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Antisemitism: Overview of data available in the European Union 2008-2018
Date: 2019
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Hate crime, Law, Government, European Union, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: Antisemitism can be expressed in the form of verbal and physical attacks, threats, harassment, discrimination and unequal treatment, property damage and graffiti or other forms of speech or text, including on the internet. Antisemitic incidents and hate crime violate fundamental rights, especially the right to human dignity, the right to equality of treatment and the freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The present report provides an overview of data on antisemitism as recorded by international organisations and by official and unofficial sources in the 28 European Union (EU) Member States, based on their own definitions and categorisations. ‘Official data’ are understood here as those collected by law enforcement agencies, other authorities that are part of criminal justice systems and relevant state ministries at the national level. ‘Unofficial data’ refers to data collected by civil society organisations. This is the 15th edition of FRA’s report on the situation of data collection on antisemitism in the EU (including reports published by FRA’s predecessor, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia).
Young Jewish Europeans: perceptions and experiences of antisemitism
Author(s): Boyd, Jonathan
Date: 2019
Topics: Antisemitism, Jewish Perceptions of Antisemitism, Main Topic: Antisemitism, Youth, Surveys, European Union
Abstract: A study of the identities of young Jewish Europeans, with particular emphasis on how contemporary antisemitism is affecting them. Written by JPR for the European Commission and European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), it is based on FRA data gathered and analysed by JPR/Ipsos.
A Half Century of Jewish Emigration from the Former Soviet Union
Author(s): Tolts, Mark
Date: 2019
Topics: Main Topic: Demography and Migration, Demography, Emigration, Aliyah, Russian-Speaking Jews
Can Convenience Samples be Trusted? Lessons From the Survey of Jews in Europe, 2012
Author(s): Staetsky, L. Daniel
Date: 2019
Topics: Main Topic: Antisemitism, Methodology, Surveys, Antisemitism, Demography
Abstract: Jews living in the Diaspora form a very small proportion of the total population in all countries without an exception. This situation (‘the rarity problem’) presents a major obstacle to survey taking among Jews: Jews are nearly impossible to capture in numbers conducive to statistical analysis in regular national sample surveys. Various probability-based sampling methods have been applied in the context of Jewish surveys. The key development in the field of Jewish social surveys in Europe, however, is the shift from probability sampling to methods that are reliant on non-probability sampling, either partially or exclusively. Can the insights produced by such samples be trusted? To what extent can they be understood, by academics and policy makers, as a true representation of the realities lived through by contemporary European Jewish populations? These questions are empirically investigated using the FRA 2012 survey - the first cross-European survey of Jewish perceptions and experiences of antisemitism conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and polling agency IPSOS Mori in 2012.
Disinformation and Antisemitism: Holocaust Denial in the Baltic States, 1945–1999
Author(s): Levin, Dov
Editor(s): Roth, John K.; Maxwell, Elizabeth; Levy, Margot; Whitworth, Wendy
Date: 2001
Topics: Main Topic: Antisemitism, Holocaust Denial
Abstract: Although this article presumes to focus on all three of the important phenomena expressed in its title, in the post-Holocaust reality they often commingle and cannot always be differentiated properly. In the main, this is said about the problem of distinguishing between general denial of the Holocaust and partial denial, which includes components of disinformation and distortion. All of them frequently interrelate with the new forms of antisemitism. Be this as it may, this article will attempt to present several facts that represent our knowledge of these phenomena in respect to the Holocaust in the three Baltic countries, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Perceptions of antisemitism
Date: 2018
Topics: Main Topic: Antisemitism, Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Surveys, European Union
Abstract: Summary:

This Special Eurobarometer survey on 'perceptions of antisemitism' was carried out in December 2018 and presents a snapshot of the way European perceive antisemitism.

Further information:

The Report shows that perceptions among Europeans on this issue are very divided - while every other European considers Antisemitism to be a problem in their country, 4 in 10 Europeans actually do not consider it to be an issue in their country. The results also show that there is a perception gap on Antisemitism: while 89% of Jews say that Antisemitism significantly increased over a period of 5 years, only 36% of the general public consider it has indeed increased.
Holocaust Remembrance Project: How European Countries Treat Their Wartime Past
Author(s): Echikson, William
Date: 2019
Topics: Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial, Holocaust Commemoration, Holocaust Denial, Holocaust Education, Memory, Nationalism, Restitution and Reparations, Antisemitism
Abstract: This first-ever report rating individual European Union countries on how they face up their Holocaust pasts was published on January 25, 2019 to coincide with UN Holocaust Remembrance Day. Researchers from Yale and Grinnell Colleges travelled throughout Europe to conduct the research. Representatives from the European Union of Progressive Judaism (EUPJ) have endorsed their work.


Key Findings:

●Many European Union governments are rehabilitating World War II collaborators and war criminals while minimising their own guilt in the attempted extermination of Jews.
●Revisionism is worst in new Central European members - Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Lithuania.
●But not all Central Europeans are moving in the wrong direction: two exemplary countries living up to their tragic histories are the Czech Republic and Romania. The Romanian model of appointing an independent commission to study the Holocaust should be duplicated.
●West European countries are not free from infection - Italy, in particular, needs to improve.
●In the west, Austria has made a remarkable turn-around while France stands out for its progress in accepting responsibility for the Vichy collaborationist government.
●Instead of protesting revisionist excesses, Israel supports many of the nationalist and revisionist governments.
Reflections on the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) survey of Jewish people’s experiences and perceptions of antisemitism
Author(s): Boyd, Jonathan
Date: 2018
Topics: Main Topic: Antisemitism, Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Surveys
Abstract: This paper outlines JPR’s initial reflections on the findings contained in the new European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report about antisemitism in Europe. It contains four sections:

