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Euroasian Jewish News
"Average Jews live in Belarus and Kazakhstan", Alexander Machkevich said in the interview to Belarusian media-portal T
27.02.2004
 In Georgia and Moldova also. This is what Alexander Machkevich, leader of Euro-Asian Jewry, president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), told us.
- Mr.Machkevich, from time to time, we can see that statistic data published by various Jewish organizations differs one from another. Whom should we trust?
- First of all, yourselves and Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), representing in fact complete spectrum of Jewish opinions from Eastern Europe, Euro-Asia and Asia-Pacific region.
- But there can be only one truth. Or You offer us to recollect a famous joke, stating that there are three opinions for two Jews?
- It may seem strange, but it is the tradition, which we recollect with humor, has helped the Jewish people to survive in the most diverse epochs.
It originates from our history, since significant part of our sacred texts are discussions about character and order of interpretation of the Jewish Law. Today echo of those debate are reflected in the statistics, for example, concerning the question: whom to recognize as a Jew?.
- Is it possible that Jews don't have common point of view even at this point? So, how could You manage to keep as a united nation?
- Our will to unite and the State of Israel help us in it. Its legislation, and first of all, fundamental law "On returning", which defines various categories of people having right to repatriate to historical Motherland. Besides, members of Jewish families also have right to repatriate, irrespective of their nationality or faith.
That is why Israeli statistics of Jewish life seems to me the most complete and reliable.
- Do You have any data from Israel?
- Sure, otherwise the EAJC could hardly become the largest Jewish organization of Euro-Asian region. As to former USSR, statistics of the appropriate department at the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem seems rather interesting to me. Israelis trace rates of Jewish repatriation from post Soviet space.
- And what are their conclusions?
- Rates of the repatriation decreased by one third. There were 18525 repatriates from Soviet countries to Israel in 2002, the same figure in 2003 was 12382 men, which is 33 % less.
- Could You please concretize? Where rates of Jewish emigration were the highest?
- There was 5% decrease of repatriation from Turkmenistan, 19 % - from Azerbaijans and Estonia, 23 % - from Uzbekistan and 26 % - from Russia.
- And which are the countries, that Jews don't want to leave?
- The first place here belongs to Lithuania, rates of repatriation from which decreased by 61%. It is followed by: Armenia - 58%, Latvia - 53%, Tajikistan - 50%, Kyrgyzstan - 47% and Ukraine - 42%.
However I would hardly assert that there are no problems concerning Jewish life in the specified states. Low rates of repatriation can testify and that the most part of Jews from those countries left them in the 90-ies. I'd rather say that the most comfortable countries for Jews of post Soviet Diaspora are those with rates of repatriation comparable to similar figures of the USSR, as a whole.
- Could You name them, please? Isn't it a secret of the EAJC?
- Certainly it is not. I can start from Kazakhstan, where I work. Rates of repatriation from which decreased by 33%, the figure coincides with the one of the whole union.
Belarus, "small" historical Motherland of my ancestors, and Georgia - both have 30% decreases.
And the last - Moldova - 35% decrease.
- Why do Jews find these republics so attractive?
- Jewish community of Georgia has more than 2600 years of history, and Cartvel Jewry has deep roots there.
The situation in Belarus, which is considered a historical centre of Euro-Asian Jewry, is in fact similar to the one in Georgia. Besides, considering the case of Belarus we should point out positive role the state policy on support of socially unprotected people even in the hardest years of economic transformations.
Jews of Kazakhstan - due to firm position of the state - do not face a problem of Moslem extremism, in contrast to Jews in some other countries of Central Asia. Moreover, Nursultan Nazarbaev, president of Kazakhstan, has initiated and developed Jewish-Moslem dialogue, in which the EAJC took active part.
And in Moldova, where political stabilization has developed for previous years, Jews has a ray of hope again.
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