Jewish Acculturation and the Soviet Immigrant* Simcha R. Goldberg Program Associate, Soviet Jewish Resettlement Program, Council of Jewish Federations, New York "AH" we can do with the newest arrivals is to begin the development of a (Jewish) interest (or even better, begin to estabish what Rabbi Posner called a "Jewish need") during the initial resettlement period. Potential of Jewish Consciousness Among Soviet Jews Let me lay to rest at the very outset of agenda, i.e. welcoming Soviet refugees back this presentation any false expectations into the Jewish community. that may exist. We have seen no single, However, I suspect that even if it were clear pattern of absorption for Soviet immi­ not the case that a growing percentage of grants, Jewishly speaking, and certainly, the refugees we deal with are over the initial no clear prescription for success has resettlement traumas, that is, even if the emerged, at least in the reports we have numbers remained the same or even grew, received. the emergence of Jewish acculturation issues Not only is success not in hand, but on was an inevitable part of the "maturation" every outstanding issue there seem to be at of our community program. Before we least two emphatic and fairly unrelenting begin to deal with a few of the issues sides. I am reminded of a remark by an old involved in Soviet Jewish acculturation, we professor of mine at Hebrew University, should put the whole matter in a broader "There are two kinds of people in the context in order to help us understand the world," he said, "1) those that tend to see "Jewish baggage" brought to the U.S. by things as a simple, unbroken unity, and 2) Soviet Jewish immigrants. Jews, who are forever dividing everything There are many preconceptions about up into at least two kinds." what the Soviet immigrant is, in Jewish In the last few months, it has become terms, which influence both our attitudes apparent that acculturation in general, and and programs. Generally, reports to us are Jewish acculturation in particular, is be­ prefaced or concluded by a clear position ginning to emerge as a major priority in concerning the prospects for Soviet Jewish communities. If it is not today on a par with acculturation. (The majority of written "employment" and "maintenance," it soon reports are generally positive, while the will be. A part of this may be attributed to oral reports tend to be much more cynical). the fall in numbers we are experiencing. Now may be the time to review some of This has allowed us the luxury to 1) move the facts that we all knew once concerning into an atmosphere characterized more by these Soviet immigrants. planning than crisis, and 2) shift a higher The so-called assimilation of Soviet Jews proportion of staff time off the time- is not to be equated with the assimilation of consuming tasks associated with the initial substantial portions of American Jewry. period and onto the main item of communal American Jews can choose to completely forget their identity, whereas the Soviet * Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Con­ Jews are punished to the extent they express ference of Jewish Communal Service, Denver, May their Jewishness. Therefore, observable 26, 1980. Jewish commitment in the Soviet Union 154 GOLDBERG would be an act of pure masochism. levels"and adds that such institutions have It is less than 28 years since "the night of been directed to exclude "even those listed the murdered poets" when twenty-three of as Russian in their internal passport but Soviet Jewry's leading writers, poets and whose mother or father was Jewish."1 Thus artists were murdered on Stalin's orders in even those who have desperately tried to Lubyanka Prison. This night signalled the hide their nationality are forced to live with start of the systematic slaughter of nearly the burden of their Jewish blood. every prominent Jewish artist and intel­ Dr. Korey expands on this theme in a lectual in the Soviet Union—the literal recent issue of the London Jewish Chronicle murder of a whole culture was completed (5/16/80). "Ineluctably there will be those in one year. who will seek to eliminate all vestiges of The cut-off date from the possibility of Jewish identity so that they might 'pass' in cultural Jewishness in the Soviet Union order to enter the university or obtain de­ may be said to be not 60, but less than 30 sirable jobs. But the internal passport re­ years ago, a relatively short time ago. The mains an obstacle. And the Nuremberg wounds are still quick. Since then, the anti- Factor constitutes a new obstacle in' various Jewish campaigns, as most of us here institutions. Officials want to know whether know, have been waged so fiercely and with a single parent was Jewish." such constancy that, to a considerable What