1. Background to the study and JPR’s involvement in it;
2. A summary of the key findings;
3. A note about data reliability;
4. Our view of how the data should be read and understood.
Experiences and perceptions of antisemitism: Second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU
Author(s): European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
Date: 2018
Topics: Main Topic: Antisemitism, Antisemitism, Surveys, Antisemitism: Monitoring
Abstract: This report presents the main findings of FRA’s second survey on Jewish people’s experiences and perceptions of hate crime, discrimination and antisemitism. It analyses data from the responses of 16,395 selfidentified Jewish people (aged 16 or over) in 12 EU Member States – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. These Member States are home to over 96 % of the EU’s estimated Jewish population. In addition to the 12 EU Member States mentioned above, FRA also carried out the survey in Latvia. Due to the low response level to the online dissemination campaign in Latvia, changes in recruitment methodology and data collection were applied. While the survey was able to reach more respondents in this way, the changes in the respondent recruitment and data collection methods limit the scope for comparisons between Latvia and the other survey countries.
Fourth Survey of European Jewish Community Leaders and Professionals, 2018
Author(s): Kosmin, Barry A.
Date: 2018
Topics: Antisemitism, Fundraising and Philanthropy, Israel Attachment, Jewish Continuity, Religious Denominations, Security, Surveys, Jewish Leadership, Jewish Organisations, Main Topic: Identity and Community, Jewish Identity
Abstract: The Fourth Survey of European Jewish Community Leaders and Professionals, 2018 presents the results of an online survey offered in 10 languages and administered to 893 respondents in 29 countries. Conducted every three years using the same format, the survey seeks to identify trends and their evolution in time.

The survey asked Jewish lay leaders and community professionals questions regarding future community priorities, identifying the main threats to Jewish life, views on the safety and security situation in their cities, including emergency preparedness, and opinions on an array of internal community issues. Examples include conversions, membership criteria policies on intermarriage, and their vision of Europe and Israel.

The respondents were comprised of presidents and chairpersons of nationwide “umbrella organizations” or Federations; presidents and executive directors of private Jewish foundations, charities, and other privately funded initiatives; presidents and main representatives of Jewish communities that are organized at a city level; executive directors and programme coordinators, as well as current and former board members of Jewish organizations; among others.

The JDC International Centre for Community Development established the survey as a means to identify the priorities, sensibilities and concerns of Europe’s top Jewish leaders and professionals working in Jewish institutions, taking into account the changes that European Jewry has gone through since 1989, and the current political challenges and uncertainties in the continent. In a landscape with few mechanisms that can truly gauge these phenomena, the European Jewish Community Leaders Survey is an essential tool for analysis and applied research in the field of community development.

The Survey team was directed by Dr. Barry Kosmin (Trinity College), who has conducted several large national social surveys and opinion polls in Europe, Africa and the U.S., including the CJF 1990 US National Jewish Population Survey.
Post-Soviet Jewish Demographic Dynamics: An Analysis of Recent Data
Author(s): Tolts, Mark
Editor(s): DellaPergola, Sergio; Rebhun, Uzi
Date: 2018
Topics: Main Topic: Demography and Migration, Demography, Russian Emigration
Abstract: FSU Jewish numerical dynamics and emigration are presented. The demographic characteristics of the Jews today in different FSU countries and some parts of the Russian Federation are analyzed in comparison with those of Soviet Jewry at the onset of the mass emigration of the 1990s.
Еврейская молодежь в постсоветских странах: Институт востоковедения РАН
Translated Title: Post-Soviet Jewish Youth: Ethnic Identity, Community Life and Connections with Israel
Author(s): Ханин, ВладиМир (Зеэв); Писаревская, Дина; Эпштейн, Алек Д
Date: 2013
Topics: Main Topic: Identity and Community, Jewish Identity, Ethnicity, Youth, Jewish Education
Abstract: Монография представляет собой попытку реконструировать модели этнического, национально-гражданского и религиозного самосознания постсоветской еврейской молодежи, с привлечением собранного авторами полевого материала. В работе рассматривается, в чем проявляется еврейская идентичность молодых людей. Внимание уделяется таким темам, как формирование этнической самоидентификации и религиозный опыт еврейской молодежи; стремление разнообразных еврейских организаций сконструировать новую еврейскую идентичность на постсоветском пространстве; стиль жизни и формы проведения досуга молодежи; система ценностей молодых людей еврейского происхождения, включая их отношение к Государству Израиль и память о Холокосте.

Впервые воедино собраны материалы восьми исследований, проведенных авторами в течение последних десяти лет, и большая часть полученных данных публикуется впервые. Это позволяет получить доступ к беспрецедентно большому массиву информации и проанализировать исследовательские вопросы более углубленно, чем это когда-либо делалось прежде.

Книга может представлять интерес для социологов, этнологов, антропологов, культурологов и специалистов по иудаике, а также для широкого круга читателей, интересующихся современными проблемами еврейства
Values and Religious Identification among Affiliated Jews in Eastern Europe
Author(s): Cohen, Erik H.; Kovács, András
Date: 2013
Topics: Main Topic: Identity and Community, Surveys, Statistics, Values, Jewish Community
Abstract: This article analyzes data on the values of adults affiliated with the
Jewish community in Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Romania.
There was wide agreement among the populations’ value prioritization,
but they are not monolithic. Overall, family-related values were more
important than materialistic values. Those in Romania were the most
religious, those in Hungary the least so.

A graphic portrayal of the data is presented and interpreted, guided
by the Schwartz axiological typology. Sub-populations by home country
and age group are compared in the context of this model. The older
cohort tends towards Family-related values, while the younger cohort
tends towards values of Hedonism and Stimulation. The placement of
the national sub-groups illustrates their relative emphasis on materialist
values versus post-materialist values of self-enhancement, which reflects
the degree of democratization of the countries and the socio-economic
level of the Jewish communities.
Post-Soviet Jewish Demography, 1989-2004
Author(s): Tolts, Mark
Editor(s): Gitelman, Zvi; Ro'i, Yaakov
Date: 2007
Topics: Soviet Jewry, Main Topic: Demography and Migration, Demography, Censuses, Migration, Aliyah
Post-Soviet Jewish Demographic Dynamics: An Analysis of Recent Data [Revised as of February 18, 2018]
Author(s): Tolts, Mark
Date: 2018
Topics: Main Topic: Demography and Migration, Demography, Censuses, Ageing and the Elderly, Aliyah, Emigration
Abstract: Results of the recent censuses of the FSU countries clearly demonstrated that Jewish demographic decline has transpired rather quickly in most of them. Our analysis shows that aging reached a very advanced level among all post-Soviet Jews, with the exception of those in Azerbaijan. Especially high indicators of aging were found in Belarus and St. Petersburg. Based on the data of Russian censuses we also found that low fertility persisted among the Jewish population. Germany and the USA ceased to be a major destination for ex-Soviet Jewish emigration as immigration rules became more stringent in these countries. At the same time, a severe economic crisis led to a great increase in emigration from Russia and Ukraine to Israel in recent years, whereas return migration, as seen in Russian data, reached its lowest level.
European Jewish identity: Mosaic or monolith? An empirical assessment of eight European countries
Author(s): Graham, David
Date: 2018
Topics: Main Topic: Identity and Community, Jewish Identity, Antisemitism, Intermarriage, Religious Observance and Practice, Jewish Perceptions of Antisemitism, Surveys
Abstract: JPR’s report, European Jewish identity: Mosaic or monolith? An empirical assessment of eight European countries, authored by Senior Research Fellow Dr David Graham, asks whether there is such a thing as a European Jewish identity, and, if so, what it looks like.

