Yakov Bar Shimon: A Leader of the Caucasian Jewish Community

Although it might not seem this way to the objective observer and, the Jewish community is incredibly diverse. Some of the most dedicated and devoted members of the community are from the Mountain region of the Caucasus Region. There is so much rich history that is simply not known has not been documented about this specific community. But Yakov Bar Shimon, a dedicated community activist has produced a documentary that sheds some very important light on this important part of the worldwide Jewish community.

In addition to being a proud member of this community, Bar Shimon is a community activist who members of the community routinely turn to for assistance with a wide array of matters, including assistance with politically related matters in Israel. Bar Shimon has been using contemporary tools like video, Youtube and social media platforms to share with the international community the absolute beauty of this community.

A documentary that Bar Shimon produced about the community can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm9clterL9g&t=1450s

But beyond this single documentary, Bar Shimon has continued seeking to shed an important light on this relatively unknown Mountain Jewish worldwide community with follow-up productions. These have included a video production about the Mountain Jewish Community in Tel Aviv Israel. The video helps viewers better understand this community and how devoted to Jewish tradition its members are.

Bar Shimon has also taken to composing music to help bring members of the Jewish community closer to their traditions. He has composed countless songs using Jewish texts that have received great acclaim from those in Israel and beyond. Among these compositions is his beautiful song Birkat Kohanim which he subsequently did a Russian rendition of.

Community activists like Bar Shimon are integral to both the survival and growth of Jewish life worldwide. For that reason, it’s our unique pleasure and privilege to profile Yakov Bar Shimon. He is a modest and unassuming man who has escaped the spotlight; and does not share his goodness and acts of kindness with the broader public at large. Instead, he seeks to operate under the radar and let his acts of goodness do the talking.

If there were more individuals like Yakov Bar Shimon in this world, we can confidently say that the world would be a much better place. God bless you, Yakov. Thank you for all that you do.

Yakov Bar Shimon overlooking the beauty of Jerusalem