Saving Soviet Jews and the Future of the Global Jewish Diaspora

Abstract Soviet Jews were once an object of Israeli, American, British, and other Jews’ efforts to get the Soviet government to “free them,” since the borders to the Soviet Union were closed without permission. With the collapse of the country, post-Soviet Jews went from being a group in need of other Jews’ assistance to active subjects of their and others’ destinies. Post-Soviet Jews speak multiple languages and hold dual citizenships, which gives them financial, social, and political capital with which they shape the global Jewish future. They have done so by forming political parties in Israel such as Yisrael ba’aliya to the far right Yisrael beiteinu, whose politics have become mainstream in the Israeli electorate. Wealthy post-Soviet Jews have used their vast financial resources and connections with political power to shape the future. They have done this by donating huge sums of money to cultural institutions and universities as well as by forming large-scale Jewish philanthropic endeavors like the Genesis Philanthropy Group and the Blavatnik Archive to put issues of concern to former Soviet Jews on the global Jewish communal agenda. This has not been without consequences for the future of global Jewish life.