The question of whether there is a Jewish identity that is at once common to all European Jews but also peculiar to them, has intrigued scholars of contemporary Jewry since the fall of the Berlin Wall. This study contrasts the European picture with the two major centres of world Jewry, the United States and Israel, and examines the nature and content of Jewish identity across Europe, exploring the three core pillars of belief, belonging and behaviour around which Jewish identity is built.

This research was made possible by the advent of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) survey in 2012 examining Jewish people’s experiences and perceptions of antisemitism across nine EU Member States: Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Sweden and the UK. As well as gathering data about antisemitism, the study investigated various aspects of the Jewishness of respondents, in order to ascertain whether different types of Jews perceive and experience antisemitism differently. This study focuses on the data gathered about Jewishness, thereby enabling direct comparisons to be made for the first time across multiple European Jewish communities in a robust and comprehensive way.

The report concludes that there is no monolithic European identity, but it explores in detail the mosaic of Jewish identity in Europe, highlighting some key differences:
• In Belgium, where Jewish parents are most likely to send their children to Jewish schools, there is a unique polarisation between the observant and non-observant;
• In France, Jews exhibit the strongest feelings of being part of the Jewish People, and also have the strongest level of emotional attachment to Israel;
• Germany’s Jewish community has the largest proportion of foreign-born Jews, and, along with Hungary, is the youngest Jewish population;
• In Hungary the greatest relative weight in Jewish identity priorities is placed on 'Combating antisemitism,' and the weakest level of support for Israel is exhibited;
• In Italy, respondents are least likely to report being Jewish by birth or to have two Jewish parents;
• The Jews of Latvia are the oldest population and the most likely to be intermarried;
• The Jews of Sweden attach a very high level of importance to 'Combating antisemitism' despite being relatively unlikely to experience it, and they observe few Jewish practices;
• In the United Kingdom, Jews observe the most religious practices and appear to feel the least threatened by antisemitism. They are the most likely to be Jewish by birth and least likely to be intermarried.

According to report author, Dr David Graham: “This report represents far more than the culmination of an empirical assessment of Jewish identity. Never before has it been possible to examine Jewish identity across Europe in anything approaching a coherent and systematic way. Prior to the FRA’s survey, it was almost inconceivable that an analysis of this kind could be carried out at all. The formidable obstacles of cost, language, political and logistical complexity seemed to present impenetrable barriers to the realisation of any such dream. Yet this is exactly what has been achieved, a report made possible through an FRA initiative into furthering understanding of Jewish peoples' experience of antisemitism. It reveals a European Jewry that is more mosaic than monolith, an array of Jewish communities, each exhibiting unique Jewish personas, yet united by geography and a common cultural heritage."
Bringing the Dark Past to Light The Reception of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Europe
Editor(s): Himka, John-Paul; Michlic, Joanna Beata
Date: 2013
Topics: Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial, Memory, National Identity, Antisemitism, Holocaust Memorials, Holocaust Survivors, Holocaust Commemoration, Jewish Revival, Post-1989, Communism, Jewish - Non - Jewish Relations
Abstract: Despite the Holocaust’s profound impact on the history of Eastern Europe, the communist regimes successfully repressed public discourse about and memory of this tragedy. Since the collapse of communism in 1989, however, this has changed. Not only has a wealth of archival sources become available, but there have also been oral history projects and interviews recording the testimonies of eyewitnesses who experienced the Holocaust as children and young adults. Recent political, social, and cultural developments have facilitated a more nuanced and complex understanding of the continuities and discontinuities in representations of the Holocaust. People are beginning to realize the significant role that memory of Holocaust plays in contemporary discussions of national identity in Eastern Europe.

This volume of original essays explores the memory of the Holocaust and the Jewish past in postcommunist Eastern Europe. Devoting space to every postcommunist country, the essays in Bringing the Dark Past to Light explore how the memory of the “dark pasts” of Eastern European nations is being recollected and reworked. In addition, it examines how this memory shapes the collective identities and the social identity of ethnic and national minorities. Memory of the Holocaust has practical implications regarding the current development of national cultures and international relationships.

Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
John-Paul Himka and Joanna Beata Michlic
1. "Our Conscience Is Clean": Albanian Elites and the Memory of the Holocaust in Postsocialist Albania
Daniel Perez
2. The Invisible Genocide: The Holocaust in Belarus
Per Anders Rudling
3. Contemporary Responses to the Holocaust in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Francine Friedman
4. Debating the Fate of Bulgarian Jews during World War II
Joseph Benatov
5. Representations of the Holocaust and Historical Debates in Croatia since 1989
Mark Biondich
6. The Sheep of Lidice: The Holocaust and the Construction of Czech National History
Michal Frankl
7. Victim of History: Perceptions of the Holocaust in Estonia
Anton Weiss-Wendt
8. Holocaust Remembrance in the German Democratic Republic--and Beyond
Peter Monteath
9. The Memory of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Hungary
Part 1: The Politics of Holocaust Memory
Paul Hanebrink
Part 2: Cinematic Memory of the Holocaust
Catherine Portuges
10. The Transformation of Holocaust Memory in Post-Soviet Latvia
Bella Zisere
11. Conflicting Memories: The Reception of the Holocaust in Lithuania
Saulius Sužied<edot>lis and Šarūnas Liekis
12. The Combined Legacies of the "Jewish Question" and the "Macedonian Question"
Holly Case
13. Public Discourses on the Holocaust in Moldova: Justification, Instrumentalization, and Mourning
Vladimir Solonari
14. The Memory of the Holocaust in Post-1989 Poland: Renewal--Its Accomplishments and Its Powerlessness
Joanna B. Michlic and Małgorzata Melchior
15. Public Perceptions of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Romania
Felicia Waldman and Mihai Chioveanu
16. The Reception of the Holocaust in Russia: Silence, Conspiracy, and Glimpses of Light
Klas-Göran Karlsson
17. Between Marginalization and Instrumentalization: Holocaust Memory in Serbia since the Late 1980s
Jovan Byford
18. The "Unmasterable Past"? The Reception of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Slovakia
Nina Paulovičová
19. On the Periphery: Jews, Slovenes, and the Memory of the Holocaust
Gregor Joseph Kranjc
20. The Reception of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Ukraine
John-Paul Himka
Conclusion
Omer Bartov
Contributors
Index
Antisemitism: Overview of data available in the European Union 2006-2016
Author(s): European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
Date: 2017
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Hate crime, Law, Government, European Union, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: Antisemitism can be expressed in the form of verbal and physical attacks, threats, harassment, property damage and graffiti or other forms of speech or text, including on the internet. Antisemitic incidents and hate crime violate fundamental rights, including the right to human dignity, the right to equality of treatment and the freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

This annual overview compiles the available evidence on antisemitic incidents collected by governmental and non-governmental sources, covering the period 1 January 2006– 31 December 2016, where data are available. In addition, it includes a section that presents evidence from international organisations. No official data on reported antisemitic incidents in 2016 were available for 11 Member States by the time this report was compiled in September 2017.

‘Official data’ are understood here as those collected by law enforcement agencies, other authorities that are part of criminal justice systems and relevant state ministries at the national level. ‘Unofficial data’ refers to data collected by civil society organisations.
Balti Jidiš Ja Selle Piirid
Translated Title: Balti jiidiú ja taa piiriq / Baltic Yiddish and its borders
Author(s): Verschik, Anna
Date: 2005
Topics: Main Topic: Other, Yiddish, Linguistics, Language
Overview of Immovable Property Restitution/Compensation Regime - Latvia (As of 13 December 2016)
Author(s): European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI)
Date: 2017
Topics: Holocaust Survivors, Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial, Restitution and Reparations, Holocaust
Abstract: The Holocaust (Shoah) Immovable Property Restitution Study is the first-ever comprehensive
compilation of all significant legislation passed since 1945 by the 47 states that participated in
the 2009 Prague Holocaust Era Assets Conference and endorsed the 2009 Terezin Declaration
that came out of the Prague conference.

The Terezin Declaration (and its companion document, the 2010 Guidelines and Best Practices,
endorsed by 43 countries) focuses in substantial part on the treatment of immovable (real)
property restitution: private, communal, and heirless property. The Study examined private,
communal, and heirless property as discrete components of each country’s restitution efforts
from 1944 to 2016.

Latvia endorsed the Terezin Declaration in 2009 and the Guidelines and Best Practices in
2010.

As part of the European Shoah Legacy Institute’s Immovable Property Restitution Study,
a Questionnaire covering past and present restitution regimes for private, communal and
heirless property was sent to all 47 Terezin Declaration governments in 2015. Latvia
submitted a response in September 2015.
Holocaust (Shoah) Immovable Property Restitution Study
Author(s): European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI)
Date: 2017
Topics: Holocaust Survivors, Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial, Restitution and Reparations
Abstract: The Holocaust (Shoah) Immovable Property Restitution Study is the first-ever comprehensive
compilation of all significant legislation passed since 1945 by the 47 states that participated in
the 2009 Prague Holocaust Era Assets Conference and endorsed the 2009 Terezin Declaration
that came out of the Prague conference.