do the Russians want from the extent, Jewish self-expression, except in Jews? "A leading Soviet hate-monger, selected geographical areas, was reduced to Vladimer Begun, some months ago was the fact of having Yevrei stamped on the asked: 'What is the future of the Jewish internal passport of those born to Jewish people, then? Assimilation?' He responded: parents. Yet this Yevrei brands Soviet Jews i don't believe in assimilation. There always with their Jewishness in a most inescapable remains something Jewish in a Jew anyway.' manner, and on more than one level of When queried as to what Jews should do, their existence. Begun replied: 'Live quietly and that's it.' "2 Despite a relative lull in the campaign The turbulent effect that the relentless during the Khrushchev years, there has anti-Jewish assaults have caused in the been more than ample proof that the minds of the ordinary Soviet Jew can only present Soviet leaders have completely be imagined. One effect is certain. His rededicated themselves to an anti-Jewish Jewishness, if only in the negative sense, policy. Recent Samizdat disclosures report has to be felt as one of the central factors that not one Soviet Jew may have been controlling his personal destiny. allowed to enter the prestigious Moscow Even without recourse to research or State University since the academic year studies, common sense tells us that there 1977-78. Jewish enrollment in all insti­ were two possible directions for this Jewish tutions of higher learning has been reduced identification to go. The Soviet Jew could from 111,900 in 1968-69 to the approxi­ redouble his attempts to Russify himself mately 44,000 today. While Jewish profes­ and his children, or strike back with a sionals constituted 11 percent of the Russian Marrano-like refusal to be negated. How professional class in the late sixties, today's does a secular Jew in a ruthlessly anti- level has been reduced to around 5 percent. Semitic country make a clandestine One of the most shocking of recent revelations was made by Dr. William Korey 1 William Korey, "The Future of Soviet Jewry: in a recent issue of Foreign Affairs. He Emigration and Assimilation," Foreign Affairs quotes a secret party directive discouraging Quarterly, Fall, 1979. the employment of Jews "at responsible 2 Ibid., p. 80. 155 JOURNAL OF JEWISH COMMUNAL SERVICE Marrano statement? By association with would buy a book on Jewish history if it Jews, by justified pride in Soviet Jewish were available. achievements, by hoping his child will 2) 87 percent said they would visit a marry a Jew, by celebrating with Israel Jewish restaurant if there were one. after the 6-Day War and fearing for her 3) 80 percent expressed a desire to learn during the Yom Kippur War, by deciding the Jewish language. (60 percent wanted to to give up the Soviet Union. know Hebrew). It is probable that the Soviet Jewish 4) 50 percent of those questioned would family unit has functioned as the sole have wanted their children to attend Jewish transmitter of positive Jewish associations; schools or courses. its three generational composite creating a 5) The survey indicated a strong Jewish bridge between the children, educated as revival among the youths, with the younger Russians, and the grandparents, rooted in and older Jews bearing similar Jewish the pre-Stalin period of Soviet Jewry. This feelings and attitudes. accords well with the fact that the most 6) 34 percent said all five of their closest "positive" Jewish identities seem to be friends were Jewish, and the great majority found, according to a slew of recent articles, of the remainder of those sampled said that on both ends of the age spectrum. There at least three of their closest friends were should be significant implications for us in Jewish. this, as our immigration has been, by 7) 32 percent had a strong preference for Russian Jewish standards, extremely their children marrying Jews, while the young.3 remainder constituted a continuum range For a description of the full extent of from "no-objection-to-intermarriage" (22 these "positive" feelings, consider a rather percent) to "clear preference for marrying startling article issued as a press release Jewish." (46 percent) from Tel Aviv University in April of 1979.4 8) Positive attitudes towards holidays, The article outlines the findings of Professor religion and synagogues were a significant Robert Fain, a refusenik, who while in factor in the responses. Russia did a survey of 1500 Soviet Jews 9) "Even Soviet Jews who . wanted from 20 different cities. The sample did not their children registered on their passports include any refuseniks, activists or people as non-Jews, were in large majority favor­ who had declared an intention of emi­ able to knowing more about Jewish heri­ grating.