Russian Jews in Israel
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Russian Jews in Israel are immigrants and descendants of the immigrants of the
Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
communities, who now reside within the State of
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. They number around 900,000. This refers to all post-
Soviet Jewish The history of the Jews in the Soviet Union is inextricably linked to much earlier Expansionism, expansionist policies of the Russian Empire conquering and ruling the eastern half of the European continent already before the Bolshevik Revolution ...
diaspora groups, not only
Russian Jews The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
, but also Mountain Jews, Crimean Karaites, Krymchaks,
Bukharan Jews Bukharan Jews ( Bukharian: יהודיאני בוכארא/яҳудиёни Бухоро, ''Yahudiyoni Bukhoro''; he, יהודי בוכרה, ''Yehudey Bukhara''), in modern times also called Bukharian Jews ( Bukharian: יהודיאני בוכאר ...
, and
Georgian Jews Georgian Jews ( ka, ქართველი ებრაელები, tr) are a community of Jews who migrated to Georgia during the Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BCE.The Wellspring of Georgian Historiography: The Early Medieva ...
.


Immigration history

The largest number of Russian Jews now live in Israel. Israel is home to a core Russian-Jewish population of 900,000, and an enlarged population of 1,200,000 (including
halakhically ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
non-Jewish members of Jewish households, but excluding those who reside in Israel illegally). The Aliyah in the 1990s accounts for 85–90% of this population. The population growth rate for Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants were among the lowest for any Israeli groups, with a fertility rate of 1.70 and natural increase of just +0.5% per year. The increase in Jewish birth rate in Israel during the 2000–2007 period was partly due to the increasing birth rate among the FSU immigrants, who now form 20% of the Jewish population of Israel. 96.5% of the enlarged Russian Jewish population in Israel is either Jewish or non-religious, while 3.5% (35,000) belongs to other religions (mostly Christians) and about 10,000 so-called " messianic Jews". The Total Fertility Rate for FSU immigrants in Israel is given in the table below. The TFR increased with time, peaking in 1997, then slightly decreased after that, and then again increased after 2000. In 1999, about 1,037,000 FSU immigrants lived in Israel, of whom about 738,900 immigrated after 1989. The second largest ethnic group (
Moroccans Moroccans (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Kingdom of Morocco. The country's population is predominantly composed of Arabs and Berbers (Amazigh). The term also applies more broadly to any people who are of Moroccan nationality, s ...
) numbered just 1,000,000. From 2000–2006, 142,638 FSU immigrants moved to Israel. While 70,000 of them emigrated from Israel to countries like the U.S. and Canada, bringing the total population to 1,150,000 by 2007 January (excluding illegals). The natural increase was around 0.3% in late 1990s. For example 2,456 in 1996 (7,463 births to 5,007 deaths), 2,819 in 1997 (8,214 to 5,395), 2,959 in 1998 (8,926 to 5,967) and 2,970 in 1999 (9,282 to 6,312). In 1999, the natural growth was +0.385%. (Figures only for FSU immigrants moved in after 1989). An estimated 45,000 illegal immigrants from the Former Soviet Union lived in Israel during the end of 2010, but it is not clear how many of them are actually Jews. Currently, Russia has the highest rate of
aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
to Israel among any other country. In 2013, 7,520 people, nearly 40% of all olim, immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union.


Political history

Russian Jews have been very dominant in Israeli politics, due to large number of Russian Jews occupied in the official positions of Israeli Government. Former Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, was born in former
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
's Moldova. Many Russian Jews maintain their ties with Russia, and play an important role in the relationship between Russia and Israel.


Demographics

Russian-speaking Jews in Israel include an enlarged population of 1,200,000, if including halakhically non-Jewish members of Jewish households. 96.5% of the enlarged Russian Jewish population in Israel is either Jewish or non-religious, while 3.5% (35,000) belong to other religions (mostly
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
) and about 10,000 identifying as Messianic Jews separate from Jewish Christians.


Jews (of all Russian-speaking Jewish ethnic groups)

Soviet and Russian-origin Jews form a core population of around 900,000 in Israel, as of 2007.


