OBSERVATIONS ON
JEWISH COMMUNITY LIFE IN RUSSIA
(MOSCOW AND ST. PETERSBURG)
Report of a Visit
September 7-24, 2008
The
writer visited Russia in September 2008, spending 12 days in Moscow and five in
St. Petersburg. The visit occurred as
financial markets encountered major crises throughout the world. Notwithstanding its massive oil and gas
revenues, economic conditions in Russia were beginning to deteriorate as well.
To a seasoned visitor, contemporary Russia appears to
be a study in contrasts. The streets of
its major cities are clogged with vehicles, many of them large and of foreign
lineage. Traffic conditions are horrendous. New construction, although subsequently
tempered due to the economic crisis, appeared to be ubiquitous. Real estate prices are exorbitant, and a
large number of luxury shops cater to a small, but highly visible group of
indigenous wealthy families. Moscow is
the most expensive city in the world for expatriates, according to a re-spected
study.
Traffic
gridlock is common in downtown Moscow.
Some sources estimate that four million cars attempt to traverse its
streets daily.
Photo: http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=429.
Retrieved October 3, 2008.
Although
different observers have different estimates, it is likely that about 40
percent of the population of Moscow and perhaps one-third of the St. Petersburg
population could be considered middle-class in mid-2008. Consumer credit was available for the
purchase of automobiles and housing, and use of computers and cell phones is
widespread in major urban areas. Whereas
good restaurants, especially for casual meals, were difficult to find as
recently as five or six years ago, respectable cafés and bistros are
commonplace in downtown Moscow and St. Petersburg. Well-stocked shopping malls exist in many
cities, perhaps in as many as 100 locales across Russia. Travel abroad is broadly accessible and
inexpensive; tourism along a major stretch of Turkish beachfront caters almost exclusively
to Russian-speaking vacationers.
Nonetheless,
the economic outlook in Russia was not entirely bright. Its foreign trade overly dependent on
international sales of energy and commodities, Russia is vulnerable to the
volatility of world markets. Export earnings were beginning to decline, and
capital flight was accelerating.
Liquidity problems were causing major problems in the construction
industry and for small businesses. International investors were becoming skittish
about the lack of economic and legal reforms.
Pressure for devaluation was beginning to build.
Inflation
probably was about 15 percent at the time of the writer’s visit and has risen
since then. Corruption is “staggering,”
according to one well-qualified foreign observer, whose views are supported by articles
in the Russian press. Few areas of the economy are left
unsullied. Graft is commonplace in construction
and in small businesses, where officials must be bribed for a multiplicity of
permits. The court system is notoriously
corrupt, and higher education is now considered the “fastest growing area of
bribery.” Hospital personnel must be paid under the
table for services routinely provided to patients in the West. Port and customs officials must be rewarded
with private commissions to assure delivery of goods.
Russian
infrastructure is poorly developed.
Outside major cities, the transport system is exceedingly deficient and
distribution of common products (for example, office supplies) often is
inadequate, even in Moscow. The public health infrastructure remains
decrepit and is a major factor in the low life expectancy of Russian citizens.
However,
inadequacy in public health infrastructure and corruption in the delivery of
health services are but two causes of Russian low life expectancy, which stands
at 59.19 years for males and 73.1 years for females. The Russian population, estimated at 140,702,096
in July 2008, continues to decline, with a
negative growth rate estimated at –0.47 percent expected in 2008. (The birth rate is estimated at 11.03 per
1,000, and the death rate at 16.06 per 1,000 in 2008.) HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, alcoholism, cancer,
cardiovascular and circulatory diseases, suicides, smoking, and traffic
accidents all are cited by a leading international scholar as leading causes of
the “appalling deterioration in the health of the Russian population.”
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