ROSHNOI CLUB
Following the 11th Roshnoi Conference held in New York on May 24–25, 2026, Shlomo Ustoniyazov reflects on the enduring mission of the Roshnoi Intellectual Club and the responsibility of younger generations to preserve and advance the cultural, intellectual, and historical legacy of Bukharian Jewry.
There are moments in the life of every people when it becomes especially important to preserve the memory of the path already traveled, reflect upon the present, and pass on a spiritual and cultural legacy to future generations. In this noble endeavor, it is difficult to overstate the role of journalism—one of society’s greatest institutions, called upon to serve truth, enlightenment, and historical memory.
I would like to acknowledge the work of our journalists who chronicle contemporary events, historical developments, and many other subjects that educate and enrich our community. Among them are Rafael Nektalov and the team of The Bukharian Times; Zoya Maksumova and the staff of Ladies’ World; Naum Kaziev and the team behind Friendship magazine, published by Congregation Or Natan in the United States; Leonid Elizarov and the staff of Menorah newspaper; and Dr. Avraam Pinkhasov and the editorial team of Marvorit magazine in Israel.
In many countries across five continents where our compatriots live, local publications serve their communities. We should not forget that our journalists have long built bridges of friendship and cultural exchange with the peoples of Central Asia, among whom we lived side by side for centuries.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Ben Isakov, People’s Artist of Turkmenistan, for his work as a director, and to the young cinematographer Roman Kaikov for creating hundreds of films about remarkable individuals, families, and community life. Their work represents a living archive and an enduring memory of our generation.
The renowned American publisher Joseph Pulitzer once wrote: “Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together.”
These words contain a profound truth: the quality of public life is inseparable from the quality of the words addressed to society. Genuine journalism is never limited to the transmission of information. It preserves human stories, records the defining events of an era, and helps communities remember their roots and understand their purpose. Journalists, historians, and public intellectuals become the chroniclers of their time.
For Bukharian Jews, this mission carries special significance. For centuries, despite immense challenges, our people preserved their unique identity, religious traditions, language, culture, and spiritual values. Yet memory cannot survive without those who collect documents, record testimonies, publish books and scholarly works, create archives, and pass knowledge on to future generations.
Among those individuals, Dr. Robert Pinkhasov and those who share his vision occupy a special place. An extraordinary community leader, physician, scholar, educator, and researcher of Bukharian Jewish history, he and his colleagues exemplify selfless service to their people.
In 1991, during the mass emigration of Bukharian Jews to the United States, Dr. Robert Pinkhasov initiated the creation of the intellectual club Roshnoi, whose name means “Light” in Tajik. The name proved remarkably fitting and symbolic. From the outset, the club’s mission was to spread knowledge, preserve historical memory, and unite the intellectual resources of the Bukharian Jewish community.
Over more than three decades, Roshnoi has become one of the most important educational and scholarly institutions of Bukharian Jewry. Scholars, physicians, educators, writers, journalists, cultural figures, and community activists have gathered around it. Through its efforts, international conferences on the history and culture of Bukharian Jews have been organized, major research projects completed, and hundreds of books, encyclopedias, and reference works published.
Particularly inspiring is the fact that today, on the threshold of his 90th year, Dr. Robert Abramovich Pinkhasov continues to work actively, publish research, participate in community life, and inspire new generations through his example. His name rightfully belongs among those who not only studied the history of their people but became part of that history themselves.
The Jewish thinker Ahad Ha’am once wrote: “More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews.” Paraphrasing this wisdom, one might say: more than books preserve a people’s memory, memory itself preserves a people.
Today, enormous opportunities stand before the younger generation of Bukharian Jews. Modern technology allows us to create digital archives, record the memories of our elders, publish articles, produce podcasts and documentaries, conduct research, and connect communities across the world.
DEAR BUKHARIAN JEWISH YOUTH,
A noble task lies before you: to take up the torch and continue the work of those who spent decades building the intellectual foundation of our community.
Study the history of your people. Preserve family archives. Learn from the older generation. Value the professions of journalism, history, scholarship, and literature. Do not allow the priceless pages of our collective memory to disappear.
Every recorded testimony of a veteran, every published article, and every preserved photograph becomes another brick in the great edifice of our people’s historical memory.
May the example of Dr. Robert Pinkhasov—whose dedication to high ideals has been unwavering—and the work of his colleagues in the Roshnoi Intellectual Club inspire you to serve knowledge, culture, and society. May the light ignited more than thirty years ago by devoted advocates of education continue to illuminate the path of future generations of Bukharian Jews.
VICTOR HUGO ONCE SAID: “THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO CARRY THE LIGHT.”
Roshnoi has truly lived up to its name. It has become a beacon of knowledge, culture, and historical memory for thousands of people across many countries.
And today, that light must continue to shine—and never be extinguished.
This was translated
from Russian to English.
By Shlomo Ustoniyazov President of the Vienna Jewish community Yahad