Russian Jews in America: The Latest Chapter

Russian-Jewish Immigration to the United States

History of Immigration

• Started in the late 1960s and early 1970s

• “Samoletnoe Delo”

• Start of the Soviet Jewry movement

• Documentary “Redeeming the Captives”

• “Triumph over Tyranny” by Philip Spiegel

Russian-Jewish Immigration to the United States

Facts and Figures• Today an estimate of 350, 000 Russian-speaking

immigrants live in New York• More than 50,000 are in Boston area• About 750,000 Russian-speaking immigrants live in the

U.S.• Russian speakers make up 19 % of the Jews in the five

boroughs of New York City [The Jewish Community Study 2002].

• About a third of the Russian-speaking Jewish population now living in America arrived during the 1970s [ Election 2000 ].

Story of Success

• Russian immigrants comprise the best-educated group in U.S. immigration history [Election 2000] Some 65% have college education and another 10% advanced degrees. 90% of high school graduates go to college.

• Russian-speaking Jews have succeeded in the highest-paying professions as doctors, dentists, lawyers, and accountants.

• A high level of overall satisfaction- 64% of those who live in America for 9 years or

more are mostly satisfied with life [ Election, 2000,23]

Annual Household Income of the Employed

Population

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$90, 000and more

2000

2008

American Jews

A Global Community

• Today, 25% of Russian-speaking Jews still have relatives in the Former Soviet Union

• 61% of Russian-speaking Jews have first-degree relatives in Israel and another 20% have relatives that are more distant. [Presidential Election 2004]

• About 40% of them have relatives or close friends in Germany and 25% in Australia.

Identity Challenges

• Heterogeneous community• Jewish identity does not mean religious identification

or practice• Only 55% identify themselves as “definitely” Jewish

with another 10% saying they are “partly” or “somewhat” Jewish.

• Five basic categories of identification:- General Jewish- Sub-Ethnic Jewish- Immigrant identification- American identification- Cosmopolitan identification

Examples of Mixed Identities

Just Jewish 70%

Russian, Soviet Jew 50%

Ukrainian Jew 22%

Belarusian Jew 8%

Bukharian Jew 8%

Mountain Jew 7%

Jew, New American 29%

American of Jewish origin 14%

American of Russian origin 9%

American 16%

Russian Immigrant 56%

Russian 20%

Percentage said they have mostly this identity

Religious Challenges• Religion as a cultural, traditional, or philosophical concept• Many Russian Jews combine belief in God with low

religious activity or practice• They are Jews through ethnicity, memory, culture,

literature, etc. but not through religion • “In God We Trust”- belief as a philosophical concept – more than 70%- “believers”-faith in God has a sacred significance and

place in his heart – 45%- “religion and morality”- believe that religion and morality

go hand in hand -- 25%- “religious practice”- religion plays a very important role in

their lives 15%

Religious Challenges

• Reform and Conservative movements have achieved limited success in reaching out to the community

• Jewish education for children remains a serious concern for many Russian-Jewish families.

• There is growing synagogue attendance in areas heavily populated by Russian-Jewish immigrants

• “detached affiliation”

Political Involvement, engagement, and ideology

• Russian Jews are perceived as conservative and Republican

• Republican candidates appeal strongly due to strong support for Israel and a tough position against terrorism

• 2004 Elections supported G.W. Bush, 2008 Elections supported John McCain. President Reagan and the notion of “evil empire”.

• Conservative on some social issues e.g. 77% in favor of the death penalty, 81 % are against same-sex marriage, but liberal on others, e.g. 66% think abortion should be legal under all circumstances

• Anti-Semitism in Russia and the FSU countries remains a very serious concern -- 85%, and in Europe -- 83%

Registered Voters

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American Jews

New York, 2000 New York, 2004

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New York, 2008

Voting Patterns 2000-2008

New York, Aug-Sept 2004New York, Aug-Sept 2000

New York Aug-Sept 2008

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George W. Bush Al Gore Undecided

Russians

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George W Bush John Kerry Undecided

Russians

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John McCain Barack Obama Undecided

Russians

American Jews

Community Challenges

• Activism, voluntarism, and charity were unfamiliar to many Russians. Whom we trust?

• Detached affiliation-establishing and maintaining a comfortable distance from major American-Jewish organizations and their activities

Community Challenges

• “Clash of civilizations” between the American-Jewish establishment and the Russian-speaking Jews

• Russian Jews in America are perceived as indifferent to Jewish heritage and Jewish communal life

• Protestantism versus Eastern Orthodoxy Russian Jews influenced by Russian culture, deeply rooted in Russian Orthodoxy, and the Soviet communist regime.

• Fundamental cultural differences: Trust and Fear

“The Future Belongs to Me”

• For how long the 1.5 and the second generations will keep their “Russian” identity component?

• The global Russian-speaking community and its political implications

• New developments between the Diasporas and the governments of Israel, Russia and other FSU countries.