Today marks two years since the soul of Aleksandr Abramovich (Aleksandr ben Bella) Fridkis left this world. He served for many years as the head of the Jewish religious community of Dnipro and as the gabbai of the “Golden Rose” synagogue. He was one of the pioneers of the Jewish revival in our city.
Aleksandr Abramovich dedicated his life to reviving Jewish life in Dnipro. As one of the most active community leaders, he worked for many years as a highly qualified surgeon. During Soviet times, despite constant pressure and threats from the authorities, he bravely supported Jewish life in the city, attending the synagogue on Kotsyubynskoho Street at the risk of his career.
Our website is honored to share with readers an archived episode of the Jewish television program “Alef” from 2019. In this interview, Aleksandr Fridkis speaks with host and author Oleg Rostovtsev about the challenges of providing matzah to the Jewish population for Passover during the late Soviet period (1960s–1980s) and what life was like for the community before the fall of the Soviet Union.
We also invite you to watch a special video prepared by the Jewish Community of Dnipro on the occasion of the completion and ceremonial dedication of a Torah Scroll written in honor of Aleksandr Abramovich Fridkis. This scroll was donated by the Jewish Community of Dnipro and presented to the city of Petah Tikva in Israel. Our website covered this story here
