Bukharian, also known as Judeo-Tajik, is a Persian language spoken by Bukharian Jews. Bukharian was spoken in many Jewish schools until they were closed by the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Around the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 20th century, Bukharian Jews immigrated out of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Nowadays, there are roughly 220,000 Bukharian Jews around the world, mostly in the United States and Israel. It is estimated that 40% of this population, roughly 50,000 people, can speak Bukharian.
Manashe Khaimov is the President and CEO of SAMi, a non-profit dedicated to the development of leadership in under-served Jewish communities on college campuses in North America. Through this work he developed AskBobo.org, a Bukharian language dictionary platform with over 2000 words and surnames. Manashe plans to expand AskBobo by 3000 words during the course of this cohort year, and hopes to also set up an online course for families to learn the language.
Manashe's background
Manashe Khaimov is the President and CEO of SAMi, a non-profit which focuses on the Leadership Development of under-served Jewish communities on college campuses in North America. Manashe is a fourth-generation community organizer, serial entrepreneur, and social innovator who builds and consults organizations on Jewish diversity. He is an Adjunct Professor in Jewish Studies, with a specialty in the History and Culture of the Central Asian Jews at Queens College. In 2022 Manashe was named “Person of the Year 2020-2021” by Bukharian Jewish Congress of USA and Canada and Ladies World Magazine for outstanding vision and commitment to the Jewish people.
Manashe’s idea of creating the website AskBobo represents his commitment to preserve Bukharian Jewish culture, heritage, and language for many years to come. Manashe Khaimov has collaborated with Bukharian Jewish educators, scholars, and historians to allow the community to access Bukharian language at their fingertips. The AskBobo website is available to everyone who is willing to learn.