Judaism and Jewishness in the USSR: Ethnicity and Religion

In: Nationalities papers: the journal of nationalism and ethnicity, Band 20, Heft 1, S. 75-85

Abstract

The distinction between Judaism & Jewishness in the former USSR is examined. In the USSR, the official Jewish identity is ethnic & not related to religious practice or affiliation. This distinction has allowed the survival of Jewishness despite the near destruction of the Judaic religion. Jewish life now faces the challenge of emigration that will appeal disportionately to the religious community & will likely leave the Jewish population increasingly less religious. Allowed self-determination, Soviet Jewry will likely create new expressions of Judaism & Jewishness & the lines between religion & ethnicity will become blurred, though will still remain much more distinct than in the West. 10 References. D. Generoli