Chabad translating Jewish texts into Russian

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia announced a five-year project to translate 50 Jewish religious texts into Russian.

According to federation spokesman Baruch Gorin, the project, called The Library of Jewish Texts, is aimed at Russian-speaking Jews worldwide and non-Jewish Russian speakers interested in getting acquainted with Judaism.

"It is the largest-ever project for the publication of academically accomplished Russian translations of the fundamental book of Judaism," Gorin told the Interfax news agency.

The first title in the series will be "The Lamentations of the Ninth of Av: The Temple We Have Lost." Accompanied by an article explaining the history of the First and Second Temples, the federation, a Chabad umbrella organization, plans to print 10,000 copies.