The Terezin Declaration (and its companion document, the 2010 Guidelines and Best Practices,
endorsed by 43 countries) focuses in substantial part on the treatment of immovable (real)
property restitution: private, communal, and heirless property. The Study examined private,
communal, and heirless property as discrete components of each country’s restitution efforts
from 1944 to 2016.
Report on issues related to property restitution and compensation in former Communist countries
Author(s): Naamat, Talia; Ilan, Ronna
Date: 2012
Topics: Law, European Union, Main Topic: Holocaust and Memorial
Евреи на постсоветском пространстве: новые демографические данные
Translated Title: Post-Soviet Jewish Demographic Dynamics: An Analysis of Recent Data
Author(s): Tolts, Mark
Date: 2016
Topics: Demography, Aliyah, Russian Emigration, Main Topic: Demography and Migration
Abstract: В статье на основе новых данных представлена динамика численности евреев в постсоветских странах, их столицах и отдельных частях Российской Федерации. Проанализированы некоторые основные демографические характеристики еврейского населения – его возрастная структура и уровень рождаемости. Рассмотрены перемены в направлениях современной миграции. При этом особое внимание уделено наиболее многочисленному потоку из России в Израиль, а также возвратной миграции в Россию.
Les fétes et célébrations comme reflet de l’identité sociale: L’exemple des juifs lettons postsoviétiques en lettonie, en israël et aux états-unis
Translated Title: Holidays and celebrations as a reflection of social identity: Latvian Jews in post-Soviet Latvia, Israel and the United States
Author(s): Zisere, Bella
Date: 2013
Topics: Post-1989, Jewish Revival, Diaspora, Jewish Community, Festivals and Holidays, Festivals and Holidays, Main Topic: Identity and Community
Abstract: La chute de l’Empire soviétique et l’indépendance de la Lettonie à la fin des années 1980 ont entraîné de nombreux changements politiques à l’intérieur de ce pays qui, dans une large mesure, ont concerné la communauté juive. Cette période a été marquée par une émigration massive des Juifs, en particulier en Israël et aux États-Unis, ainsi que par l’émergence d’une vie communautaire, interdite à l’époque soviétique. L’étude s’efforce de répondre à la question de la transformation de l’auto-identification chez les Juifs lettons postsoviétiques dans de nouvelles sociétés, à savoir la Lettonie indépendante, l’État d’Israël et les États-Unis avec, comme principal indicateur, les fêtes et les célébrations religieuses et civiles, traditionnelles ou adoptées par cette population après l’effondrement de l’URSS.
Jewish Community and Identity in Post-Communist Latvia
Author(s): Zisere, Bella
Date: 2005
Topics: Jewish Revival, Post-1989, Jewish Identity, Jewish Community, Main Topic: Identity and Community
Abstract: Popular public opinion concerning the Jewish community of Latvia is that it is an 'exemplary and well-organised community', which experienced a great revival and has functioned efficiently since Perestroika and particularly since the fall of the USSR. Nevertheless, this assertion can be countered by multiple phenomena, such as the dramatic decrease of the number of Latvian Jewish community members, the abrupt increase of inter-marriages, and the clear transformation of references to self-identification of Latvian Jewry. This article seeks to shed light on different spheres of the Jewish life in post-communist Latvia, in order to analyse the impact of the demise of the Soviet system on the Jewish community in this area.
La transformation de l'identité sociale des Juifs lettons après la chute de l'URSS : analyse de la mise en récit du passé
Translated Title: Transformation of the social identity of Latvian Jews after the fall of the USSR : a narrative analysis
Author(s): Zisere, Bella
Date: 2010
Topics: Jewish Revival, Post-1989, Holocaust, Memory, Main Topic: Identity and Community
Abstract: La chute du régime communiste et l'indépendance de la Lettonie ont déclenché de nombreux changements politiques à l'intérieur de ce pays, qui ont concerné dans un large mesure la communauté juive. Cette période a en effet été marquée par une émigration massive de Juifs, en particulier en Israël et aux Etats-Unis, ainsi que par l'émergence d'une vie communautaire, interdite à l'époque soviétique, principalement grâce au soutien d'associations juives internationales comme Joint et l'Agence juive. La désoviétisation de la Lettonie a également contribué à un réexamen de son histoire, y compris de ses aspects les plus difficiles, comme le génocide juif, au cours duquel près de 90% de la communauté locale a été exterminée. Par conséquent, pour l'ensemble des Juifs lettons, le contexte a été radicalement transformé : ils sont passés du statut de Juifs soviétiques, victimes du régime, séparés du reste de la société et auxquels on refusait le droit de se souvenir - toute allusion au génocide juif étant interdite en URSS - et même de quitter les frontières du pays, à celui de citoyens bénéficiant d'une place assurée dans la société, avec un passé douloureux reconnu, voire mis en avant, par les institutions politiques. En Lettonie, la mise en place de la politique commémorative s'impose dans le cadre de la démocratisation et de l'intégration européenne, mais est compliquée par le croisement entre la mémoire traumatique des Lettons chrétiens, liée aux répressions soviétiques en 1940, et celle de Juifs lettons, refusant la mise en parallèle entre les Soviétiques et les Nazis. Les immigrés postsoviétiques, quant à eux, se retrouvent confrontés à leur société d'accueil, ce qui leur impose de s'adapter encore plus rapidement aux mêmes transformations sociales.
Different Antisemitisms: On Three Distinct Forms of Antisemitism in Contemporary Europe – With a Special Focus on Sweden
Author(s): Dencik, Lars; Marosi, Karl
Date: 2016
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: This article studies eight European countries, investigating how the level of antisemitism as
registered in national populations relates to the perception of antisemitism by the Jewish
population in the same country. Furthermore, the article empirically identifies distinct aspects
of antisemitism, deconstructing the concept of antisemitism and breaking it up into three
kinds of empirically differently based and composed antisemitisms (Note the plural!): classic
antisemitism, Israel-derived antisemitism and Enlightenment-based antisemitism. The article
also elaborates on some more general implications for the understanding of the character of
antisemitism in contemporary Europe, and based on that, presents some perspectives on the
development of the three distinct antisemitisms in contemporary Europe.

The countries included in the article are Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy,
Latvia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, but a special focus is placed on Sweden because
the situation in Sweden concerning antisemitism and the Jewish population’s reactions to
perceived antisemitism is particularly illustrative of some of the main points we can make
based on our investigations.
Еврейское население бывшего СССР в ХХ веке: (социально-демографический анализ).
Translated Title: Jewish Population of the Former Soviet Union in 20th Century (Socio-Demographic Analysis)
Author(s): Konstantinov, Viacheslav
Date: 2007
Topics: Demography, Main Topic: Demography and Migration
Abstract: Настоящая книга представляет собой попытку обобщающего исследования
социально-демографического развития еврейского населения бывшего СССР
за истекшее столетие, включая динамику численности и расселения по
республикам и городам, этноязыковой состав, половозрастную и семейную
структуру, рождаемость и смертность, уровень образования,
профессиональную структуру, участие в советской политической системе и
эмиграцию в другие страны. В частности, рассматривается влияние
Катастрофы, как на общую численность еврейского населения, так и на его
социально-экономическую структуру. Большое внимание в книге уделяется
представительству евреев среди студентов, специалистов и научных
работников бывшего СССР.
Книга предназначена для демографов, социологов, историков и всех
интересующихся данной проблемой. Многие статистические материалы,
представленные в книге, публикуются впервые.
European Jewish Digest: February 2016
Author(s): Goldstein, Richard
Date: 2016
Topics: Antisemitism, Jewish Heritage, Politics, Holocaust Memorials, Main Topic: Other
Abstract: JPR’s monthly European Jewish digest provides a concise look at some of the major events impacting on Jewish life around Europe.
Antisemitism: Overview of data available in the European Union 2004–2014
Author(s): European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
Date: 2015
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Hate crime, Law, Government, European Union, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: Antisemitism can be expressed in the form of verbal and physical attacks, threats, harassment, property damage, graffiti or other forms of text, including on the internet. This report relates to manifestations of antisemitism as they are recorded by official and unofficial sources in the 28 European Union (EU) Member States.

‘Official data’ is understood here as that collected by law enforcement agencies, criminal justice systems and relevant state ministries at the national level. ‘Unofficial data’ refers to data collected by civil society organisations.

