DOCUMENT RESUME ED 207 362 - i---- , FL 012' 576' , i.,..... - -,- TITLE The Soviet Jews., Fact Sheet Series #3. T. INSTITUTION' Center for Applied LinguisticS, Washington, D.C.; ., ' Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C. Languageind Orientation Resource Center. 'SPONS AGENCY Office of Refugee Resettlement (DBMS), Washington, D.C. PUB. DATE Sep 81 . ' CONTRACT 600-78-0061 . NOTE 23p. , EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Contrastive Linguistics; *Cultural Bacxground; \... .English'(Second Language); History; *Jews; *Refugees; Russian 4 IDENTIFIERS *USSR ABSTRACT The uneven but continuing emigration of Soviet Jews since 1972 has been brought about by government policies thatare all but openly anti-Semitic. More than 80,000 of these refugees have , settled in the United States, many in New York City. Theycome from a population that is highly urbanized and well educated...Most speak Russian but identify themselves as Jews,even though only a minority maintain active contact with their religion. Their history in the °Soliet Unibn is 'long and complex, with recurring repreSsion and, for much of their history, restriction within a "Pale off. Settiement.0 Many of.them have some knowledge of a second language that mill be useful to anyone who tries to teach them English. The English - instructor fuither benefits from an awareness of certain characteristics of Russian, such as the many differencesin consonant sounds from English. (JB) ' -.1 a **********************i************************************************* *. ,Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made 'from the original document. ***** *******************************************f******************* , 4 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HASBEENGRANTED BY .Center' for t Sheet Series, #3 Applied Linguistics 1 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RES6URCES INFORMATION CENTEERrCl US DEPARTMENT 0 UCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CANTER ERIC) X This douument has been reproducedas received from the person or organization ongimitingit Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality 1 Fonts of N ,Pw or opor,Orly staled in this docu meat do riot rirLessarlly represent otfiewl NIE f positiorl or polL y iy ,, moscow Thu e Pale of . Houlet Settlemeht dhe '' , jeilliS 1,,, r 0 r tfl t.anguage and Orienta 4 ce Center Cs1 Center for ipeLinguistics 0 A.. 3520rospect Street, NW r ashihgton DC 20007 (800) 424.3750 (toll-free) (800) 424;3701 (toll:free) 0 (202) 298.99,2 (in Washington, D.C.) :Spptember 1981 it Refugee Fact Sheet #3: The Soviet Jews The,purpose of the Refugee Fact Sheet Seriesis to provide backgrou-nd -information on certain refugeegroups that have recenty,arrived, and are still arriving, in the United States. Unlike the refugees frOm Indochina and the entrants from the-Caribbean,these refugees'hlaerrived in much smaller numbers: however, they still face many of the same problemswith language, education, employment, and culturaladjustment. Each Fact Sheet is divided into. approximately fivesections: A 1. General Introduction 2. Cultural Background 3. Educational Background 4. Implications for Learning English as a'Second Language (ESL) 5.' Implicatiohs for Orientation. 1 The cultural baCkground suction of each FactSheet is the most inclusive; it contains information on the history, geography,language, religion, food; ,values and customs of.the specific refugee'group. We wish to thank all of those without who-se research and , assistance we,, would not have been ableto put this Fadt Sheet on the Soviet Jews together. We are espeCially indebted to Bruce teimsidor for reading and commenting on the preliminary drafts. Ft ; I Refugees In 1972 the USSR began allowingemit on bSoviet Jews. `Beginning at a-rate of. some 30,000 year, e flow of. thOse-permitted to leave declin appreciably in 1974; but then bnderwent a steady inc-ase through 1979. It has once again fallen off consiably, wever. In recent ars an increasing propor fan of those ewS permitted to leave the USSR have c en to resettle i the United States, prima ily' becaus- hey have relatives i this country. Jews leave iet Union .because ofan ov rt government policy of anti- , ,ZiOnilm with general anti-Se itic repercussions. Jews there- fore see opportunities that have been previously open to them being closed off, andipreseea limited future for their children, In the U.S.- More than 80,00Q have been settledin this country, particularly in New York City'(abont 45%)., All`ave been placed in cities with activeJewiSh communityagencies that provide resettlement . services. ft' Soviet Jews The 2,100,000 or.more Jews inthe USSR are largely,an_ drban populatiOn, most heavilyconcentrated inlbscow, Leningrad, .thelJkraine, and the republics alongthe'western border of the country. While almost all speak Russian, they identify themselves quite explicitlyas Jews. 