Over the past 15 years many Russian Jews have settled in Berlin including Sephardim from Uzbekistan and the Caucusus. Because of their secular upbringing in Soviet Russia, they have had little or no exposure to Judaism and religious training. A spiritual leader was urgently needed to fill this void. The SSC sent a 1999 graduate, Rabbi Reuben Yaakobov, to educate the Jewish masses to enhance their Jewish knowledge.
Rabbi Yaakobov, a native of Uzbekistan, has opened a new synagogue, Tiferet Yisrael, to accommodate the customs of these newly arrived Jews. Being an expert in ritual slaughtering (shochet) he has developed a Kashrut operation under his supervision and under the supervision of the renowned Rabbi Yaakov Perez from the SSC. Rabbi Yaakobov succeeded in strengthening Jewish life not only by making kosher meat available but perhaps more importantly by organizing classes for all ages and showing his love of Judaism by having extravagant holiday celebrations.