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

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
readMatthew 24:14

Pray that the message of hope will reach those who are wandering in darkness, offering them a path to eternal life.

Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, "the kingdom of God has come near to you."
readLuke 10:8-9

Pray that the lost will receive messengers of the gospel with joy, turn from their sins, and be healed.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
readTitus 3:4-5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and might struggle with temptation to trust in their own works, they will remember that it is only because of God's mercy that they have been saved.

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
readIsaiah 51:11

Pray that, as God sends people to cross cultures and share the good news of Jesus, many will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith and start a personal relationship with Him that will bring them everlasting joy.

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

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountry ▲PopulationStrategic 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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