Leningrad Jews in 1965–1991 in Memoirs and Studies of the 1980s – 2020s

Abstract

St. Petersburg has played an invaluable role in the history of the Jewish population of Russia. It was here that the important events of Jewish life took place which had nation-wide consequences. Despite this, the history of Leningrad Jews has significant gaps, e.g. when it comes to the Soviet period, which had for a long time been neglected by Russian scholars. It was only with the beginning of democratization of society in the 1990s, which awakened national consciousness, that the interest in Jewish topics in general and Jewish history, language and culture in particular was revived among scientists, and Jews themselves could participate more actively in public life. However, the history of Leningrad Jews during the period of 1965–1991 remained overlooked. The first significant works on these problems were published as late as in the 2000s; most of them covered the history of Jews from the founding of St. Petersburg in 1701 to 1950. The history of the period studied in this paper can only be traced in the memoirs of former Leningrad refuseniks, general works on the history of the Jews in the Soviet Union, and individual publications on some cultural, everyday and economic aspects of life. As of today, no comprehensive research has been done that would cover all aspects of Leningrad Jews’ life (everyday life and morals, working conditions and occupations, family and interpersonal relationships, education, financial situation, etc.). This article attempts to initiate such an extensive study of the life of Leningrad Jews in 1965–1991 and provides a historiographic review of memoirs, Jewish samizdat and scientific works published in the 1980s through 2020s covering the period in question. In addition, the paper presents data on the size of the Jewish population in the city from 1703 to 1989.