REK has five major program committees: primary and secondary Jewish
education; higher lay education (academic Judaica); higher religious
education (yeshivot and women's seminaries); social welfare; and
Jewish culture. It also supports various religious activities and
anti-defamation efforts. REK allocations in 1997 totaled $15,360,634,
including $8,502,591 for construction of the Memorial Synagogue
at Poklonnaya Gora.
The writer met with Alexander
Osovtsov in REK offices. Mr. Osovtsov said that REK was at
a time of transition. It had completed the memorial synagogue and
museum at Poklonnaya Gora and, in 1999, would begin a special fundraising
campaign for the construction of a large Jewish community center
to be located across the street from the Moscow Choral Synagogue
(Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt) on Spasoglinichevsky Lane (Archipov
Street). The total cost of the JCC is estimated at between $15 million
and $18 million, of which JDC has promised $5 million. Therefore,
REK will need to raise $10 to $13 million. In order to maximize
fundraising potential for the JCC, REK will not pressure donors
to increase their gifts to the annual campaign.
Mr. Osovtsov said that the economic
crisis in Russia would necessitate a REK budget cut of 15
to 20 percent for the last three months of 1998. All beneficiaries
had been asked to "find the algorithms of minimizing expenses".
However, he did not anticipate that any programs would be cancelled.
He believes that the situation at the date of the interview (October
22) was much better than it had been on September 1. Panic then
has turned into uncertainty now.
The 1999 REK budget, said Mr. Osovtsov, depends on the economic
situation in Russia. It is likely that further budget cuts will
be made.
The most important factor about the current economic
situation, said Mr. Osovtsov, is that it is terrible for everyone.
Official registered unemployment is about 4.5 percent, but unofficial
employment is about twice as high.[28]
Individuals are embarrassed to register as unemployed, and unemployment
benefits are so meager that registration may not even be worth the
effort. It is likely that economic conditions will lead to an increase
in emigration among both Jews and non-Jews, but he believes that
most Jews in Russia will remain in Russia.
Mr. Osovtsov continued that he is not optimistic
about the new Primakov government, but that the Western press is
too pessimistic about Russia. "Nothing tragic will happen;
no one will starve." [29]
In response to a question about the number
of Jews in Russia and in Moscow, Mr. Osovtsov said that about
700,000 people in Russia are listed as Jews on their passports,
but many more, perhaps 2,000,000 in all, would identify themselves
as Jewish on a questionnaire. He estimated that more than 250,000
Muscovites would identify themselves as Jewish on a questionnaire,
but that the majority of them would be unable to prove Jewish lineage.
Intermarriage is not an important
factor in Jewish identification, said Mr. Osovtsov, because many
intermarried families self-identify as Jews. More critical, he said,
is liberalization of the economic and political systems so that
antisemitism would recede and Jews would be more comfortable with
themselves. Of course, antisemitism had helped to preserve Jews
as Jews and stimulated the great energy and drive that one finds
in many Jews who believe that antisemitism requires them to be twice
as competent as others in order to succeed.
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The
major portion of the REK donor base
consists of about 70 individuals across Russia who give between
$50,000 and several million dollars per year. In addition to Moscow,
major givers can be found in St. Petersburg, Kazan, Samara, Saratov,
Chelyabinsk, and Krasnoyarsk. In some of these cities a major donor
is the lay leader of the Jewish community; in other cities, the
leader is not a major contributor, but is an individual with good
organizing skills. In addition to the major gifts, REK receives
hundreds of smaller, mostly unsolicited gifts that individuals transfer
to the REK bank account. Some smaller contributions are less than
a dollar. REK has made little effort to establish a systematic annual
campaign targeting donors of less than $50,000 annually.
Mr. Osovtsov spoke with great pride of the synagogue
and museum at Poklonnaya Gora.
It was important to REK's self-respect that Russian Jews fund its
construction without participation from Israel or diaspora contributors.
Vladimir Gousinsky was a particularly strong proponent of this view.
The synagogue will be used on Shabbat, different memorial days,
and other occasions by all Jewish denominations according to a schedule.
The museums are very important for educational purposes. Mr. Osovtsov
said that the proximity of the memorial complex to a Metro station
facilitated visits by school groups and others.
Mr. Osovtsov said that Jewish
day schools have a good future in Russia and that REK will
continue to support them. When asked about the Jewish education
of his own sons (ages seven and ten), Mr. Osovtsov said they attend
a selective public school and do not have time for Jewish education.
On Sundays, when they might attend a Sunday school, they take lessons
in 'extreme sports', specifically, in karate and other self-defense
activity.
13. Tancred Golenpolsky is chairman of the Editorial
Board of United Jewish Publications
(probably a deliberately inexact translation by Mr. Golenpolsky
of Объединенная
редакция МЕГ;
МЕГ refers to Международная
еврейская
газета). United Jewish
Publications include: the weekly newspaper Международная
еврейская
газета (International Jewish
Gazette); the monthly journal Русский
еврей (Russian
Jew, the same title as that of a tsarist-era publication);
the quarterly Diagnosis (antifascist
review, published in several languages); Jewish
Russia Internet page; Jewish
Moscow monthly guide; and the quarterly Yiddish journal Di
Yiddishe Gas (The Jewish Street). Mr. Golenpolsky is a member
of the Governing Board of the Russian Jewish Congress, which subsidizes
the various United Jewish Publications ventures.
