A Century of Ambivalence: The Jews of Russia and the Soviet Union, 1881 to the Present

by Zvi Y. Gitelman, Yivo Institute for Jewish Research

A century ago the Russian Empire contained the largest Jewish community in the world, numbering about five million people. Today, the Jewish population of the former Soviet Union has dwindled to half a million, but remains probably the world's third largest Jewish community. In the intervening century the Jews of that area have been at the center of some of the most dramatic events of modern history -- two world wars, revolutions, pogroms, political liberation, repression, and the collapse of the USSR. They have gone through tumultuous upward and downward economic and social mobility and experienced great enthusiasms and profound disappointments. In startling photographs from the archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and with a lively and lucid narrative, A Century of Ambivalence traces the historical experience of Jews in Russia from a period of creativity and repression in the second half of the 19th century through the paradoxes posed by the post-Soviet era. This redesigned edition, which includes more than 200 photographs and two substantial new chapters on the fate of Jews and Judaism in the former Soviet Union, is ideal for general readers and classroom use.

Genres: History, Russia, Jewish, Judaism, Nonfiction, Judaica

297 pages, Hardcover

First published February 12, 1988

About the author

Zvi Gitelman is a Jewish scholar, Professor of Political Science, and Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. He is married with two children.

Gitleman received a Ph.D. and an M.A. degree from Columbia University. He has usually written about the connection of ethnicity and politics especially in former Communist countries. He has also written about Israeli politics, East European politics, as well as Jewish political attitude.

Reviews

[Tracy Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very detailed and interesting historical account of Eastern European Jewish life from 1881 to the present. I highly recommend this book for anyone doing genealogy or anyone who has a interest in Jewish Russian history. Sometimes history is SO fascinating that it reads like a fiction book and is all the more exciting because what you are reading actually took place!

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well researched - I learned SO much and felt inspired to connect the book to my family’s history as Soviet Jews. Dense yet well organized and easy to read. This book has left a huge mark on me and I’m certain this will not be my only time reading of it.

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put off reading this book because I assumed it was going to be a dry and depressing experience. I was completely wrong. The author manages to breathe life into detailed historical events- emphasizing the human struggles and experiences.
I've spent a lot of time pouring over immigration records from the early 1900s- specifically those who were fleeing shtetls located in the Pale of Settlement. Until now, I never really grasped the bigger picture. This book brought their plights to life in a way old photocopied records never could.

[Emily]

I acquired this book when I was thinking of researching my grandmother's life story, since she lived in Russia during the earliest decades described in this book.

[Nancy Schneiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in 1988 and finished it 30 years later. Not bad.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic, but the writing style is very dry and academic and the parts about pre-Soviet Russia could be fleshed out more.

[Eva Shteinman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Russian Jewry over the past century is in many ways a common story, one that may resonate with other groups across the world. An ancient culture comes face to face with modernity, and the people find themselves situated at a cultural crossroads. The political systems change dramatically, demanding full loyalty. With time, the demands increase – one most now sacrifice ones language, culture and religion, which, for many, constituted the basis for their entire identity. Centuries old traditions are lost. And yet the people are still not granted the privilege of full assimilation, their position in society still ambiguous. Not allowed to be Jewish, not perceived as fully Russian either. Ultimately a sad story, the story of Russian Jewry ends largely with emigration to the West, which of course has resulted in an even greater loss of culture. This was the century of change for Russian Jews. And Gitelman articulates the complexities of that moment of transition with great skill.

I myself am a descendent of Russian Jews, and despite my family having lived in the West for a long time now, the photographs in this book evoked a strong emotional resonance in me, the faces in the photographs felt almost familiar. Many things are lost when a people disperses into the diaspora, but a sense of connection to ones people can be something powerful enough to withstand the separation. And this is precisely why it is important to learn about the history of ones people – as we try our best to forge identities from the cultural void of today, it can be comforting to remember that we have roots in a community. Drawing upon this connection to community is one of the best defences against a society that pressures us to live highly individualised, atomised, isolated lives. Five stars!