History of the Jews in Belarus
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Belarus
|
12,926 (2009)-70,000 (2014) |
 Israel
|
78,859 Belarusian immigrants to Israel (in the years 1989-2013) |
| Languages | |
| Hebrew, Russian, Belarusian, and Yiddish | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism, Atheism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Russian Jews, Ukrainian Jews, Lithuanian Jews, Polish Jews | |
The Jews in Belarus were the third largest ethnic group in the country in the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, Jews were the third among the ethnic groups in Belarus and comprised more than 40% of the population in cities and towns. The population of cities such as Minsk, Pinsk, Mahiliou, Babrujsk, Viciebsk, and Homiel was more than 50% Jewish. In 1897 there were 724,548 Jews in Belarus, or 13.6% of the total population. Some 800,000 Jews—90% of the Jewish population—were killed in Belarus during the Holocaust. According to the 2009 census, there were 12,926 Jews in Belarus (0.1% of the population). The Jewish Agency estimates the community of Jews in Belarus at 20,000. most of the jews who live in belarus since post World War II are newly immigrated jews from the Soviet Union
Marc Chagall, Mendele Mocher Sforim, Chaim Weizmann were born in Belarus.
Throughout several centuries the lands of modern Belarus and the Republic of Lithuania were both parts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Therefore, the history of Belarusian Jews is closely related to the history of Jews in Lithuania.
As early as the 8th century Jews lived in parts of the lands of modern Belarus. Beginning with that period they conducted the trade between Ruthenia, Lithuania, and the Baltic, especially with Danzig, Julin (Vineta or Wollin, in Pomerania), and other cities on the Vistula, Oder, and Elbe.
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