Soviet Jewry Since the Second World War: Population and Social Structure (review)

Abstract

90 SHOFAR most countries, but because the ideology of antisemitism unfortunately makes for good politics. Glenn R. Sharfman Department of History Hiram College Soviet Jewry Since the Second World War: Population and Social Structure, by Mordechai Altshuler. Westport, Cf: Greenwood Press, 1987. 278 pp. $42.95. To date, this is one of the best books written on any nationality of the Soviet Union, let alone the Jews. Its approach is scholarly, with all assertions supported by hard statistical evidence and clear analyses. The methodology is thorough, sound, and at times ingenious, given the difficulty of obtaining information on the subject. Altshuler employs Soviet statistical sources, analyses of these data by various authors, secondary supportive sources from different countries and in numerous languages, and interviews with emigres, and also includes data on other ethnic groups for comparative purposes to develop his discussions and arguments. Few works on the actual situations of nationalities in the USSR use such thorough and unbiased methodologies as Altshuler does in this work. Included in this work are discussions on the general problems in the use of Soviet census materials. Levels of reporting, changes in definitions over time, and official approaches to reporting these data are discussed. Given the paucity of data on the Jews in particular the author uses every ounce of information obtainable to complete this study. These discussions are valuable to scholars interested in all nationalities of the USSR, not only the Jews. Altshuler refutes the claims that the population of Jews is higher in the USSR than the census would indicate. His assertions are methodologically sound in his comparisons of census to other data. Interviews with recent emigres also support his conclusions. He clearly shows that the actual decline in the Jewish population stems basically from three demographic processes: 1) a low birth rate, 2) assimilation through mixed marriage where the trend is to give the child the identity of the non-Jewish parent, and 3) emigration. Altshuler goes into great detail on the situation of the Jews in terms of education levels (which affects the birth rate and assimilation), the age-sex structure of the Jewish community (and how this came about), settlement patterns and internal migration, etc. The numerous tables alone make this one of the most valuable sources of information on Soviet Jewry, let alone the excellent analyses of the information. Volume 9, No.2 Winter 1991 91 The impact of the holocaust on Jewish demographic behavior is well presented. Altshuler not only discusses the actual loss of population, but also its impact on demographic trends. It was the rural, Yiddish-speaking, more religious and traditional, and female populations that were hardest hit. These were also the least educated and assimilated of the Jews in the USSR. These concepts are rarely covered in discussions on the impact of the holocaust on Soviet Jewry. Official and non-official discrimination against the Jews in hiring, educational establishments, and entry into the communist party are discussed in detail. The ambivalence of the authorities between representative representation by nationality in the party (Le., equal representation), the need to have skilled and motivated party membership, and antisemitism in practice are well treated in this book. Altshuler indicates that in terms of membership in the communist party there is little official discrimination against Jews. However , in the placement of people in actual jobs discrimination of this nature is rampant on both the national and local levels. The greatest discrimination is evident on the local level, where antisemitism is most clearly expressed. One can always find fault with any work, and this is no exception. However , none of these minor issues of interpretation or point of view are worthy of discrediting this excellent work. That the author does not adequately explain the choices of destination of emigration (between Israel, the US, or other countries) does not in any way mar his excellent discussion of why Jewish people choose to emigrate. The only seemingly serious problem of the book is that it does not adequately explain the differences between the Ashkenazic, Georgian, Mountain (Tati or Dagestani), Central Asian, and Krymchak (Crimean Tatar) Jewish communities. The differences in the histories , cultures, and contacts of these peoples should have been...