This volume of the "Jews of Europe and Asia" almanac for 2019-2020/5780 represents the second edition of the new academic series of yearbooks published by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. It continues the tradition of previous annual reviews documenting the status of Jewish communities that united under the "umbrella" of the EAJC 18 years ago. The intercontinental Jewish organization that emerged then, which was unusual and misunderstood by many, incorporated not only the communities of the former USSR, but also centers of Jewish communal life in Eastern Europe, the Balkan states, South and Southeast Asia, the Far East, and even New Zealand. Since its inception, the yearbook has pursued two primary objectives: to inform readers about the diverse forms of Jewish communal life, primarily within the former Soviet Union, and to address the challenges facing Jews in the Euro-Asian region.

In the early 2000s, few understood what could possibly unite such geographically distant outposts of the Jewish world, or what could draw, for instance, Jewish New Zealand or Singapore toward Jewish Moscow or Kyiv, which were entirely unfamiliar to them. Quite soon, however, it became apparent that Russian-speaking Jewry—previously known as "Soviet Jews" (at least its Ashkenazi segment)—constituted a fairly cohesive ethno-cultural community. This group was united not only by a shared, often tragic history, but also by a domestic culture shaped significantly by Soviet-era Russian culture. It also became evident that the cultural, ideological, and religious profile of this group differed substantially not only from Jewish communities in Israel and the Western diaspora, but also from the Eastern Jewish communities within the USSR, which began to acquire a distinct agency under the concept of "(post-)Soviet Jewry" only after the collapse of the Union. As for the Jews of East and South Asia, as well as Eastern Europe, they share with us a specific social marginality—a peripheral "stepchild" status relative to the Jerusalem–New York axis, around which the main content of Jewish public and political life has been formed in recent decades.

In the nearly 20 years since the founding of the EAJC, dramatic shifts have occurred in the destiny and identity of former Soviet Jewry. On one hand, only about a quarter of the Jews who resided there during the Soviet period remain in the former USSR, and their numbers continue to decline rapidly. Some Jewish sub-ethnic groups, particularly Mountain, Bukharian, and Georgian Jews—not to mention smaller groups like the Lahlukhs, Krymchaks, and the Iranian-Afghan Jews of Central Asia—are currently undergoing total territorial displacement. As a result, only a tiny fraction of these communities remains in their historical ethnic territories. Yet, the substantial segment of the Jewish diaspora that does remain in the former USSR is undergoing equally profound social changes. This refers not only to Aliyah and emigration, but also to a fundamental transformation in the nature of Jewish identity, wherein the Soviet-era "prescribed" Jewishness via the passport system is gradually being replaced by the Western model of "Jews by choice." Even more significantly, the revival of Jewish life in this region is unfolding against the backdrop of a rehabilitation of the religious component in public life.

On the other hand, recent decades have witnessed the emergence of an entirely new Jewish entity: Russian-speaking Jews dispersed across all continents. Notably, their integration into the Jewish communities of Israel, the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and several other countries does not follow the traditional 19th- and 20th-century patterns, but proceeds quite differently. It is evident that within the former USSR, new communities are forming that are no longer "Soviet," but not quite "Russian" either; rather, they are becoming "Russian," "Ukrainian," "Azerbaijani," or "Lithuanian" Jews. While this process is expected, its specific manifestations remain poorly researched. At the same time, repatriates in Israel and emigrants in diaspora countries continue to be identified as "Russian" or, at least, "Russian-speaking," since the Russian language still serves as the primary vernacular for in-group communication, and because former Soviet citizens in these countries are still largely perceived as "Russian."

We have outlined only a fraction of the fundamental changes currently experienced by the Jewish world, particularly by the descendants of Soviet Jews. There are many other significant processes, such as the eradication of state-sponsored antisemitism in the post-Soviet space or the end of traditional Jewish shtetl "ethnicity"—for better or worse, there are no more "Tevye the Milkmen" among us. All of this, combined with the aforementioned factors, indicates that the Jewish world is once again undergoing an irreversible process of momentous change. In this complex political and national landscape, we present to the reader the latest volume of our yearbook—perhaps the only publication in Russian dedicated to analyzing the contemporary state and historical representation of Jewry in the Euro-Asian region.

