Welcome to Versailles. No, not that Versailles, but Versailles Palace of Rego Park, Queens, a glitzy party palace in the middle of a tired-looking strip mall. It’s also the hub of Bukharian culture, a small but resilient community of Mizrahi Jews who immigrated to deep Queens after the fall of the Soviet Union. On a Wednesday in February, over 200 people assembled at Versailles Palace to celebrate a man who survived COVID. The invite was to the point: “He was dead, then he came back to life,” Versailles Palace owner Nadia Iskhak tells us, “so we celebrate.” I know that not everyone gets to speak to Iskhak; she doesn’t give out her number. But don’t worry, I know someone. I have a friend of a friend…that’s how it is here.
I can’t help but notice Iskhak’s iPhone avatar while we text. The rendering—perfectly arched eyebrows and a dagger-to-the-heart stare—is stunning. It prepared me for our meeting in real life: a piercing gaze, a sly smile. Like most Bukharian Jews, Iskhak speaks Russian. But Bukharians aren’t Russian. They come from the ancient city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan, a predominantly Muslim country. (There were also large Bukharian communities in the Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand and Tashkent.) In addition to speaking Russian, they have their own language, Bukhari, a Judeo-Tajik dialect of Tajik and Persian with some Hebrew.
Like the interior of Versailles—gilded throne-like banquet chairs shine underneath chandeliers the size of midsize cars—the style of Bukharian women is equally show stopping. These ladies are dressed to impress in ornate, perfectly tailored dresses, some of which are body skimming, while others—depending on the person—are more conservative. And then there’s the jewelry: an encrusted bracelet, a flashy watch, and killer earrings. No hair is out of place; no nail is left unlacquered. The heels are stacked and polished to a high shine.
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