Regarding the Russian economy,
Mr. Golenpolsky expects that the coming winter will be very tough.
He thinks that the Russian government should initiate protective
rationing for the most vulnerable population groups, i.e., children
and the elderly. Pensions have declined in value from an average
of $50 monthly to $25 monthly. He was unsure of official unemployment
statistics, but believes that the unemployment rate is at least
twice the reported level. He cautioned that observers should be
aware of the practice of 'unpaid extended leave', i.e., placing
employees on unpaid leave for an indeterminate period, which, technically,
is not considered unemployment. Mr. Golenpolsky said that his wife
has been on unpaid leave from a publishing company for two years.
Mr. Golenpolsky believes that the International
Monetary Fund should extend aid to Russia in the form of actual
food, rather than money. Some IMF money is used to pay salaries
and other IMF money disappears into insiders' pockets -- and little
of it is used to build anything constructive. Industry is almost
non-existent in Russia, he noted; therefore, the Russian tax base
is extremely limited.
Antisemitism,
said Mr. Golenpolsky, "lives by itself" -- and doesn't
need a connection to anything, such as a deteriorating economy.
It is just more public now because "hoodlums" need a scapegoat.
However, it is true that 85 percent of the money in Russia belongs
to 15 to 20 Jews, and Jews are also 'over-represented' in liberal
political parties. Many Communists, continued Mr. Golenpolsky, remain
antisemitic. General Albert Makashov,
a member of the Duma who is notorious for his antisemitic remarks,
is a Communist. Members of the Duma asked CP head Gennady
Zyuganov to condemn Gen. Makashov's bigoted declarations,
but Zyuganov has failed to do so. Zyuganov did issue a somewhat
apologetic statement to Golenpolsky (to be published in Международная
еврейская
газета), but it falls
far short of what it should be.
Regarding aliyah,
Mr. Golenpolsky stated a view about potential aliyah that differ
from that of all others interviewed. He believes that Sochnut predictions
of increased aliyah are "mere speculation", designed to
attract a larger budget from Jews in the United States. He attributes
lower aliyah during the past year to three factors. First, he said,
Jews in Russia are receiving negative feedback from friends and
relatives who have already made aliyah, mainly because these new
immigrants have found it impossible to manipulate the Israeli 'system'
in the same manner in which they manipulated the Soviet/post-Soviet
'system'. For example, bribes to various officials cannot buy a
place in an Israeli kindergarten for one's child or cannot secure
other privileges in Israel. Second, most Jews in the post-Soviet
states already have what they need, such as an apartment and, in
many families, also a car. Their neighbors are known to them. They
do not need to face so many unknowns in Israel. Third, Israel does
not need 'economic migrants' -- and post-Soviet Jews are aware that
many Israelis resent them.
Mr. Golenpolsky acknowledged that he has "reservations"
about the Russian Jewish Congress.
It should be an organization that leads or, at the very least, coordinates,
but it is just a foundation.[30]
It is not even a congress because it doesn't debate anything. He
believes that REK should become more active in human rights activities,
but Vladimir Gousinsky believes that REK should steer clear of politics.
Mr. Golenpolsky then mused that Russian spiritual values are being
lost to financial values. Young people in Russia, he said, are interested
only in money, not in politics. They have no social orientation.
REK leadership, said Mr. Golenpolsky, is too busy
with their businesses to really consider the issues facing Russian
Jewry. Some of the professional staff are not committed to their
work, would rather be working elsewhere, and, in any case, are not
suited to Jewish communal service.
The synagogue and Jewish museums at Poklennaya
gora are essential to Jewish self-respect and to the education
of non-Jews. However, he believes that some of the exhibits portray
too much Jewish victimization; greater attention should be directed
to Jewish heroism. As for the synagogue, it is located too far from
Jewish population centers to be used on Shabbat and other holy days.
Perhaps it will be used only for memorial services and special occasions.
Mr. Golenpolsky said he was unsure that democracy
would ever take root in Russia. Ivan the Terrible and Peter the
Great, neither of them a democrat, are the popular heroes in Russian
history. It is possible, he said, that either Gennady Zyuganov or
Alexander Lebed will be elected President of Russia. He predicted
that at least 50 years will pass before Russia becomes democratic.
Yuri Luzhkov,
the Mayor of Moscow, is a "master politician", commented
Mr. Golenpolsky. He is a populist and is eager to become President
of Russia. |

28. Mr. Osovtsov's estimates
on unemployment are consistent with those heard by the writer from
others in Moscow.
29. Thirteen people died
on the streets of Moscow from exposure and hunger by mid-November,
i.e., within a month of this interview.
30. On another occasion,
Mr. Golenpolsky referred to REK as a "wallet".
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