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Sociological surveys from a biblical point of view In the last few days the topic of sociological surveys again came to people's attention in Bulgaria. Having that in mind, we have decided to talk about this topic from a biblical point of view. One of God's commandments given to us in the Holy Scriptures is "and you shall not lie" (Leviticus 19:11). In Ancient Hebrew the commandment is "ולא-תכחשו" ( ve-lo th'kakhashu ), with the word th'kahashu (derived from the root k-kh-sh) referring to every kind of manipulation, fraud, false testament, and, in general, to any non-truth which leads to harm unto another person. Manipulated results of a sociological (or of any other field) "survey" (or, what is presented as such) can be considered a "lie" in the biblical sense when taking the things mentioned above in consideration. With other words, publishing and distributing false sociological "surveys" is against the Commandments.

Notes on the Jewish History of Niederbreisig In the past Niederbreisig was an independent village in what is now the German province of Rhineland-Pfalz, located along the Rhine's shores on the way between the cities of Bonn and Koblenz (Coblenz). Nowadays, it is a neighbourhood of the town of Bad Breisig, alongside Oberbreisig and Rheineck. Yet, this locality used to host its own Jewish community and a number of small pieces of information about it are still available to us today. Here we will present some of them: We know that there where Jewish inhabitants of Niederbreisig as early as the fourteenth century, as in the year 1347 there was a Jewish family documented to be living there. There are records of pogroms against the local Jews in the sixteenth century and of people paying the "Judengeldt" (Jewish tax). In 1854 there were 22 Jews living in Niederbreisig. We also know that the Niederbreisig community was closely connected with the neighbouring communities in Ob...

How did Kaifeng become the Center of Chinese Jewry? Many people don't know it, but the city of Kaifeng is home to one of the biggest and most historically important Jewish communities on the territory of China. But, how did the Jews get to China and when? Here we will answer these exact questions. When did Jews establish themselves in China? No one knows for sure at what point did the first Jews reached China. Yet, it is known that the migration of Jews to China took place in the Middle Ages when Jewish traders regularly travelled throughout the Silk road, establishing themselves all across it, from Europe, through Persia, Central Asia, and at its end - China. Siddur from the Kaifeng region. Jewish people have already been living in what is now Central and Northwestern China during the Mongols conquest. This is known for sure, as Jews are mentioned in Mongol sources from the period. In the sources in question the Mongols describe the Jews within their domain as Hui , confusing ...

Who was Mizraim, the Egyptians' Mysterious Ancestor In the Book of Genesis we read that Mizraim is a son of Ham and a grandson of Noah. He was also a brother to Chush, Put, and Canaan. (Genesis 10:6) Mizraim is the distant progenitor of the Egyptian people through his offspring. He was also the progenitor of other peoples, but here we will focus on the Egyptian line. In fact, Mizraim or Mitzraim (מצרים) is the Hebrew name of the land of Egypt. The name contains the Hebrew dual tense ending, which is likely a reference to the later division of Egypt into two states - Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt - which took place after Mizraim's lifetime. Thus, we can say that Mizraim's name was one of those names which serve as omens (while, in this case, it can be better described as a part of a reasonable patern) of what is about to happen to a person and their house. We can see a probable relation to Ham's curse which also extended to Mizraim as Ham's son. We know that Ham...

Who is a Chacham? The word Chacham or Haham (חכם) is simply the Hebrew word for wise man . It is used to describe wise men, no matter if they are Jewish or not. Historically, some Sephardic Jews used it as a kind of a title, similarly to how some other peoples use titles like "the wise." The word is etymologically related to the word Hohma .

Belomancy (Divination by Arrows) - A Biblical Perspective Relying on different types of divination and other superstitions when making important decisions is a very well documented phenomenon throughout history. Monarchs are not an exception from that, and many have made terrible decisions when doing so. While we know that God, our Lord, forbade the practice of divination and fortune telling, it, sadly, has ot stopped rulers of different states from 'employing' it. Relief depicting Nebucgadnezzer II with a bow and arrow. This was also the case in the Ancient Middle East in the times of the Tanakh/Old Testament. The Biblical text tells us how the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar made an incredibly important decision. In Ezekiel 21 we read the following: "For the king of Babylon standeth at the parting of the way, by the heads of the two ways, to use divination; he shaketh the arrows to and fro, he inquireth of the teraphim, he looketh in the liver." (Ezekiel 21:21) This...

About us Welcome to our new English website! Hohma Center Regional (HCR) is the biggest Noahide-Jewish organization in Bulgaria and one of the biggest in Europe. Our members number over 7,000 in Bulgaria and over 80,000 across Europe. Our organization's goal is to promote religious unity between the different peoples in God's Word, faith in the Lord, and in the keeping of God's Commandments.

The Early History of the Jewish Community of St. Goar Jews are known to have lived in the German town of Sankt Goar (ot St. Goar) as early as the Middle Ages. In 1383 there was at least one single Jew living there. He is known to have had probably moved to St. Goar from Düren. He was known to have been a moneylender by profession. In the fifteenth century, too, the town was documented to have had Jewish inhabitants. In 1410, count Johann IV von Katzenelnbogen collected special annual taxes from the local Jews. In 1419, the same count Johan IV forced a local Jewish moneylender and his wife, by the means of imprisonment and false convictions, to renounce all their claims to the local Christians' debts. One of the most famous Sankt-Goar-ian Jews was Salman von Sankt Goar, who was a disciple of the highly esteemed rabbi Maharil (born 1375 in Mainz, died 1427 in Worms). In the sixteenth century, a single Jewish resident is mentioned in Sankt Goar in the year 1544. Location of St. G...

