ieajs – Euro-Asian Jewish Congress

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Yearbook released

EAJC — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:21:29 +0000

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Yearbook “Jews of Europe and Asia: State, Heritage, and Prospects” (Russian: “Евреи Европы и Азии: состояние, наследие и перспективы”) for 5779 (2018-2019) is released by the Institute of Euro-Asian Jewish Studies founded by EAJC, in academic cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress pays special attention to scientific research analyzing the ever-changing circumstances, characteristics, problems, and tasks on the agenda of the Jewish communities. In this way, we strive to nourish an informed discussion and visionary decisions regarding Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region, ”said EAJC President Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili.

The EAJC Yearbook opens with an article by EAJC General Director, Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov who analyzes the history and activities of the Congress as a specific organizational phenomenon that arose in the context of the processes generated by the collapse of the socialist bloc, mass Jewish emigration, and the revival of Jewish communities in the post-Soviet space.

The Yearbook contains a conceptual essay by the ethnographer and literary critic Dr. Velvl Chernin on the boundaries of the current Eurasian and FSU Jewry as well as an article by the professor of Ariel University and Chair of Academic Council of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAEI), Zeev (Vladimir) Hanin who analyzes the sociological aspects of the controversy about the size of the “ethnic core” and the “expanded Jewish population” in the countries of the former USSR.

On the pages of the Yearbook, the historian and orientalist Dr. Dmitri Shevelev, using the example of the Jewish community of Moldova, has analyzed the relevance of the idea of Jewish national-cultural autonomy today; Iranian expert Dr. Vladimir Messamed described the modern Iranian Jewish community; and head of the EAJC Strategic Council prof. Mikhail Chlenov highlighted the state and prospects of Jewish ethno-communal groups in India as well as the exotic Jewish community of Indonesia, the most populated Muslim country in the world.

Considerable attention was paid to the state of academic and applied Jewish studies in the post-Soviet space. Dr. Konstantin Bondar devoted an article to the Kharkiv branch of the International Solomon University; associate professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities and Deputy Director of the Museum of Jewish History in Russia, Dr. Maria Kaspina described the experience of Jewish museum work in the post-Soviet space; and from the review by Dr. Artem Fedorchuk you will learn about the Jewish cemeteries study restoration project in Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. While the associate professor of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University, Dr. Alexandra Polyan, wrote about a large-scale system for studying and teaching Hebrew.

The Yearbook concludes with a series of articles on the historical aspects of the relationship between Euro-Asian Jews, Israel, and the Zionist movement. Among them are the article by a Jerusalem researcher, Dr. Yair Paz who introduced the phenomenon of the Georgian quarter in Jerusalem, and the article by Dr. Joseph Brener who analyzed the idea of Jewish statehood outside of Israel.

Releasing the Yearbook, the EAJC regularly provides a timely overview of Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region to the Jewish public, the scientific community and the leadership of the states relevant to the EAJC Jewish communities. This important publishing project was initiated by EAEK President Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili and EAEK Vice President, the President of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAEI), Dr. Mark Shabad.

“On behalf of the EAJC, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the brilliant academic experts who have made this important Yearbook possible. You’ve made a great work to turn the Yearbook “Jews of Europe and Asia: State, Heritage, and Prospects” into a platform for a free and in-depth scientific discussion on Jewish issues in the Euro-Asian region. We are pleased to invite experts in related fields to collaborate, ”said EAJC General Director, Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov.

The 5th international conference “Limmud Moldova 2019” was held in Chisinau

EAJC — Fri, 06 Sep 2019 10:59:57 +0000

The 5th international conference “Limmud Moldova 2019” in Chisinau brought together more than 300 participants from Moldova, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel, France, the USA, and other countries.

At the conference opening ceremony, the EAJC Vice President Alexander Bilinkis welcomed the participants on behalf of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and emphasized the importance and fruitfulness of cooperation between the Jewish Community of Moldova and the EAJC.

“Limmud Moldova 2019” offered the participants a rich and varied program. Seminars, lectures, master classes and discussions covered a wide variety of topics: from the history of the Jews of Moldova to religious discussions and meetings with celebrities.

Prof. Zeev Khanin, head of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies – one of the EAJC special projects, presented the results of the new extended study “Jews of the Post-Soviet Space”, concerning the Jews of Moldova.

A special conference program for kids and teens aged 6-17 was presented by educational professionals and the experienced team of the Nesharim Jewish community camp, which is held annually with the support of the EAJC. This summer, the Nesharim camp gathered more than a hundred children from different parts of Moldova.

New extended study conducted with the support of the EAJC presented in Oxford

EAJC — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 15:35:24 +0000

First results of the extended study “Jews of the Post-Soviet Space”, conducted with the support of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, were presented at the ISGAP-Oxford Summer Institute 2019 for curriculum development in critical antisemitism studies, by prof. Ze’ev Khanin, the Academic Chairman of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS).

In the study more than 2,000 respondents who met the criteria of the Israeli Law of Return, were interviewed, including more than 900 in Russia, 890 in Ukraine, 250 in Belarus, and 350 in Moldova.

According to the study findings, the most observed categories of antisemitism in the FSU region are crimes inspired by Judeophobia, incitement to hostility against Jews, media-sponsored public antisemitism, and antisemitic stereotypes.

Although sociological assessments reveal a refusal to accept open declarations of ethnic inequality and hatred, this does not necessarily exclude potential feelings of xenophobia and ethnic or racial superiority on the part of a substantial part of society. This opens the way to relatively easy violations of the public ban on antisemitism and ethnic discrimination by various institutions in the public sphere.

