ABSTRACT
This chapter presents all basic political, economic, and demographic data on a territorial unit of the Russian Federation, Jewish Autonomous Oblast. In 1928, the Soviet government established a Jewish administrative unit on the sparsely populated territory north of the Amur, with a center in Birobidzhan. The idea of creating a Jewish homeland attracted international attention, and foundations around the world, particularly in the United States, raised money for the settlements to buy tools, seed, and other supplies. The region’s Jewish population is experiencing a steady decline, and at present, Jews comprise less than 4 percent of the population. The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is simultaneously subordinate to Khabarovsk Krai and an equal subject of the Russian Federation. The border demarcation agreement signed in late 1997 provided for the transfer of several Amur River islands from the Jewish Autonomous Oblast to China.
