15.05.2026

On April 12, Jewish Book Day took place at the St. Petersburg Synagogue.

This annual educational event is open to the general public.

Over the course of several hours, hundreds of St. Petersburg residents visited the Synagogue. They came to expand their home libraries with new Jewish books at affordable prices and to attend a series of engaging lectures.

Throughout the day, guests could visit the book fair. The flagship participant was “Knizhniki,” Russia’s leading Jewish publishing house. As in previous years, they brought Russian translations of classic Jewish texts, children’s books, fiction, dictionaries and reference books, academic literature, albums, and more.

The event also featured the publishing house of the St. Petersburg Jewish Community Center, the Synagogue’s “Kosher” store, other local publishers, and Judaica artisans and craftspeople.

The lecture program was extensive and diverse.

Arkady Masenzhnik read his short stories, full of Jewish humor and sorrow. Many audience members left in tears.

Rabbi Shalom Pewzner, head of the Synagogue’s Beit Midrash center, spoke about the institution of the rabbinate and how it has evolved throughout history.

Dr. Valery Dymshits and Yoel Matveyev presented their poetry collection “I Am Returning,” a volume of translations from Yiddish. They also convinced the audience that Yiddish remains a living, vibrant language today.

Leonid Gutzait not only hosted the entire event, but also delivered a fascinating lecture on the history of the Synagogue through the lens of archival documents.

Boruch Gorin, editor-in-chief of “Knizhniki,” spoke about the nearly 30-year history of the publishing house — its milestones, remarkable people, challenges, and achievements.

An important highlight of the day was the presentation of Natan Ginzberg’s book “A Mother’s Prayer.” The book signing was led by the author’s grandson and the initiator of the publication, Rabbi Shaul Brook.