The Mountain Jews of Russian Federation

The Mountain Jews of Russian Federation, numbering approximately 11,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a distinct Jewish ethnocultural group indigenous to the eastern Caucasus region, especially Dagestan and Azerbaijan. They mostly adhere to Judaism and Judeo-Tat is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Mountain Jew

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Jewish Peoples
Country: Russian Federation
People Cluster: Jews
Primary Language(s): Judeo-Tat (jdt)
Primary Religion(s): Judaism
Population: 11,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG000906
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Mountain Jews of Russian Federation

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Judaism
Religious Affiliation: Judaism

95%
%
Judaism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Judeo-Tat
Language Family: Indo-European

83%
%
Judeo-Tat Speakers

Media Resources in Judeo-Tat:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Judeo-Tat:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Judeo-Tat bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Mountain Jews are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Mountain Jews:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Mountain Jews of Russian Federation

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
readPsalm 32:5

Pray those who are lost will realize their sin, confess their iniquity, and grow in their understanding of salvation through faith in Christ alone.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
readActs 13:48-49

Pray that the gospel will spread throughout this whole region and that many will believe and embrace the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
readPsalm 51:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will abide in Him, and God will help them to proclaim His praise and declare His goodness all day long.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
read1 Corinthians 15:10–11

Pray that God's people will preach the message of Jesus' death and resurrection and that it will spread among the lost through the selfless witness of believers.

Jew, Mountain Across Countries (ROP3 - 116827) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Caucasian Mountain JewsCaucasian Mountain JewsIsrael87,000Engaged yet UnreachedJudeo-TatJudaism
Mountain JewsMountain JewsRussian Federation11,500Engaged yet UnreachedJudeo-TatJudaism
Mountain JewsMountain JewsUnited States10,000Unengaged and UnreachedJudeo-TatJudaism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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