'While only.a minority V maintain active contact with theirteligion because of -Soviet ,suppression of religious activities andorganizations, many . - Soviet Jews view themselvesas a dietinct cultdial group. o. A large,number.are well-educatedand many have held responsible' . "argely technical) positions.'rHoWever,most of those who have been able to obtain higher,"educationand respondible positions generally did.sobefore the durrentwave of anti- , Jewish feeling. , History t? Large numbers of Jews have livedwithin he present. boundaries of the USSR since 1400. r They. under Rubsian ti rule in the late eighteenth century. andwere mostly confined to the western part.of,tthe,country-- within what wasFcalled r -.I, v, 410 c the "Pate of Settlement" unt 1 World War I. Nominally liberated under Soviet government Jews have been repressed at various4mes,and since 1970 o icial propaganda attacking Israel and Zionism has Made them, so o speak, ,targets by association. 7 . ' ro a I. Introduction Iktthetimeofthe197Vcensus, .2,100,000 Jews constituted .78% ofthe population of the USSR, but subsequent emigrationhas by now dedreaged their numbers: Jews are the most urban of any Soviet ethnicgroup. In a country still 3/8 rural, only 4.5% of the Jews livein vkalages. The three largest Soviet cities, Moscow, Leningrad, and-Kiev, accounb4forabout.30% of the 'e.wish population, but only a little over 5% of the totalpopulation of the country.. e Since World War 'II, in fact, Kiev een the most Jewish city in Europe, with aconc&itration that-reached 12 %.at on time. The proportion of Jews is also high in_the.other large cities of the Ukrainianand Belorussian'repubiics; the highest proportiol of Jews inany major territorial division occursin t1e rather small Moldaviah republic (formerly Bessarabia, populationabout 4,000,000, 2,7% Jewish). It is also the only region in which Jewishpopulation had been increasing at the time of the 1970census. The curreilt increasing wave of Soviet anti-Semitismdates frOm approximately 1967. While the primary thrust of Soviet policy istowards the suppression of * Zionism, what may have been originally coneeivediasanti-Zionism has inflamed `historical anti7Semitic feelings within what isJnow theU.S..S.R. Traditional anti-Semitic texts dating'froethe time.of.theCzars have been reprinted with government sanction in government printing houses. There are widespread reports that Jews are routinely denied Admissionto institutes of higher education and denied positions of responsibility solelyon the grounds of their ethnicback- , ground. Persecution has touched not only'those who"could,be A classified+as 1 1-01 dissidents or overt, Zionists; large numbers of Jews suffdrnot only educational . and prOfessional restrictions but also-othertypes of harassment. jn 1972 the Sovilft .goverdment began'to srant some exit permits. Then, 'for" reasons unfathomable to outsiders (but'apparently in'part due to the desire ,to create-a favorable impression abroad, to easily; 'dispose ofone source of discontent', and to satisfy, the anti-Semitism ,pf.those whothought Jews held too manyigOod jobs) Jewish emigration increased, then droppedioff,then increased again'graduly from 1974 to 1979. hrough quirks of historyand changes in political cl mate,:JeWs frequently obtaineda better chance of emigr4ting than didany othertlisadvahtaged group in the USSR. While In the later years/6f the 1970's it was not difficult for Jews to gain permission, to leave the ,Soviet Union; the / process involved taking conSiderable risks and at le4t enduring.social ostracism. In order to apply. r \- 3 - . 3 for exit the Soviet Jew must presentaletter of invitation froma party. '(/ abroad; more recently the Soviets have accepted primarily letters coming from cloSe relatives in Israel. Frequently these invitations aratintercepled by the Soviet authorities and never deliveredto the potential applicant. Once an invitation is submitted and application is made, the applicant is immediately relegated to a renegade status while it is pending; and, more than likely, loses his job or,is transferred to menial work.,Although by Soviet law the ,pplication must be acted upon within a few months,-'a considerable itumber are subjected to arbitrary delays.'Extensive paperwork' may be required,' such as proof of having paid all outstanding bills. Eventually.a person has to renounce Soviet. citizenship for which a considerable fee is charged. Such renunciation prohibits.himfrOm staying in the Soviet Union or returning there n a 'permanent basis afterhe has left. Fintilly, Rolhded with'papers listing him as stateless, with an Israeli visa obtained through the Dutch