Jewish Week - 01.25.2002

 

The Jewish Week

Russian Jewry's Newest Pioneers

After taking part in a four-day conference last week for Jewish journalists in Russia, I vowed never again to complain about how difficult my job can be.

I had been invited to Moscow, along with several colleagues, to describe the workings and goals of the American Jewish press to an audience of more than 40 of our Russian counterparts. Some of them traveled thousands of miles to participate in the seminar, sponsored by the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, a New York-based group devoted to supporting efforts to strengthen Jewish life in countries decimated by the Holocaust.

Some of the attendees were old-timers from tiny communities, others were young and cosmopolitan, from St. Petersburg and Moscow. But all face tremendous obstacles, working for small publications struggling to survive economically and culturally in a society just beginning to reassert its Jewish pride.

One editor in his 20s told me his was the oldest “new Jewish newspaper” in the Former Soviet Union, meaning post-Glasnost. It began publication, he said, in1999. So this is, indeed, a fledgling enterprise, and it has far to go before it becomes a major influence in Jewish communal life.

By our standards, the newspapers are quite primitive. They have no professionally trained journalists, few pages, little original reporting, and limited graphics. Moreover, they have no paid circulation and little if any advertising. All are subsidized by either a particular Jewish organization or wealthy individual with a particular ideology to push, so the editors are limited in what they can write about. Nor is there much incentive to stretch the boundaries, since there is little way of knowing if readers want more aggressive reporting.

But as Dr. Jerry Hochbaum, the executive director of the Memorial Foundation, told the group at the opening session, “we believe you have a special role to play in the revival of Jewish life here, not just for the news you cover; you can help create a positive ambiance.” The seminar, he said, was designed to introduce colleagues to each other and encourage them to share ideas; to train them in professional skills; and to improve their Jewish literacy.

“In the end, you’ll decide whether this enterprise is worth continuing,” Hochbaum said, emphasizing that the Memorial Foundation has no political agenda.

That last point was an alien concept for the participants, who are naturally wary of outsiders coming in to help them. We had been warned that Russian Jews tend to be skeptical, if not cynical, about others’ motives. No doubt they were wondering what we wanted from them. What’s our angle? Is there funding in this for them, and at what price?

This group was less than friendly on meeting us, though we had come only to help. There were no smiles, little eye contact, and language was a major barrier. Very few spoke English, none of us spoke Russian, so we all relied on Motty, a warm and highly talented young Russian pursuing a doctorate in Jewish studies at the University of London, to bridge the gap.

Our job was a bit delicate in that we were asked to describe our newspapers and how they cover the community without talking down to the group. In one key session, we posed three scenarios for the participants, asking them if and when they would criticize Israel in print; whether or not they would publicize an anti-Semitic incident in their community; and what they would do if they learned that a prominent Jewish leader in the community had committed an illegal act.

After much animated discussion, they reported back that they felt free to criticize Israeli policies, drawing the line at Israel’s right to a Jewish state. Reporting on anti-Semitism, they said, was a matter of degree. Since swastika incidents are commonplace, they may not merit attention in their newspapers, but major incidents are covered, they said. The group was divided most on publicizing an embarrassing act committed by a leader of the community. None would write anything negative about their major sponsor, but some said they would write about another leader while others said they would not.

As the days went on, though, the group participated more freely, and on the last morning of the conference, I found the Russians’ deadpan expressions giving way to smiles and nods for the first time. The social walls between us were crumbling, and in the end, the group overcame its suspicions and expressed satisfaction with the program and interest in meeting again.

I felt humbled by the resolve of these journalistic pioneers, and for all the traveling, unpleasant weather and communication problems, was proud to have been part of what I hope will be the beginning of a professional association of Russian Jewish journalists, and an ongoing relationship between them and us.

The feeling that I had been involved in mitzvah work was brought home to me my first day back at the office in New York when I showed a colleague, who emigrated from Odessa, one of the newspapers I had brought back with me.

When she read the masthead on the front page — Jewish News — she began to cry, explaining, “I never could imagine seeing the word ‘Jewish’ so big on a Jewish newspaper in Russia. It’s really a miracle.”

Indeed she’s right, and I hope it continues to grow, reflecting the rebirth of Russian Jewish life and of a vibrant press to tell the story. n

Gary Rosenblatt’s e-mail address is

Gary@jewishweek.com