This report compiles available data on antisemitic incidents collected by international, governmental and non-governmental sources, covering the period 1 January 2004– 31 December 2014, where data are available. No official data on reported antisemitic incidents were available for seven Member States at the time this report was compiled: Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal.
Third Survey of European Jewish Leaders and Opinion Formers, 2015
Author(s): Kosmin, Barry A.
Date: 2016
Topics: Antisemitism, Fundraising and Philanthropy, Israel Attachment, Jewish Continuity, Religious Denominations, Security, Surveys, Jewish Leadership, Jewish Organisations, Main Topic: Identity and Community, Jewish Identity
Abstract: Launched by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s International Centre for Community Development (JDC-ICCD), and conducted by a research team at Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut, USA) between June and August 2015, the Third Survey of European Jewish Leaders and Opinion Formers presents the results of an online survey administered to 314 respondents in 29 countries. The survey was conducted online in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German and Hungarian. The Survey of European Jewish Leaders and Opinion Formers is conducted every three or four years using the same format, in order to identify trends and their evolution. Findings of the 2015 edition were assessed and evaluated based on the results of previous surveys (2008 and 2011). The survey posed Jewish leaders and opinion formers a range of questions about major challenges and issues that
concern European Jewish communities in 2015, and about their expectations of how communities will evolve over the next 5-10 years. The 45 questions (see Appendix) dealt
with topics that relate to internal community structures and their functions, as well as the external environment affecting communities. The questionnaire also included six open-ended questions in a choice of five languages. These answers form the basis of the qualitative analysis of the report. The questions were organized under the following headings:• Vision & Change (6 questions)
• Decision-Making & Control (1 question)
• Lay Leadership (1 question)
• Professional Leadership (2 questions)
• Status Issues & Intermarriage (5 questions)
• Organizational Frameworks (2 questions)
• Community Causes (2 questions)
• Jewish Education (1 question)
• Funding (3 questions)
• Communal Tensions (3 questions)
• Anti-Semitism/Security (5 questions)
• Europe (1 question)
• Israel (1 question)
• Future (2 questions)
• Personal Profile (9 questions)
Survey Results: General Assembly Budapest 2004
Date: 2004
Topics: Jewish Organisations, Jewish Community, Jewish Identity, Surveys, Jewish Leadership, Antisemitism, Affiliation and Belonging, Main Topic: Identity and Community
Abstract: This survey was given to participants in the 3rd General Assembly of European Jewry, which was held in Budapest in May 2004. Participants were asked how many Jews participate in community programs in their respective cities; the programs and activities their Jewish community offers; and how they believe their community could be more effective in attracting more members.
Second Survey of European Jewish Leaders and Opinion Formers, 2011
Author(s): Kosmin, Barry A.
Date: 2012
Topics: Antisemitism, Fundraising and Philanthropy, Israel Attachment, Jewish Continuity, Religious Denominations, Security, Surveys, Jewish Leadership, Jewish Organisations, Main Topic: Identity and Community, Jewish Identity
Abstract: unquoted attribute value: &quot;margin-left: 4
The Camping Experience: The Impact of JDC Jewish Summer Camps on Eastern European Jews
Author(s): Cohen, Erik H.
Date: 2013
Topics: Jewish Schools, Jewish Education, Main Topic: Education, Evaluation
Abstract: A comprehensive survey conducted (2008-2009) by the JDC International Centre for Community Development (ICCD) among Jews in five Eastern European countries provided data on Jewish background and current attitudes of young adults. Based on this data, a comparison is made of young adults who are alumni of Jewish summer camps and those who did not attend summer camp as youth. Campers express stronger Jewish identity as young adults, as documented through a number of indicators related to religious practice, Jewish Peoplehood and attachment to Israel. The impact of Jewish summer camps is particularly clear among campers from weak Jewish backgrounds.
Identity à la Carte: Research on Jewish identities, participation and affiliation in five Eastern European countries
Author(s): Kovács, András; Ildiko, Barna; DellaPergola, Sergio; Kosmin, Barry
Date: 2011
Topics: Affiliation and Belonging, Antisemitism, Intermarriage, Israel Attachment, Jewish Literacy, Surveys, Jewish Identity, Religious Observance and Practice, Main Topic: Identity and Community
Abstract:

This report describes the process and results of a research study on Jewish identity and community participation in Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, it identifies trends among Jewish adults in Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania. This two-year and wide-reaching study, examined views on religious observance, Jewish identity, anti-Semitism, Israel, Jewish knowledge, and organizational affiliation among 1,270 Jews, ages 18-60.
Compass 09/10: Directions in European Jewish Life
Date: 2009
Topics: Fundraising and Philanthropy, Social Entrepeneurs, Jewish Organisations, Jewish Community, Jewish Heritage, Main Topic: Other
Abstract: An initiative of the Westbury Group, a network of more than 20 international foundations with a shared interest in enhancing Jewish life in Europe, Compass reflects the breadth and depth of Jewish activity across the cultural, historical and religious spectrums of European Jewish life in 15 countries.

