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Final Reporr SERVICE NEEDS of the Eukharan Poputation OF FINAl REPORr SERVICE NEEDS OF THE eUKHARAN POPUtATION OF THE NEW YORK AREA Prepared by • • Alanna Cooper Or. Jacob B: Ukeles UKElES ASSOCIATES, INC. Submitted to: UJA-Federation of New York Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverrit New York Jewish Community Relations Council August 1999 , , , , Contents - Page I. Background ............•............•.......................•....•.•.. ....... .........•••....••.. 2 II. The Bukharan Jewish Population of Queens .....•......•...••..........................5 III . Finding: Families and Children ..................................................•••....... 6 IV. Findings: Older Persons ...............• .. ....•...•••..•..•••.•••...••.••.• ................ 11 V. Findings: Community Issues ••...••..•...•. ........ .. .. ................•.•.• : ••• ..••.. •. 12 VI. Sl(ategic Directions .....................•..•......••......•...•..••..••.••......... .. ...... 14 APPENDIX I: Bukharan Jewish Leaders who were Interviewed . APPENDIX II: Issues in the Demographic Analysis of Bukharan Jews BACKGROUND -- .... STUDY PURPOSE The purpose of this study is 10 develop an objective view of the needs of the Bukharan Jewish Community in Queens and 10 suggest a strategic direction for meeting the community's needs. This study was commissioned by the leadership of the New York Jewish community 10 provide a platform or basis for action to help this important community meet the needs of its members. INHO ARE THE BUKHARAN JEWS? Th ~ 8ukr.aran Jews, who are an offshoot of Persian Jewry, have been living in Central Asia in the territories that are today called Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, for a thousand years or more. The Jews who cailihemseives Bukharan Jews are not necessarily from the city Bukhara itself. In fact, according to Soviet census information, in 1989 the majority of Bukharan Jews in Central Asia were actually living outside of Bukhara city. At that time, Samarkand and Tashkent were the Central Asian cities with the largest Bukharan Jewish population, Conversely, not all Jews who lived in Tashkent are Bukharan Jews. The Bukharan Jews speak a dialect of Persian. The dialect is sometimes caned Tajik and sometimes called Bukharian, depending on "the social context. ~----aBe""Cause-mfCtyeawof"SovietTOllr,Bokharan-jewralso-speak Russian-with the . exception of some segments of the elderly population. Throughout the Soviet era, the Bukharan Jews maintained a very strong Jewish identity and low rate of intermarriage. Additionally, despite anti-religious policies, they maintained very strong adherence to Jewish customs and practices, such as ,observance of kashrut and observance of key Jewish hOlidays such as Yom Kippur and Passover.. They resided almost exclusively in tight-knit Jewish quarters and groups of brothers lived together with their wives and children in multi-unit homes surrounding large courtyards. THE NEED FOR THE STUDY \Alhen the Soviet Union dissolved, the Bukharan Jews began to emigrate en masse trom their homes in the Central Asia republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Many went to Israel, and large numbers came 10 the United States, especially to New York City. Their slow, calm, clannish lifestyle has undergone drastic changes since large numbers ot them have resenled in New York City. While a few thousand have , made their homes in Brooklyn, most of these new New Yorllers have clustered in Queens (primarily in Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Rego Parll and lefrak City). Many, not having English, face diffICulties finding employment and then further problems negotiating through the system of government-aid. As a community they struggle to maintain a balance between preserving their traditional lifestyle alld heritage on the one hand, and becoming American on the other - a struggle which threatens the relationship between the younger generation and their elders. The relationship among the community leaders Is , also a precarious one. Some are second generation immigrants whose parents , left the ·old counlry" when Stalin came to power in the 1 920s. others are recent immigrants who held onto their religious practices and identity throughout the Communist era. ' Because the Bukharan Jews have a rich and unique culture and religious life that is different from the other American Jewish populations in New Yc.lX, the typical adjustment difficulties of immigrants are exacerbated. RESEARCH DESIGN 1 A rough estimate of the size and location of the Bukharan population was developed, using existing sources. ~_--"1-_~GuHem-s8r.vice5..aAd..unmewe"ed~'~===;:-_____ _____ Two types of key informants were interviewed: • Bukharan leaders and activists (10 interviews)' • Service providers (10 interviews) With regardS