Russian Jewish community thriving after dark past
Published 18 February, 2008, 05:45
After years of mass emigration Russian Jews are returning home in increasing numbers. Persecution in Tsarist Russia and then the Soviet Union led many to leave for Israel and the U.S. But those who've made the decision to come back say Russia is now more tolerant and prosperous.
Pre-revolution Russia was, at its height, home to the largest Jewish population in the world. Now there are officially just 300,000 following Judaism.
Such a dramatic decline in less than 150 years is the result of the anti-Semitism prevalent in the country's past. It started under Tsar Aleksandr the Second in the 1880s but it was during the Soviet Union, under Stalin, when the Jewish faithful faced particularly harsh treatment.
Russian Jewish emigres took advantage of exit visas, fleeing for Israel, the U.S., and Europe during the 1970s and 1980s. This exodus didn't stop with the collapse of Communism either. At its peak between 1989 and 2000 more than a million Russian Jews left to set up home in Israel.
When President Putin came to power at the start of the 21st century there was a shift in thought and deeds. He talked about the need to offer support and solutions for Jewish issues and concerns.
At one time Russian emigres made up almost a third of Israel's population. Now thousands each year are returning to the country of their birth. “It's a unique historical period. Many new communities have been established, many schools, cultural centres and synagogues have been built. Thousands of people have joined the faith, after being taken away from it all their lives,” said Aleksandr Boroda of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.
discuss it
