Chabad in Russia Leads Dialogue With Jail Authority

From FJC.ru:

The Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia and the country’s Federal Penitentiary Service signed an agreement that provides for a closer working relationship between the two organizations. The agreement will enable FJCR in providing more services for Jewish inmates in prisons across the country.

“If a person, who has made a mistake, is ready to change and grow, that means he is on a right path. Helping people in such dire situations is one of our main objectives. Having Jewish services, such as a synagogue or a rabbi, in correctional facilities helps Jewish inmates find the path to change,” said FJCR in a press-release issued after the agreement.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS has championed a constructive dialogue with regional penitentiary services across several FSU countries, including Russia and Ukraine for the last 16 years. Over these years FJC has succeeded in opening ten synagogues in Russia’s correctional facilities and several more in Ukraine. Rabbis working in jails have the right to visit Jewish inmates at least once a week and conduct educational and religious activities.

Two more Jewish prayer rooms are planned to be opened until the end of 2017 in Mordovia and the Ryazan region of Russia.