to interviews with the community leaders: Interviews were conducted with a cross section of leflders. The cross section includes leaders who represent the various Bukharan Jewish organizations, inctuding the two major organizations (The Bukharan Council of America and The Bukharan Jewish Community Center) as well as other smaller organizations (such as the Lefrak City Community Center). The cross-section of leaders interviewed are also representative of the three major waves of Bukharan immigration. These waves include: (1) the most recent, which began in 1989, when the Soviet Union was on the brink of collapse and continues until today; (2) the1970s, which is when immigration restrictions in former USSR eased in generat; and (3) The 1920s and 1930s which is when the are .. came under Soviet control and many Bukharan Jews fled. 'A list of the Bukha1""iln leaders and activists who, were interviewed is in Appendix 1 lnter...iews focused on utilization of programs and ser...ices; roadblocks to utilization and gaps in ser...ice (unmet needs); potential community resources that coulj:i be usect.1o-meet needs; aod the impact of _commuoity_culturlLaruL_ community organization on ser...ice use and delivery. 3 Current Ser...ices and Unmet Needs: Focus Groups In addition to the .... iews of pro .... iders and community leadErs, it was important to try to collect at teast some primary information Irom individuals who live in the Bukharan community who are not activists or leaders. This component was only possible because of the in .... olvement of a team member who is a trained anthropologist who has been studying the Bukharan community for fIVe yeal1l. Three focus groups were carried out: • Young People (late teens through early twenties) • Families (late tweOlies through forties) • Older People (sixties and se.... enties) • 4 Meetings with Bukharan leaders and Jewish communal leaders. UAI team members participated in two meetings -one althe beginning to describe the project and answer questions, and one at the end of the project to share findings about needs. 5 Strategic-flirectionsiorMeeting-Needs--- Based on what was learnt about the urgency and scale of the needs for various community 5er...ices, and the discussions at the two meetings, the UAI Team de .... eloped strategies to guide the efforts to work together to meet the most critical needs. THE BUKHARAN JEWISH POPULATION OF QUEENS In 1987, the office of the Queensboro President estimated the number of -Bukharan Jews-ID -Queens lo-be-about 5,{lOO. - Since·massive·emigraHon-bega,nn-­ in 1989, that number has at least quadrupled. II has turned out to be extremely difficult to estimale the Bukharan population.2 The best available estimate is that there are between 22,000 and 35,000 Bukharan Jews in Queens, and another several thousand in Brooklyn. Some people who have worked with the community for a lon9 time in Queens believe that the 1987 Bukharan Jewish population in Queens was si9nificantly higher than the estimate of 5,000. The community includes not only families that came directly from the Former Soviet Union, but many who have been in Israel first and then came here, who are Bukharans by culture alld by language. Some may be undocumented aliens, so they are difficult to identify. 'Sei! Appendix '1 for a diSCUSSion 01 tile sources 01 data. methods and methodological difficulties in deveklping these population es~matS$_ , FINDINGS: FAMILIES ANO CHILDREN Jewish Day School-Education One of the most pressing issues that was raised in both the interviews with Bukharan leaders and in lhe focus-groups was the issue of education. Allthose questioned noted a low enrollment of Bukharan Jewish children in Jewish Days Schools The number of Bukharan Jewish students enrolled in Jewish schools was calculated by estimating the number of Bukharan Jewish students in each type of school. • About 600'Bukharan Jewish children are enrolled in Jewish pre- schools and elementary schools in Queens. These schools are mostly not under Bukharan auspic-es, but the majority of their students are Bukharan. • About 300 Bukharan Jewish children are enrolled in Jewish high schools in Queens. Most of these schools are under Bukharan auspices and the majority of sludents are Bukharan. • About 140 elementary Bukharan Jewi.sh students, and 70 high-school students who Jive in Queens are enrolled in schools in Jewish schools in Brooklyn. Added together, a lolal of abOut"""'r,lOO BuRharan J~h studemn,e enrone:r:tin Jewish schools. The percentage most often cited by Bukharan Jewish leaders hovers around 20%. The actual percentage, may in fact be lower than that. This percentage should be understood in the context of the figure for enrollment in Jewish day schools cited in the 1991 Jewish population study in NY. That study indicated that 40% of in-married families
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