Aliens in an alien world: paradoxes of Jewish–Christian identity in contemporary Russia
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Abstract
For many centuries the attitude towards baptised Jews within Jewish society was extremely negative, as baptism was perceived as apostasy. This attitude persists to this day, even though many Jews have abandoned Judaism and a secular Jewish identity has emerged. After seven decades of Soviet rule, during which a new Soviet, wholly secular Jewish identity, was constructed, Jewish identity in the former Soviet Union (FSU) is based mainly on the ethnic principle. As a result of an almost total detachment from Judaism, some Soviet and former‐Soviet Jews have converted to Russian Orthodoxy. Moreover, we can see the formation of a paradoxical Russian Orthodox Jewish self‐identification in post‐Soviet Russia. This processes, its trends and peculiar features are poorly studied, a matter this paper intends to remedy.
Topics
Main Topic: Identity and Community Jewish Identity Christianity Religious Belief Religious Observance and Practice Conversion Ethnicity Secularity
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Geographic Coverage
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Volume/Issue
40(1)
Page Number / Article Number
19-41
DOI
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Link to article (paywalled), Aliens in an alien world: paradoxes of Jewish–Christian identity in contemporary Russia
Bibliographic Information
Aliens in an alien world: paradoxes of Jewish–Christian identity in contemporary Russia. 2010: 19-41. https://archive.jpr.org.uk/10.1080/13501671003593634