This directory – the first of its kind to focus on European Jewry, including the FSU – will introduce, enlighten and inform its readers about some of the exciting Jewish projects taking place in cities and towns all over Europe. The 36 organisations and programmes featured in this first edition of Compass reflect the breadth and depth of communities that are innovative, creative, effective and most importantly, sustainable.
Sources for the Demographic Study of the Jews in the Former Soviet Union
Author(s): Tolts, Mark
Editor(s): Rebhun, Uzi
Date: 2014
Topics: Demography, Bibliography and Literature Reviews, Main Topic: Demography and Migration, Censuses, Aliyah, Migration, Soviet Jewry
Abstract: The article shows that demographic study of the Jews in the Former Soviet Union has a long and well established tradition based on the very rich amount of data: i.e., vital and migration statistics, and census results. The analysis started from an overview of the Tsarist and Soviet statistical legacies. However, most of the attention is focused on findings of the last quarter century. The study examines both the role of the Soviet internal passport which, because it listed ethnicity, was the basis for Jewish statistics, and the consequences of the elimination of compulsory ethnic identification in the post-Soviet Slavic countries.
European Jewish Digest: March 2015
Author(s): Goldstein, Richard
Date: 2015
Topics: Main Topic: Other
Abstract: JPR’s monthly European Jewish digest provides a concise look at some of the major events impacting on Jewish life around Europe.
The Jewish Population of the USSR on the Eve of the Great Exodus
Author(s): Konstantinov, Viacheslav
Date: 1991
Topics: Demography, Soviet Jewry, Main Topic: Demography and Migration
Spiritual Potential of the Communal Revival: Yiddish Culture and Post-Soviet Jewry
Author(s): Chernin, Velvl
Date: 2002
Topics: Yiddish, Aliyah, Jewish Culture, Main Topic: Culture and Heritage
Abstract: Even though Yiddish as a spoken language will most likely disappear in the former Soviet Union, it will still be needed as a symbol of Jewish identity – one that is not overtly Zionist or religious. Yiddish, with its rich culture and literature, can be utilized to help Jews reconnect with their roots. In Israel, older immigrants, whose knowledge of Yiddish is not fluent, and who are unable to master Hebrew, employ Yiddish in order to communicate. Zionist Yiddishism has become one of the ideological components in the identity of immigrants from the former USSR, and enables them to link up with some form of Jewish culture as they integrate into the life of Israel.
Institutionalization of the Post-Communist Jewish Movement: Organizational Structures, Ruling Elites, and Political Conflicts
Author(s): Khanin, Vladimir Zeev
Date: 2002
Topics: Jewish Organisations, Jewish Leadership, Power, Jewish Politics, Main Topic: Other
Abstract: Soviet Jews endured administrative, political, and societal anti-Semitism for years, and by the early 1960s the rich political tradition of Eastern European Jewry had been almost totally lost. In the post-Soviet period, a Jewish institutional infrastructure began to appear and develop, leading to the political advancement of a Jewish communal elite. However, the political institutionalization of the Jewish movement has become somewhat controversial and there is still some unfinished business as to its ultimate character.
Antisemitism: Summary overview of the situation in the European Union 2001-2011
Author(s): European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
Date: 2012
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Hate crime, Law, Government, European Union, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: This working paper is the eighth update of the European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights (FRA) overview of Manifestations of antisemitism in the EU.

It outlines the broad contours of antisemitism in the European Union (EU).
The update assembles statistical data covering the period 1 January 2001–31
December 2011 (where available) on antisemitic incidents collected by
international, governmental and non-governmental sources. Notable antisemitic
incidents that occurred in 2011 are highlighted throughout the update to reveal
the reality behind the figures. No data were available for Estonia, Luxembourg
(where no data are collected), Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia
at the time this working paper was compiled.
European Jewish Digest: January 2016
Author(s): Goldstein, Richard
Date: 2016
Topics: Antisemitism, Jewish Heritage, Politics, Holocaust Memorials, Main Topic: Other
Abstract: JPR’s monthly European Jewish digest provides a concise look at some of the major events impacting on Jewish life around Europe.
Identity, Assimilation and Revival: Ethno-Social Processes within the Jewish Population of the Former Soviet Union / זהות, התבוללות ותחִיה: תהליכים אתנו-חברתיים בקרב האוכלוסיה היהודית בברית המועצות לשעבר
Author(s): Khanin, Ze'ev; Chernin, Velvl
Date: 2007
Topics: Assimilation, Demography, Care and Welfare, Jewish Revival, Main Topic: Identity and Community
Abstract: Drs. Khanin and Chernin address basic questions regarding Jewish life in the FSU states at present and in the future. A major issue they focused on was this: under current socio-economic and political circumstances in Eastern Europe, many intermarried Jews together with their non-Jewish partners choose to maintain ties with Jewish communities and to take advantage of their educational, information, cultural and welfare services. Consequently, most local Jewish leaders regard this group as a target population for their communal activity. Accordingly, such activity is directed in fact at all those to whom the Israeli Law of Return applies, and sometimes even to those are not included in this category (4th generation members married to non-Jewish spouses, for example).

Some of the questions raised by the center’s researchers were:
1. How significant is the size of this group?
2. Can it be regarded as a human reservoir for Jewish activity?
3. Does this activity contribute to the formation of Jewish or semi-Jewish identity among offspring of mixed-married couples and among the non-Jewish members of their families, and to the evolution of behavioral models that can be interpreted as “post assimilatory” behavior?
In order to address these questions, a vast and diverse body of data was amassed. The authors did not relay only upon existing data but set out on an empirical exploration. They have conducted interviews in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Sertov, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Birobidjan, Tomsk, Petrozavodsk, Chelyabinsk, Nizhni Novgorod, Kazan, Vladimir, Riazen, Tula, Rostov, Piatigorsk, Nalchik, Kiev, Daniepropetrovsk, Odessa, Zaporozhieh, and a number of towns in Belarus and Latvia.

The compelling findings of the research indicate an interesting variety of sub-populations in the vast group called “FSU Jewry”. Specific planning based on the distinctive characteristics and the features of each group can serve as the basis for well-tuned action plans aimed at the strengthening of the Jewish future of each specific sector.


ד"ר חנין וד"ר צ'רנין מעלים במחקרם שאלות יסוד אודות הקיום היהודי בארצות חבר העמים לשעבר, כיום ובעתיד. נושא מרכזי שבו התמקדו היה זה: בתנאים החברתיים-כלכליים והפוליטיים הקיימים במזרח אירופה בימינו, מעדיפים רבים מבני נישואי תערובת, הן בן הזוג היהודי הן בן הזוג הלא-יהודי, ועמם בני המשפחה המעורבים, להיות קשורים לקהילות יהודיות ולהסתייע בשירותיהן בתחומי החינוך, המידע, התרבות והרווחה. עקב כך, רוב המנהיגים היהודיים המקומיים רואים בקבוצה זו "קבוצות יעד" לפעילות הקהילתית. בהתאם לכך, פעילות זו מופנית בפועל לכל זכאי חוק השבות הישראלי, ולעתים אף לאוכלוסיה החורגת מגבולות המוגדר בחוק זה (כגון בני הדור הרביעי לנישואי תערובת).