Who was Rafael Moshe Kamhi? Rafael Moshe Kamhi, also known as the Voevode Skenderbeg, was a Bulgarian-Jewish revolutionary and a member of VMRO (IMRO). Rafael Kamhi was born on the 15 December 1870 in the city of Bitola (then in the Ottoman Empire, now in North Macedonia). He graduated the local Jewish school. In 1894 he met with Dame Gruev and shortly after that became a member of VMRO. It is known that Kamhi added hidden rooms and basement to his house where he hid other members of VMRO together with the organization’s archives and money. Among the revolutionaries who hid in  Rafael Kamhi’s home were Gy orche Petrov, Gotse Delchev, Pere Toshev, Hristo Matov, and Boris Sarafov. Mr. Kamhi have also participated in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising against the Ottoman rule in his native region. Photo of Rafael Kamhi taken in the 1960s in Tel Aviv.

The Jews who fought in the Serbo-Bulgarian War During the Serbo-Bulgarian war on the Slivnitsa frontier, and later on the Pirot frontier, a volunteer squat made up mainly of Bulgarian Jews from Ruse and Varna fought on the Bulgarian side, heroically fighting for their homeland. The Jews from Sofia, Kyustendil, and Dupnitsa also created a second volunteer squat which fought in the same war. The names of the Ruse Jews in the above-mentioned volunteer squat are: Aaron Itzchak Papo, Mordecai Moshe Aftalion, Moshe Simantov Aftalion, Meir Mordecai Levi, Daniel Shimon Goldenberg, Nisim Shelomo Gadol, Pinchas Avraam ben Ezra, Shelomo Avraam ben Ezra, Ezra Avraam ben Ezra, Shemuel ben Eliyah, Sason Binyamin Tzalmona, Shemuel Imanuel Farchi, Avraam Rafael Farchi, Simantov Avraam Farchi, Avraam Shabetai Melamed, Yosef Nisim Mashiach, Shimon Mordecai Nahmiyas, David Yehuda Levi, Nisim Avraam Asher Eshkenazi, Aaron Itzchak Lidji, Yehuda Yona Makus, Yehuda Nisim ben Yehuda, ...

What is Chumash? Have you wondered what exactly is the Chumash? Chumash (חומש) is a Hebrew term used for issues of the Tanakh (the Old Testament) which are in the format of an usual book. A volume of a Chumash. History The distinction between Chumash and usual Tanakh exists because traditionally the Tanakh has been written on scrolls with an individual scroll for each of the Tanakh's books. The publishing of the Sacred texts in the codex format (or the usual book format we are all familiar with) came in mass usage in the Middle Ages when the use of scrolls for the Books of the Tanakh was already a centuries-old practice. In Daily Life Up to modern times Jewish people use scrolls of the Tanakh's Books in religious ceremonies, while the Chumash is used for usual reading the same way as Christians' Bible copies. Actually, up to certain extend, the Christian issues of the Old Testament (when as a single book) are also a kind of a Chumash, as long as they are not modified...

The Old Synagogue of Sankt Goar Sankt Goar (or St. Goar) is a small town in the western part of Germany, located in the province of Rhineland-Pfalz few kilometers southeast from the city of Koblenz Location of St. Goar on the map of Germany. In the past Sankt Goar was home to a small Jewish community whose synagogue used to be located in the eastern half of the town on one of the main streets. The last synagogue of the town has been destroyed during the Second World War with only the foundations' corner stones remaining. After the end of the war a new building was erected on the place of the former synagogue. Despite of the newer construction, the original corner stones (which can be seen on the photo right below, which was made by one of our members) are still preserved. The preserved corner stones of the old synagogue.

What is Hohma? Have you wondered what does the word Hohma actually mean? Hohma, also spelled as Chomchma, Khokhma, Chokma, and in many other ways (all of which derived from the original form from Leshon Hakoydesh/Biblical Hebrew: חכמה) is simply the Hebrew word for Wisdom . The word is etymologically related to the word Haham (or Chacham) which means wise man .

The Andernach Synagogue memorial got destroyed? Some of our German members informed us of a terrible act which took place in the small town of Andernach. The memorial of the local synagogue has been demolished and the space surrounding it repurposed into a "private" fenced lot. The memorial in question was erected after the end of the Second World War in order to commemorate the local Holocaust victims and their demolished synagogue. Sadly, some people do not respect history and memory and do such terrible acts. As far as we have been informed, they have submitted a signal regarding this to the local authorities.

Our members restore a public bookshelf in Veliko Tarnovo Six of our dear members recently restored a vandalized public bookshelf in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. In the end of December 2025 the only public bookshelf in Veliko Tarnovo was found broken and vandalized by unknown individual/s. Photo of the restored public bookshelf. Shortly after this sad discovery six members of Hohma Center Regional undertook the restoration of the bookshelf in question, which was finished in January this year (you can see the restored bookshelf in the photo above). (This post was originally published on our old website in February 2026. It has been reposted here because our old website got hacked.)

Hello! Hello everyone! This is the brand new official website of Hohma Center Regional in the English language. Sadly, our previous website got hacked and we don't have access to it anymore. Due to this unfortunate situation, we decided to create this new website where our content is going to be posted from now on. Our old site's content will be reposted here in order to have our content in one place.