How is the situation for Jews in Russia these days, Mr.ET?
Russian culture fascinates me. The language, the people. I have a small amount of russian in me, and I think that has something to do with it.
I got cussed out by a russian woman once. It was one of the most beautiful things I heard! I just wish I knew what she said. . . .
I work with a guy from Belarussia, I love how he spells his name, Poitr - peter
InfraBlue
Enthusiast
Joined: 06 Dec 2002
Posts: 460
Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2004 8:20 pm Post: 576059 -
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How is the situation for Jews in Russia these days, Mr.ET?
To answer your question it's really bad, for jews it's bad everywhere there is no place to go where it's not bad for them.
I love Russians and I love Russian language. And there's a lot of snow and sun now in Moscow.
Mmmhhh.. it's great!
InfraBlue, if you want to know something about the situation for Jews in the Soviet Union, I would recommend a book that is called in Dutch "The Slepak family" (I don't know the English title, I do know that it is not "The Slepak family"), it is about a Jewish man - Solomon Slepak - who becomes a Communist, and his son - Volvodya Slepak (I hope I spell it right) - who was the opposite of him, a dissident and a refusnik. The book makes clear how it was for Jews under Soviet rule. Nowadays the situation of the Russians Jews isn't that good, with the fall of the Soviet Union nationalism occurred, and this has had bad effects on the Jewish community. Besides that, more than 1 million Soviet Jews have since then emigrated out of Russia, mostly to Israel, the USA and Germany, and the ones who are left - about 600,000 - are not very active Jews, also because there was a high intermarriage rate under Soviet rule.
I think that very few Americans are aware that, historically, it is not any Western European country (certainly not Germany) which has been the most anti-Semitic, but Russia. Under the czars, bloody pogroms were commonplace. When the Communists came to power, they took great care to put Jewish Communists in the most visible positions of authority, so that Jews would be blamed for any atrocities which were ordered, in fact, by their non-Jewish superiors.
Thanks for the reference, RdI.
Ceili wrote:However, I do think that only a russian could find the language sexy or romantic. I think I would find it hard to get all hot and bothered with someone whispering sweet nothings in any slavic tongue.
Don't be too sure. I used to about melt when a certain someone said something that sounded like this:
Lubiu Tibia, Mya Daraguya.
(Love You, My Darling)
Though when she spoke to her friends or family; they all sounded very angry!
Dombre Utra!
Я желаю я смогло поговорить русского!
I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to the Russian people. Without their sacrifice in WW2, we would all be living in a world dominated by nazi Germany.
True, although that is more meant for Western Europeans. For many Eastern Europeans, the Russians meant more than 40 years of Communism. I have been to Bulgaria last summer, and believe me: Bulgarians are glad what the Russians did to the Nazi's, but after that... Of course I know btw that Communism is not equal to Russians, and Russians not equal to Communism. But if we talk about "Russia" as "Soviet-Russia" during WW II (that is what I mean), I do not think that "Russians" were eventually very welcome in Eastern-Europe, although they did help getting rid of Hitler and his Nazi's.
Bill, as someone who tried to learn Russian, unsuccessfully, a couple of years ago, you have taken a big leap up in my estimation!
I also admire Russia and its culture, it's literary giants (although I've only read Russian literature translated to English), it's composers and musicians. I enjoy folkloric music and Russia's is some of the most endearing. I appreciate the fact that during WWII they bore the brunt of the fighting in Europe what with the enormous breadth of the Eastern Front.
I'm in the middle of a review of Sergei Bondarchuk's massive film adaptation of Tolstoy's War and Peace. I tell you, Vidor's version has absolutely nothing on it. Aleksandr Nevsky is another titan of early cinema.
Dimas,
How was the winter in Russia this season? Russia's winters are legendary, but what with Global Warming I wonder if it has been as intense as other years or decades.
Too all the russian and lovers of the russian tongue, I humbly appologize for cruelly poking fun at the illustrious russian language.
Steve, I hope you hold me in such high esteem as O'Bill, when I raise a vodka in honour of our caucausian friends. Dyvoorsia. or something like that....he he he lol