במחקרם, שאלו החוקרים את השאלות הבאות:
א. עד כמה משמעותי הוא היקפה של קבוצה זו?
ב. האמנם ניתן לראות בה עתודה לפעילות יהודית?
ג. האם פעילות זו תורמת לעיצוב זהות יהודית או כעין-יהודית אצל צאצאי נישואי תערובת ובני משפחה לא-יהודיים של בתי אב מעורבים, ולבניית דגמי התנהגות חברתית שניתן לפרשם כ"בתר-התבוללות"?
כדי להשיב על שאלות אלו, נאספו נתונים מרובים ומגוונים. החוקרים לא הסתפקו בנתונים קיימים, אלא יצאו לשטח כדי לבדוק את הנתונים באופן ישיר. הם ערכו ראיונות במקומות אלו: מוסקבה, סנט פטרבורג, יקטרינבורג, סמרה, סרטוב, נובוסיבירסק, אירקוטסק, חברובסק, בירוביג'אן, טומסק, פטרוזבודסק, צ'ליאבינסק, ניז'ני נובגורוד, קאזן, ולדימיר, ריאזן, טולא, רוסטוב, פיאטיגורסק, נלצ'יק, קייב, דנייפרופטרובסק, אודסה, זאפורוז'יה, וכן כמה ערים בביילורוסיה ובלטביה.

ממצאי המחקר מצביעים על מגוון מעניין של אוכלוסיות-מִשנה בתוך הקבוצה הגדולה המכונה 'יהדות חבר העמים'. תכנון ממוקד, המתבסס על מאפיינים ייחודיים של כל קבוצה, עשוי להוות בסיס לתכניות פעולה ממוקדות, שתכליתן חיזוק עתידו היהודי של כל מגזר ספציפי.
New Jews in Europe
Author(s): Ben-Rafael, Eliezer
Editor(s): Fisher, Netanel; Parfitt, Tudor
Date: 2016
Topics: Conversion, Jewish Revival, Main Topic: Identity and Community
Antisemitism: Summary overview of the situation in the European Union 2003-2013
Author(s): European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
Date: 2014
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Hate crime, Law, Government, European Union, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: The present update relates to manifestations of antisemitism as they are recorded by official and unofficial sources in the 28 European Union (EU) Member States. ‘Official data’ is understood here as that collected by law enforcement agencies, criminal justice systems and relevant state ministries at the national level. ‘Unofficial data’ refers to data collected by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs). This update compiles available data on antisemitic incidents collected by international, governmental and non-governmental sources, covering the period 1 January 2003–31 December 2013. No data on manifestations of antisemitism were available for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia at the time this update was compiled.

This is the 10th in a series of yearly updates about data collected on antisemitism published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and its predecessor, the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC).
Different Antisemitisms: On Three Distinct Forms of Antisemitism in Contemporary Europe. With Special Focus on Sweden
Author(s): Dencik, Lars; Marosi, Karl
Date: 2016
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: This article studies eight European countries, investigating how the level of antisemit­ism as registered in national populations relates to the perception of antisemitism by the Jewish population in the same country. Furthermore, the article empirically identifies distinct aspects of antisemitism, deconstructing the concept of antisemitism and breaking it up into three kinds of empirically differently based and composed antisemitisms (note the plural!): classic antisemitism, Israel-derived antisemitism and Enlightenment-based antisemitism. The article also elaborates on some more general implications for the understanding of the character of antisemitism in contemporary Europe, and based on that, presents some perspectives on the development of the three distinct antisemitisms in contemporary Europe.
Antisemitism: Overview of data available in the European Union 2005-2015
Author(s): European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
Date: 2016
Topics: Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Hate crime, Law, Government, European Union, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: ‘Official data’ are understood here as those collected by law enforcement agencies, authorities that are part of criminal justice systems and relevant state ministries at the national level. ‘Unofficial data’ refers to data collected by civil society organisations.

This annual report compiles the available evidence on antisemitic incidents collected by international, governmental and non-governmental sources, covering the period 1 January 2005–31 December 2015, where data are available. In addition, it includes a section that presents evidence from international organisations. No official data on reported antisemitic incidents in 2015 were available for eight Member States by the time this report was compiled in September 201
A Survey of Jewish Museums in Europe
Author(s): Sion, Brigitte
Date: 2016
Topics: Jewish Museums, Main Topic: Culture and Heritage
Abstract: The goals of the Foundation in conducting this survey were manifold:
we aimed to generate a comprehensive picture of the Jewish museum
landscape across Europe, and to identify the most pressing issues,
challenges and needs faced by these institutions. We wanted to learn about
the mission, philosophy and methodology of Jewish museums, and better
understand their role and position in the cultural and educational realm at
large. We were also interested in the level of professionalization of Jewish
museums, both in staff training, collection preservation and cataloguing,
management, and the ways in which Jewish museums communicate and
arrange partnerships with one another. With a better understanding of
these issues, we want now to assess the resources needed and the funding
priorities for the next five to ten years.

The questionnaire was sent to 120 institutions in 34 countries and we
received 64 completed forms from 30 countries. The questions addressed
eleven broad topics: organisation, collections, permanent and temporary
exhibitions, facility, visitor services, public programmes, visitor
demographics, marketing and PR, finances, future plans and needs.

This diverse sample enabled us to get, for the first time, a quasicomprehensive
picture of the Jewish museum landscape in Europe, from
small community museums to landmarks of “starchitecture;” from
institutions boasting thousands of rare objects to others mostly text
panels- or technology-based; from museums employing scores of
professional staff and interns to synagogues-turned-exhibition halls run by
volunteers for a few hours a month. That was precisely the challenge: the
large and numerous discrepancies between institutions, depending on their
location, their financial and human resources, their political and economic
context, the type of visitors they receive, and other contextual
considerations.

The results point to four major findings:
1. Transition from museums to multi-purpose hubs;
2. Lack of collaboration and partnerships;
3. Tension between particularistic and universalistic missions;
4. Increasing need to serve a diverse audience.
Mixed Marriage and Post-Soviet Aliyah
Author(s): Tolts, Mark
Editor(s): Reinharz, Shulamit; DellaPergola, Sergio
Date: 2009
Topics: Intermarriage, Aliyah, Main Topic: Demography and Migration
Abstract: In this paper we shall study the incidence of mixed marriage in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) and the role of demographic peculiarities of the Jewish marriage market in the spread of mixed marriage. Special attention will be devoted to the offspring of mixed couples and their ethnic affiliation. The relatively high proportion of non-Jews in the aliyah movement from the FSU as a consequence of mixed marriage will also be examined