The Jews Mongolian connection through history until today
Mongolia, The land of unending beauty and clear blue sky is located in east-central Asia and landlocked between Russia (Siberia) on the north and China on the south.
Mongolia is home to only a handful of Jews not all are Israeli's. The History of Jews in Mongolia know from the end of the 19th century, most of them came from the Siberia area, Siberian-Jewish merchants and Mongolians resulted in a few Jewish families settling on the border between Mongolia and Siberia.
At 1920, a small Jewish community been founded in a place called Outer Mongolia, made up of businessmen with their families, Russian political prisoners, and Russian Jews fleeing persecution and civil war from Russia.
This community was wiped out in 1921, by Russian Anti-Bolshevik forces retreating into Mongolia.
In 1925-6, a Russian-Jewish journalist came across a community of 50 newly settled families in a remote region of Outer Mongolia approximately 200 miles from the Manchurian border, in Ulaanbaatar (formerly Urga), the capital of the Mongolian People's Republic (at that time).
In 1926, the community of 600 Russian Jews who left Outer Mongolia due to increased Soviet influence fled and moved to Manchuria.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a number of the remains of the Jewish Mongols left the country in search of better economic opportunities. Some moved to Israel due to its visa-free agreement with Mongolia.
At the late 90's a few handfuls of Jews came to Mongolia, as a businessman looking for opportunities, some made a large business some helped with political issues.
Today there is a small community of Jews in Ulaanbaatar the capital of Mongolia ( less than 20), most of them are businessmen that came from Israel, Europe, and the US. There is no Synagogue in Mongolia and no community social life. The closest Jewish community with a Rabbi is the Siberian city of Irkutsk, whose Rabbi tries to maintain close contact and provide support for the neighboring Mongolian Jewish community, and the Jewish community Rabbi from Beijing, China.
Hundreds of Israeli tourists are visiting Mongolia each year on summer, or on the freezing winter and enjoys Nature and culture tours, photographic tours and extreme tours.
Sources:
The Chamber of Commerce, Culture and Education Israel-Mongolia (CCCCIM.org );
Federation of Jewish Communities in the (CIS);
Mongolia Tour Agency (MTA.psicon.org)
