Editor's Note

The migration of two million Jews from the lands of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) since 1970 may be the most dramatic and culturally significant event for world Jewry since the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel. Though Jews from many parts of the world migrated during the latter half of the twentieth century, often from communities that dated back to antiquity, none had the vast numbers or the widespread international impact of Soviet Jewry.

Migration began in the 1970s, but opportunities to leave Mother Russia during the Cold War were limited. By 1988, approximately 300,000 Jews had managed to secure the prized exit visas that allowed them to leave the Soviet Union (USSR) and had been welcomed into new host countries in the developed world. Chief among these were the United States, Canada, and Israel, though Germany, Australia, and other Western countries were also havens for this highly educated and motivated workforce. Though many Russian Jews continued to apply for visas, most were denied. Known as refuseniks (from the Hebrew, refusnikim), this population became a cultural rallying point for world Jewry and spurred the international community to bring increasing pressure on the USSR in the name of human rights.

In the 1980s, the reforms of glasnost and perestroika led to a change in climate which permitted significantly more Jews to emigrate, particularly to Israel. The Israeli Aliyah department played a key role in helping Jews gain exit visas. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the formal political structures of the USSR, the trickle of migrants leaving the FSU became a flood. By 2006, two million Jews had resettled through the Western World. Israel was the most significant destination for most migrants; nearly a million Russians arrived between 1970 and 2006. But not all Russian migrants went to Israel, or stayed once they arrived. The U.S. and Germany also became major centers of migration. Large populations spread to other parts of Europe, Canada, and Australia, and these centers also substantially impacted the nature and development of Russian Jewish diaspora identity. Even after arriving in one country, many Russian Jews went on to live in yet a third permanent location, a process known as out-migration, particularly from Israel to Canada or the United States.

Wherever they landed, Soviet Jews' powerful cultural heritage profoundly influenced the character of their migration. Strong linguistic, historical, educational, and social identification with Russia separated these Jews from Jews in the communities to which they migrated, while the often weak knowledge of Jewish religion, laws, customs, and traditions, whose practice had been banned in Russia for most of the twentieth century, further alienated migrants from their host communities. Zionism, the Holocaust, and the role of Hebrew and Jewish education all functioned as areas of difference and negotiation for the new immigrants. The problems with assimilation that many Russian Jews experienced further encouraged the migrant Jewish communities to band together in separate enclaves and become isolated from Jews of the host countries. Despite the prevalence of Russian sub-groups within larger Jewish communities, it would be wrong to imagine that they remained entirely disconnected from the institutions and resources that preceded their arrival. In fact, over time, the presence of such a large new group reshaped many Jewish communities.

Research into the migration of Russian Jews has developed suddenly and significantly in the past decade, but almost all of it has been limited to particular disciplinary fields. This volume crosses disciplinary boundaries in its approach to many of the issues of culture and identity. In doing so, it reveals how early Soviet socialization has profoundly influenced Russian Jews at every level, thereby impacting social and behavioral responses. Nevertheless, this collection also demonstrates a discernable and powerful resistance to Soviet ideals among Russian Jews, in such areas as Russian foreign policy towards Israel. The research presented here examines the phenomenon of migration not just as a demographic or geographical issue, but in the ways identity has been shaped by contact with the host countries. An interdisciplinary volume of research helps one understand the impact of larger issues across...