish custom to try to ensure that headstones are clean and in good standing. I felt it was proper for me to take a bucket of water and a rag to keep some of the children’s headstones clear of dirt or dust. The feeling of fulfillment overwhelmed me to my core. It was a selfless act of kindness in which the favor could never be returned.  

We had a quick stop at the Amir Temur Mausoleum. Temur was also known as Tamerlane, and was known as a Turco-Mongol conqueror. It should be noted that during his reign as the Amir of the Timurid Empire (from 1370-1405), he brought some Jews from Kurdistan and Northern Syria, regions in which he had conquered, to Samarkand. He also welcomed Jews to boost trade and production in materials which were weaved and dyed.

Manashe had mentioned that he had a surprise waiting for us at the hotel during dinner. He decided to invite a national artist of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to put on a show. Concert artist Mardon Mavlyanov absolutely shredded the electric guitar and you could see the passion behind his skills. For dinner we had shish kabobs and other authentic Uzbek cuisine. Manashe had really outdone himself. The food, the drinks, the show, was something I think the whole group would remember for life. 

Day Five:

We visited the Samarkand Jewish Mahalya (Quarter) on Friday. In that mahalya we visited the Bukharian Jewish synagogue of Samarkand, called Gumbaz (which means “Dome” in Persian). It was interesting to see how some of the group members were reminiscing about their childhood in that synagogue. Manashe himself would say that he remembers riding his bike here and how for the high holidays, it would be packed full of people. Construction of this synagogue began in 1885 and was completed in 1891 thanks to Rabbi Raphael ben Moshe Nosi Kalontar (Son of Moshe Kalontar), in memory of his late wife Sporo. During the second world war, Jews of the European part of USSR, found a safe haven here since they were evacuated to Samarkand. The synagogue had beautiful wooden doors upon entry, a large white menorah standing, photos of many Rabbis, as well as 2 huge blue stars of David on the ceiling. Once you actually enter the synagogue you will see the magnificent blue dome and architecture. See attached video of Gumbaz Synagogue that I took. 

After the wonderful experience of the Gumbaz Synagogue, we headed over to a factory where hand made carpets were made! Each carpet took many months to complete, and could cost over a few thousand dollars. It was interesting for me to see how people still collected such carpets. I personally did not think it would have matched the design of a modern styled American home. 

Lastly, before shabbat entered, we had a choice of getting a tour of the Registan Square or continuing into the nearby bazaar to purchase personal items or souvenirs. I had many family members who asked me to bring back an ancient central asian delicacy called Kurut. It’s essentially dried up cheese balls that have a long shelf life. The long shelf life made it a useful item for peasants during the winter months, as well as soldiers and travelers. I had to travel deep into the bazaar to find a high quality and delicious variety of Kurut. 

As the sun was beginning to set, we made our way back to the hotel and we greeted the sabbath with songs and delicious food. We all enjoyed the time to decompress and process the very impactful trip that we’ve just experienced. 

Day Six:

Shabbat in Samarkand was amazing. We walked over to the other functioning synagogue, Ohr Avner, in Samarkand which was about 30 mins of a walk from the hotel. This synagogue was originally built by a great-grandson of Rabbi Yosef Maimon, Yosef ben abo Mamon Alishaev, in the late 1800’s. In 1995 the building was purchased by Lev Leviev, and since then was renamed Ohr Avner, in memory of his father.

Since on Shabbat we can not carry, we had to put on our Tallit/ Prayer Shawls before we left the hotel. We walked the city of Samarkand as a group and you best believe we have gotten many eyes looking at us in amazement, wondering who we were and where we were going. When we got to the synagogue we noticed there were local Jews waiting for our arrival! We’ve encountered an interesting situation where none of the members knew how to read and sing from the torah. We asked one of our group members who was from Israel to do the best that he could do. We slowly managed to get by, as a few of us were lucky enough to receive an aliyah. As we finished up the prayers, we invited a few of the members to come join us at the hotel, for a meal.

Spending Shabbat in Samarkand was one I will always remember and forever cherish.

After Shabbat was over, the group got packed and ready to get on the tour bus back to Tashkent. There they would fly back home to JFK airport. I was one of the few who stayed the night in Samarkand and would order a taxi to Tashkent the following morning.

Days 7-10

Getting out of Samarkand was almost impossible due to the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit of 2022. This year it was being held in Samarkand for Presidents and Prime ministers of countries such as China, India, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Luckily my driver knew what he was doing and found the only route out of the city of Samarkand.

I’ve learned a few things while in Tashkent for a few extra days. The people of Uzbekistan are truly fascinating people. Many are in universities studying a vast variety of various degrees. Many of whom I met spoke multiple languages. Students are also learning Korean to be the bridge between the two countries, since South Korea has a very strong economy. To the Uzbek people, English and Russian languages were very essential and important languages to know. 

The main questions that I had gotten as a tourist were; 

Where are you from? How do you know Russian so well? And what is your nationality? I’d typically answer that I was born in the states, my parents are from Tashkent(which is why I knew Russian), and my nationality was Jewish. To many parts of the world, including the former soviet union, and even present day Uzbekistan, they view Jews as a nation of people on top of being a religion as well. I was very proud to say I was Jewish, and many were interested and fascinated to hear more about my background. Some people that I have met even brought up stories of how they grew up in the Jewish Quarter and fondly remember the Bukharian Jews that once lived there. Some were even upset that many had left in the 90’s to Israel or the United States. I told many of them that in Philadelphia we have a thriving community of Uzbeks and Tajiks(as well as many other central asian communities)  that are business owners and many of the young generation are currently studying in universities. They were very pleased and almost shocked that these communities exist. I made friends in Uzbekistan that I will probably continue to stay in touch with for years to come.

HUGE shoutout to Manashe Khaimov, as well as SAMi, for making this trip of a lifetime happen.