ZHAMBYLSKAYA OBLAST

Jewish organizations in Taraz City "Hesed Taraz" Director Jewish City Community Center Director Elena Dmitriyeva Jewish Cultural Center Chairman Lyudmila Kornilina Sokhnut Coordinator Irina Pak Jewish Sunday School Director Roza Golubeva

  The administrative center is Taraz City.

The territory of the oblast is 144.2 thousand square kilometers; the population is less than 1 million people. The administrative center is Taraz City - a big railway junction.

  Taraz City (before 1936 it named Auliye-Ata, between 1936-38 it was Mirzoyan, before 1998 - Dzhambul) is the center of Zhambylskaya Oblast on the bank of Talas River. The city has been known since 5th century as Taraz City (Talas). The mausoleum of Karakhan was built in 11th century and was reconstructed in 20th century. During Soviet times it named after Kazakh poet and singer Dzhambul Dzhabayev. According to the last survey for 2000 there are 330 thousand people live there.

  Taraz is the industrial center: the chemical, engineering building material industries are well developed. There is a hydroelectric power station there, 3 Universities, museum of local lore, economy and history and two theatres.

  Since 1999 American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC, "Joint") cooperates with Taraz Jewish national organizations. Welfare Center "Hesed" sponsored by "Joint" started working here in 2001.