Although 19% of Ukranian Jews and 7% of Russian and Belarussian Jews claim that the level of antisemitism has substantially grown up in recent years, there is a significant gap between the estimated dynamics of antisemitism in small towns on one hand, and in capitals and big cities, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Odessa, and Minsk, on the other. The trend is also observed for the antisemitic attacks: as 15-26% of the respondents in capitals and big cities experienced antisemitic attacks firsthand, for small communities this indicator is estimated at 47%.

Among the indications of the recent years, the study observes a return in the mass consciousness of a few old-style anti-Jewish stereotypes, such as the accusation of Jews in the dual loyalty. According to the polls, about half of the Russian citizens believe that the Jews mostly loyal to their own interests, rather than interests of the country they live in. However, the IEAJS study shows, that 70-85% of the questioned FSU Jews see countries that they currently live in as “theirs” before all; 37-53% totally agree that Jews must be patriots of the country they live in; and 33-50% do not see any contradiction between local patriotism and strong solidarity with the State of Israel.

“The departure from the state antisemitism of Soviet times and a reduction of the level of violence motivated by antisemitic views do not mean that antisemitism as a cultural phenomenon has vanished in these countries. The majority of xenophobic groups in FSU society feature “latent” or “sleeping” antisemitism”, – prof. Ze’ev Khanin said.

“The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is systematically monitoring antisemitic incidents and discourse in the FSU region. We consider this painful issue an essential problem of the modern world and call on leaders and influencers in the FSU region to confront and condemn antisemitism for what it is – disgusting, ignorant, and extremely dangerous bigotry”,- said EAJC President Michael Mirilashvili.

The 26th Annual International Conference on Jewish Studies opened in Moscow with the support of the EAJC

EAJC — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 13:56:28 +0000

On July 14, the 26th Annual International Conference on Jewish Studies, organized by the Sefer Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization, an EAJC partner since its foundation, together with the Center for Slavic-Judaic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was opened in Moscow.

The conference program includes sections on traditional areas of Jewish studies, such as Biblical and Talmudic Studies, Jewish Thought, Jewish History, Judeo-Christian Relations, the Holocaust, Israeli Studies, Languages and Literature, Art, Ethnology, Demography, Jewish Genealogy, Museums, and Archives, as well as topics that require interdisciplinary approach.

On the second day of the conference, a special partnership session “Israel and the Diaspora”, organized by the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAEI), was held under the moderation of Prof. Ze’ev Khanin, Chairman of the Academic Council of IEAAI.

Within the session, Dr. Haim Ben-Ya’akov, Director General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress spoke about the Jewish world and the State of Israel in the aftermath of World War II; Prof. Ze’ev Khanin presented his view on the topic “Russians” and other Diaspora Jews – a look at Israel”; and Ariel Bulstein, Head of the EAJC Public Diplomacy Project, spoke on the topic “The Jewish Factor in the People’s Diplomacy of the State of Israel: Challenges and Prospects”.

“In addition to academic sessions, we hold consultations with experts from different European countries in terms of opportunities to expand cooperation with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, including international diplomacy programs, publishing programs, and interaction with Jewish communities”,- said Dr. Haim Ben-Ya’akov, Director General of EAJC.

Prof. Ze’ev Khanin: “the “Russian” Israeli community is rather a product of the local experience then of the Soviet and post-Soviet legacy

EAJC — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 06:26:07 +0000

Photo: Erez Biton Photography

At the 35th Annual Conference of the Association for Israel Studies, one of the leading Israeli experts on the Israeli Russian-speaking community prof. Zeev Khanin concisely summarized the key findings of multiple studies regarding the Russian-speaking Israeli citizens.

Reviewing comprehensive studies over the last nine years, Prof. Ze’ev Khanin emphasized that the key expectations of the Russian-speaking Israelis from national leaders are similar to those of the rest of the Israeli citizens.

National security issues concern 50% to almost 90% of the community over recent years. Among the leading socio-economic issues that particularly concern the Russian-speaking citizens are solving the housing problem of young couples, lowering retail prices, deregulation of the economy, and improvement of formal education.

At the same time, almost a third of Russian-speaking olim (more than 60% among the elders) recognize many problems specific for the members of the community. Almost 45% and more among the middle-aged believe such problems are limited while only about a quarter, mainly young people, believed that “Russian-speaking Israelis have the same problems as others.”

“It seems that the very notion of “Russian interests” in communal discourse in recent years has been transformed from a simple interaction into a more organic combination of a nationwide and a specific community agenda”,- said Prof. Ze’ev Khanin during the panel chaired by Dr. Haim Ben-Ya’akov, Director General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

Since 1989, around 1.1 million Russian-speaking olim arrived in Israel while till now around half of them feel some degree of personal belonging to the Israeli “Russian” community at any age.

All in all, as quoted studies show, in terms of understanding basic state and society issues, as well as relations of Israel with Russia and other FSU countries, the “Russian” Israeli community is rather a product of the local experience than of the Soviet and post-Soviet legacy.

The panel “The Russian-Jewish Diaspora at the Shadow of Russian-Israeli Relations” at the 35th Annual Conference of the Association for Israel Studies is organized by the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies and sponsored by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. The panel participants:

Prof. Vladimir (Ze’ev) Khanin is the Academic Chairman of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS), founded by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and lectures Israel, Jewish and Political studies at Ariel University and Bar-Ilan University.

Vladimir Chernin, Director of Publishing Projects at the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS) and Yiddish language and culture lecturer at the Ariel University: Between Diaspora Identity and Identification with the Jewish State: Russian Jewish Literature in Israel.

Jennifer Shkabatur, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya: The Mirror of Social Media: Identity and Politics Among the Russian Diaspora.