The EAJC has released the 5784 Yearbook in memory of M. A. Chlenov

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) has released the EAJC Yearbook “Jews of Europe and Asia: State, Heritage, and Prospects” for 2022-2024. This new collection of academic and journalistic articles, prepared by the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS) in academic cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is dedicated to the memory of the founder and first president of the Congress, Professor Mikhail Chlenov (September 26, 1940 – August 7, 2024).

In the foreword, EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili noted that the published materials reflect the profound upheavals of recent years faced by Jewish communities worldwide—including the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hostilities in Ukraine, and Israel's war against Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists that began with the October 7 terrorist attack:

“This period of high volatility and critical questions about a future we cannot predict, despite our best efforts, poses a difficult question regarding the role of international Jewish organizations in such times. The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress has always viewed its role not only in directly supporting Jewish life in the region but also in its comprehensive study to document actual trends and lay the groundwork for practical decision-making, even in such unpredictable times.”

The Yearbook opens with an article by the EAJC Director General, Dr. Haim Ben-Yakov, analyzing the activities of the Congress and its engagement with the Jewish communities of the Euro-Asian region amidst the major humanitarian, military, and political crises of recent years: “The aforementioned events necessitated a significant review of the priorities and nature of the activities of the Congress and its constituent umbrella organizations, focusing on providing assistance to affected communities. However, other vital projects and programs have not been neglected.”

In his study, the IEAJS Academic Director, Professor Ze'ev Khanin, examines the challenges within the development of Jewish communities in Ukraine and Russia amid the ongoing war and outlines several scenarios for the future of communal institutions under emergency conditions, large-scale population displacement, and political risks. This is followed by Viktor Damian's analysis of the Jewish community in the Republic of Moldova.

The study of Russian-speaking Jewry continues with a piece by Dr. Velvl Chernin, Director of IEAJS Publishing Projects, on Yiddish literature as a facet of Russian-speaking Jewish identity in the 21st century.

Valeriy Dymshits' article sheds light on another major and well-known Jewish community of the post-Soviet space—the Azerbaijani Jewish community.

The second section of the collection features works by researchers Dr. Dmitry Maryasis, Prof. Ze'ev Khanin, and Dr. Nati Kantorovich, dedicated to the post-Soviet Jewish diaspora and its relationship with Israel.

Dmitry Maryasis prepared a detailed socio-demographic study on the “Great Aliyah” from post-Soviet countries, analyzing their contribution to Israeli socio-economic development. This is followed by a more detailed description of the “military” wave of repatriation (after February 24, 2022) by Prof. Khanin. The chapter by IEAJS expert Dr. Nati Kantorovich focuses on the "Nativ" institution—without which Soviet and post-Soviet repatriation might not have taken place—tracing the evolution of its functions and its perception both in Israel and abroad.

A dedicated section of the Yearbook addresses the significant rise of antisemitism globally and particularly in the post-Soviet space as a consequence of the war in Ukraine and the tragedy of October 7, 2023, and especially the subsequent IDF counter-terrorist operation “Swords of Iron.” Antisemitic narratives that have become widespread globally, often leading to violence, are analyzed in articles by Mati Frenkelzon (Jerusalem), Nati Kantorovich (Jerusalem), Haim Ben-Yakov (Tel Aviv), Emil Pain, Dmitry Pain (Moscow), and Konstantin Mogarichev (West Lafayette).

The final section of the collection presents historical-archival and anthropological research related to relevant themes in Jewish history and contemporary life.

The materials of the Yearbook can be accessed on the EAJC Online Library website and on the Institute's website.

The Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS), founded in 2018, operates under the auspices of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) as a platform for scholarly and professional communication among leading experts on the issues of Jewish communities in the former USSR, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, as well as Western, Central, and Eastern Asia.