Moscow, Russia -- January 2006
February 12, 2006
It was a bone chilling -25 degrees in Moscow as I greeted 250 Jewish university students representing the 27 Hillel Jewish student centers in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia at the 7th annual Hillel in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) Winter Congress. Within minutes the frozen Russian winter was left behind as old friends embraced and new friends met one another.
The Hillel in the FSU Winter Congress brings together young Jewish leaders from throughout the far flung Jewish communities of the FSU to participate in Jewish education workshops and seminars and to socialize and network with one another. There are more than 1 million Jews remaining in the former Soviet Union and Hillel reaches approximately 10,000 students per year.
It was impossible for me to take part in the Hillel in the FSU Winter Congress and not to marvel at the fact that these Jews are able to both congregate and celebrate their Judaism in Russia today. When their parents were students they never could have met openly as Jews and never had the opportunity to explore their Judaism or to connect to the Jewish people.
As always, history has a short memory. When I asked these mostly 18-22 year olds if they feel lucky to have this opportunity to connect to the Jewish community, they did not even understand the question. Like their peers in North America and Israel, these students take their freedom and ability to practice Judaism for granted. To them, the end of Communism, a mere fifteen years ago, is ancient history.
Aside from the support for the creation and sustenance of the State of Israel, the advocacy movement in the USA in the 1970s and 1980s to aid and free Soviet Jewry was the most important accomplishment by the American Jewish community in the 20th century. Through lobbying efforts and community organizing, the American Jewish community was able to influence and pressure those in power both in Washington and, more importantly, behind the Iron Curtain. From the Marches in Washington to the twinnings at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, the Soviet Jewry movement was an extraordinary demonstration of the strength of the American Jewish community and of the power of civil society to effect change on a global level.
As I sat and talked with the students in Moscow, I badly wanted to explain to them how lucky they are to have the opportunity to attend this conference. I couldn’t help but wonder if Hillel conferences will be possible in the FSU in another ten or fifteen year. A number of recent developments make me wary: Russia has just passed a series of laws restricting the operation of foreign operated non-profit organizations; the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine is faltering and President Yuscheknko will likely be defeated this year, Belarus’ dictator Alexander Lukashenko is arranging his own reelection, and Uzbekistan’s Islam Karimov continues to repress minorities. An alarming recent study called “Failing the Stalin Test” published in Foreign Affairs analyzed the findings of surveys taken by young people in Russia this year:
The single most remarkable finding of these two surveys is that less than half of Russia's young people would categorically reject voting for Stalin today. Even if younger Russians are less likely to support him than are older ones, the majority of Russia's youth appear to harbor ambivalent or positive feelings toward one of the worst dictators in world history.
Today’s former Soviet Republics are confusing places for young people to grow up. Their societies suffer from post-Soviet hangovers characterized by a large number of disaffected and alienated elderly, a tiny minority of mega-rich among a large number of very poor people, almost no trust in public institutions, a declining birth rate and embarrassingly low mortality rates (In Russia, life expectancy for men is approximately 61.) At the same time, their economies are growing and they have access to western goods and information. Most of the students I speak with do not plan on emigrating. They see their future in the FSU. But what kind of former Soviet republics will they inherit?
To ensure a future of freedom in the FSU, it is vital that the governments of Russia, Ukraine and the other republics create and be pressured to enact policies that foster open, democratic societies. Concurrently, it is crucial that grassroots, civil societies be cultivated and strengthened.
Religious organizations such as Hillel play a vital role in creating Jewish community for thousands of Jews and also in strengthening civil society. Hillel’s mission is to build Jewish community by providing the maximum number of Jewish young adults with opportunities to explore Judaism in a pluralistic environment. Hillel is also training a generation of Jewish students who will be empowered to lead their communities in the next few decades. One new Hillel project is a social justice program that will provide students with skills in community planning and welfare provision along with structured volunteer opportunities.
Over four days in Moscow, I watched the Jewish students soak up Jewish knowledge and strengthen their Jewish identities. There were workshops on career development, Jewish perspectives on dating and sex, Jewish holidays, Shabbat, and opportunities for experiences in Israel. Though the future of freedom in the FSU remains uncertain, we must seize the opportunity help these young Jews connect to the Jewish people and build strong, sustainable communities.
