On the Web - Bringing Judaism to Desktops Across the FSU

The Institute maintains an interactive Russian language website (http://www.judaicaru.org) that brings all sorts of Jewish knowledge to Internet users across the FSU. The website features information on the Jewish calendar, Israel, Jewish history, and Jewish law, as well as activities for parents, children, teachers, and students. It also provides up-to-date information on the activities of the Institute.

Receiving as many as 30,000 hits per month, Judaicaru.org, the most comprehensive Russian-language Jewish site on the Web, allows the Institute to reach thousands of Russian speakers around the world and serves as another medium through which they can learn more about their Jewish heritage.

In 2007, the Institute launched another online venture ? as part of its Melamedia initiative ? called Maayan (www.maayan.org.il).  For this new Educational Resource Center, the Institute's staff prepares curricula and texts that are especially relevant to a Russian-speaking audience. The new materials complement the existing content available on Judaicaru.org, both for teaching and recreational purposes. While the Resource Center is located in the Steinsaltz Center in Moscow, the Maayan website serves as a lifeline to online users near and far, enabling them to look up what they need and order it by mail.