An important and largely unexamined issue is addressed in Z. Khanin’s article, "A Jew in the Big City: A Socio-Cultural Portrait of the Jewish Population of Kyiv, Minsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg," which reflects the dynamics of a new Jewish identity emerging in the capital cities of the former USSR. Both popular perception and professional circles share the conviction that the social profile of Jewish residents in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kyiv is virtually identical, contrasted more with Jews of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian provinces than with each other. As it turns out, this widespread assumption is far from reality. The article not only identifies varying reactions to identical phenomena among Jewish residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, and Minsk, but also offers an engaging interpretation of these differences. For instance, Moscow—when compared not only to the capitals of Ukraine and Belarus, but even to St. Petersburg—appears as a certain "stronghold of imperial attitude," despite the survey respondents being members of an ethnic and religious minority. It becomes clear that the social profile of former Soviet Jews is far more complex than the Western perception of them solely as victims of antisemitism and potential refugees. It is also more nuanced than sophisticated analyses that depict them merely as a minority defending their rights to cultural heritage in the diaspora, including the right to repatriate to Israel. The diversity of their connections with the non-Jewish environment in their host countries—spanning politics, economy, and culture in the broadest sense—proves to be remarkably deep, multifaceted, and often unexpected.

The cultural and religious integration of Jews into their host countries is characteristic not only of capital cities, but of the entire former Soviet Union. This is illustrated in the study by L. Gurevich and K. Kartashov, "Key Factors and Characteristics of the Identity of Kazakhstan’s Jews," which represents the first attempt at a sociological portrait of Jews in modern Kazakhstan. Generally, information regarding the Jewish community of this country has been highly contradictory. While the 2009 census recorded 3,485 Jews, various estimates from Jewish sources ranged from 10,000 to 80,000 (!). Synagogues were opened in cities where the census recorded no Jews at all, such as Pavlodar. Overall, the social characteristics of Kazakhstani Jews resemble data obtained from studies of the Russian provinces, particularly in regions with very small Jewish populations. Remarkably, despite a fluid Jewish identity, Jewish Studies are developing actively across the post-Soviet space—not only in Kazakhstan, where regular conferences are held, but also in several other countries of the former USSR. This is reflected in articles by V. Damyan, "Three Decades of Academic Jewish Studies in the Republic of Moldova," and D. Shevelev, "Jewish Scientific Periodicals in the Post-Soviet Space: Outcomes of Thirty Years." At the same time, the Jewish press as such is in decline, especially when compared to the boom of Jewish periodicals in the early 1990s, when hundreds of Jewish organizations published newsletters of some kind. Today, Jewish publications number in the dozens, and demand is falling. A useful, if somewhat general, overview of these processes is provided in M. Gold's article, "Jewish Periodicals in the Post-Soviet Space: 30 Years Later."

It is evident that the identity of Russian-speaking Jews living outside the former USSR develops along a different trajectory, though it incorporates core elements of the former Soviet model. This is particularly visible in their attitude toward religion, especially Judaism, which is viewed as a cultural rather than ideological phenomenon. A highly compelling study on the integration of Russian-speaking Jews into Israeli society is presented in Z. Khanin’s article, "The Great Aliyah from the USSR and Post-Soviet Countries and the Emergence of the 'Third Israel,'" which opens the section dedicated to the main theme of this volume—the 30th anniversary of the mass repatriation of Soviet and post-Soviet Jews. Khanin distinguishes three types of integration, noting that many in "Russian Israel" continue to retain features of the old Soviet Jewish identity, which manifests in a much more pronounced, sometimes "shocking" form in their countries of origin, such as Kazakhstan.