It was a bone chilling -25 degrees in Moscow as I greeted 250 Jewish university students representing the 27 Hillel Jewish student centers in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia at the 7th annual Hillel in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) Winter Congress. Within minutes the frozen Russian winter was left behind as old friends embraced and new friends met one another.
The Hillel in the FSU Winter Congress brings together young Jewish leaders from throughout the far flung Jewish communities of the FSU to participate in Jewish education workshops and seminars and to socialize and network with one another. There are more than 1 million Jews remaining in the former Soviet Union and Hillel reaches approximately 10,000 students per year.
It was impossible for me to take part in the Hillel in the FSU Winter Congress and not to marvel at the fact that these Jews are able to both congregate and celebrate their Judaism in Russia today. When their parents were students they never could have met openly as Jews and never had the opportunity to explore their Judaism or to connect to the Jewish people.
As always, history has a short memory. When I asked these mostly 18-22 year olds if they feel lucky to have this opportunity to connect to the Jewish community, they did not even understand the question. Like their peers in North America and Israel, these students take their freedom and ability to practice Judaism for granted. To them, the end of Communism, a mere fifteen years ago, is ancient history.
Aside from the support for the creation and sustenance of the State of Israel, the advocacy movement in the USA in the 1970s and 1980s to aid and free Soviet Jewry was the most important accomplishment by the American Jewish community in the 20th century. Through lobbying efforts and community organizing, the American Jewish community was able to influence and pressure those in power both in Washington and, more importantly, behind the Iron Curtain. From the Marches in Washington to the twinnings at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, the Soviet Jewry movement was an extraordinary demonstration of the strength of the American Jewish community and of the power of civil society to effect change on a global level.
As I sat and talked with the students in Moscow, I badly wanted to explain to them how lucky they are to have the opportunity to attend this conference. I couldn’t help but wonder if Hillel conferences will be possible in the FSU in another ten or fifteen year. A number of recent developments make me wary: Russia has just passed a series of laws restricting the operation of foreign operated non-profit organizations; the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine is faltering and President Yuscheknko will likely be defeated this year, Belarus’ dictator Alexander Lukashenko is arranging his own reelection, and Uzbekistan’s Islam Karimov continues to repress minorities. An alarming recent study called “Failing the Stalin Test” published in Foreign Affairs analyzed the findings of surveys taken by young people in Russia this year:
The single most remarkable finding of these two surveys is that less than half of Russia's young people would categorically reject voting for Stalin today. Even if younger Russians are less likely to support him than are older ones, the majority of Russia's youth appear to harbor ambivalent or positive feelings toward one of the worst dictators in world history.
Today’s former Soviet Republics are confusing places for young people to grow up. Their societies suffer from post-Soviet hangovers characterized by a large number of disaffected and alienated elderly, a tiny minority of mega-rich among a large number of very poor people, almost no trust in public institutions, a declining birth rate and embarrassingly low mortality rates (In Russia, life expectancy for men is approximately 61.) At the same time, their economies are growing and they have access to western goods and information. Most of the students I speak with do not plan on emigrating. They see their future in the FSU. But what kind of former Soviet republics will they inherit?
To ensure a future of freedom in the FSU, it is vital that the governments of Russia, Ukraine and the other republics create and be pressured to enact policies that foster open, democratic societies. Concurrently, it is crucial that grassroots, civil societies be cultivated and strengthened.
Religious organizations such as Hillel play a vital role in creating Jewish community for thousands of Jews and also in strengthening civil society. Hillel’s mission is to build Jewish community by providing the maximum number of Jewish young adults with opportunities to explore Judaism in a pluralistic environment. Hillel is also training a generation of Jewish students who will be empowered to lead their communities in the next few decades. One new Hillel project is a social justice program that will provide students with skills in community planning and welfare provision along with structured volunteer opportunities.
Over four days in Moscow, I watched the Jewish students soak up Jewish knowledge and strengthen their Jewish identities. There were workshops on career development, Jewish perspectives on dating and sex, Jewish holidays, Shabbat, and opportunities for experiences in Israel. Though the future of freedom in the FSU remains uncertain, we must seize the opportunity help these young Jews connect to the Jewish people and build strong, sustainable communities.
posted by AWR | 6:52 PM
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