New York Jewish Week - 03.17.2006

Worrying About A Jewish Future In The FSU 


By Avi Rubel 

It was a bone-chilling 25 degrees below zero 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 seventh annual Hillel in the Former Soviet Union Winter Congress. Within minutes the frozen Russian winter was left behind as old friends embraced and new friends met one another.

The conference brings together young Jewish leaders from throughout the far-flung Jewish communities of the FSU to participate in Jewish education workshops and seminars, as well as to socialize and network. Hillel reaches approximately 10,000 students per year; more than a million Jews remain in the former Soviet Union.

That these students are able to both congregate and celebrate their Judaism in Russia today is a marvel. When their parents were students they never could have met openly as Jews, had the opportunity to explore their Judaism or connect to the Jewish people.

As always, history has a short memory. When I asked these mostly 18- to 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 15 years ago is ancient history.

Aside from support for the creation and sustenance of the State of Israel, the advocacy movement in the U.S. 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 community was able to influence and pressure those in power 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 the power of civil society to effect change on a global level.

As I talked with the students in Moscow, I 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 10 or 15 years.

A number of recent developments make me wary: Russia has just passed a series of laws restricting the operation of foreign-operated nonprofit 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 re-election; and Uzbekistan’s Islam Karimov continues to repress minorities.

An alarming recent study called “Failing the Stalin Test” published in Foreign Affairs found that “less than half of Russia’s young people would categorically reject voting for Stalin today.”

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.

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 to help these young Jews connect to the Jewish people and build strong, sustainable communities.

Avi Rubel is director of FSU Development for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.