Evidently, the integration of the Russian-speaking community in Israel attracts significant attention from Jews living in the post-Soviet space. It is equally relevant for Israelis themselves, as evidenced by public debates surrounding the Law of Return, including calls to amend it and narrow the circle of eligible individuals. This issue is analyzed in detail in H. Ben Yaakov’s review, "Israel and the Diaspora: Debates on Identity (On the 70th Anniversary of the Law of Return)," as well as in the proceedings of the roundtable "Jews of the Post-Soviet Space: Identity, Values, Connection with Israel." The latter presents the perspective of "Russian Israel" on the issues facing contemporary post-Soviet Jewry, which does not always align with the views of the Jews residing there. The key role that Israel has played over the last half-century in the collective consciousness of the modern, nearly three-million-strong "transnational Russian-Jewish diaspora" is now virtually unquestioned. Certain facets of this phenomenon are explored in Velvl Chernin’s article, "'Achilles Pursues the Tortoise': Aliyah and Other Factors in the Development of Russian-Jewish Literature in Israel and the Diaspora." This section also includes a paper co-authored by Khanin and Chernin, "'A House in Galilee'? Third-Generation Russian-Jewish Zionism," which analyzes the activist reimagining of the ideology and practice of modern settlement Zionism by the "1.5 generation" of Russian-speaking repatriates in Israel.

In other countries, integration proves more complex, as illustrated by articles focusing on Russian-speaking Jews in Germany (E. Yakimova: "Russian-Speaking Jews of Germany between the 'Old' and 'New' Galut and the 'Historical Homeland'") and South Africa (B. Gorelik: "Russian-Speaking Jews: The Unfulfilled Hope of South African Jewish Communities"). In both cases, as in the US, Canada, Australia, and other destinations of Soviet Jewish emigration, integration into local Jewish communities is significantly hindered by differing perceptions of what constitutes "Jewishness." For instance, in Germany, official statistics record as Jews only those who formally register as members of communities, which are predominantly Orthodox. Consequently, the number of "registered" Jews from the former USSR is approximately half the number of Russian-speaking Jews who entered the country under "Jewish" quotas.

T. Lokshina's article, "Japan and Its Jews," focuses on a non-Russian-speaking segment of the Jewish communities in the Euro-Asian region. It should be noted that the Japanese community is a long-standing and active member of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, having established ties with the community of Birobidzhan, Japan’s closest Jewish neighbor. Japan presents an example of communal organization unfamiliar to Russian-speaking Jews—the so-called "expat" community, which is prevalent in East and Southeast Asia. The majority of members in these communities are temporary residents from Western countries and Israel, their non-Jewish family members, converts, and descendants of such marriages. We observe examples of expat communities in South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and several other Pacific countries. Notably, the few Russian-speaking Jews living in these countries generally do not integrate into these communities. This specific situation is virtually unrecognized in the wider Jewish world and requires dedicated research, which aligns with the mission of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

Finally, the current volume of the yearbook features several articles exploring historical aspects of Soviet Jewish life. These include an original study by historian and ethnographer V. Dymshits, "'Nobody Asked Me Anything' (Jews of the Soviet Province)," which examines the specific reactions of Soviet Jews to the repressive measures of Soviet authorities; an article by Israeli diplomat Ya. Livne, "Aliyah and the Jewish Theme in Relations between Jerusalem and Moscow, 1948–1953 (Based on Materials from the Russian-Israeli Archival Project)," which details the diplomatic negotiations aimed at securing exit permits for Soviet Jews; and a review by Ya. Ofir of previously unpublished archival data on the status of synagogues in Georgia in the 1940s. Ofir's article confirms the widespread belief among former Soviet Jews that the Soviet authorities in Georgia maintained a more "tolerant" attitude toward the Jewish minority compared to other Soviet republics. Examples of this attitude include permission to export to Israel the original Hebrew translation of "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" by B. Gaponov, and the publication of translations of medieval Hebrew poetry into Georgian by EAJC Board Member Jemal Ajiashvili, among others.

Lastly, the volume features a historical-philosophical essay on the specific nature of Ukrainian antisemitism, penned by the prominent Ukrainian historian and philosopher Ya. Hrytsak.

We hope that these diverse materials will be received with interest by readers wishing to familiarize themselves with the issues concerning Jewry in the Euro-Asian region.