Mixed families

Some 300,000 halakhically non-Jewish members of Jewish households lived in Israel, as of 2007.


Notable people

* Natan Sharansky *
Yuri Foreman Yuri Foreman (born August 5, 1980) is an Israeli professional boxer who held the WBA super welterweight title from 2009 to 2010. He was born in Gomel, Belarus, but currently fights out of Brooklyn, New York. Foreman has also pursued Jewish reli ...
* Yuri Stern *
Yuli-Yoel Edelstein Yuli-Yoel Edelstein ( he, יוּלִי־יוֹאֵל אֵדֶלְשְטֵיין, russian: Ю́лий Ю́рьевич Эдельште́йн, link=no, uk, Ю́лій Ю́рійович Едельште́йн, born 5 August 1958) is an Israeli ...
*
Yoel Razvozov Yoel Razvozov (; born 5 July 1980) is an Israeli judoka and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid in several spells, and as the Minister of Tourism from 2021 to 2022. Early life Born Konstantin Anatolyevich Razvozov (ru ...
* Vladimir Beliak *
Evgeny Sova Evgeny Sova (, born 29 August 1980) is an Israeli journalist, television presenter and politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu. Biography Born in Pervomaisk in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union, Sova ...
*
Alex Kushnir Alexander Kushnir ( he, אָלֶכְּסַנְדֶּר (אָלֵכְּס) קוּשְׁנִיר, born 2 November 1978) is an Israeli politician. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu. Biography Kushnir was born in th ...
*
Elina Bardach-Yalov Elina Bardach-Yalov (russian: Элина Бардач-Ялова, he, אלינה ברדץ'-יאלוב) is an Israeli politician. She was a member of Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu. Political career Elina Bardach-Yalov was placed tenth on the Yisr ...
* Tania Mazarsky *
Yulia Malinovsky Yulia Malinovsky (, russian: Юлия Малиновская, ''Yuliya Malinovskaya''; born 5 September 1975) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. She is currently a member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu. Biography Malinovsky was born in Vo ...
*
Nachman Dushanski Nachman Dushanski ( lt, Nachmanas Dušanskis, russian: Нахман Ноахович Душанский, he, נחמן דושנסקי; December 29, 1919 in Šiauliai – February 20, 2008 in Haifa) was a Lithuanian officer of Soviet security age ...
* Boris Gelfand *
Natasha Mozgovaya Natasha Mozgovaya ( he, נטשה מוזגוביה, russian: Наташа Мозговая; born 1979) is an American-Israeli journalist. She is a TV host for Voice of America. Biography Natasha Mozgovaya was born in the Soviet Union in 1979 in ...
* Avigdor Lieberman * Anastassia Michaeli *
Haim Megrelashvili The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim ...
*
Victor Mikhalevski Victor (Viktor) Mikhalevski ( he, ויקטור מיכלבסקי; born 8 July 1972) is an Israeli chess grandmaster who lives in Beersheba. his Elo rating was 2611, making him the #7 player in Israel and the 171st-highest rated player in the ...
*
Evgeny Postny Evgeny Postny (born 3 July 1981) is an Israeli chess player. He was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 2002. Postny was a member of the Israeli team which took the silver medal in the Chess Olympiad of 2008. He competed in the FIDE World ...
*
Maxim Rodshtein Maxim Rodshtein ( he, מקסים רודשטיין, russian: Максим Эдуардович Родштейн, translit=Maksim Eduardovich Rodshtein; born 19 January 1989) is an Israeli chess grandmaster. He competed in the FIDE World Cup in 20 ...
* Tatiana Zatulovskaya * Maria Gorokhovskaya *
Katia Pisetsky Katerina "Katya" Pisetsky ( he, קטרינה "קטיה" איבגניה פיסצקי) is a Ukrainian-born Israeli rhythmic gymnast who competed at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Early life Katerina Pisetsky was born Yekaterina Yevgenyevna Pisets ...
*
Aleksandr Averbukh Aleksandr "Alex" Valeryevich Averbukh ( he, אלכס אברבוך, russian: Александр Валерьевич Авербух; born October 1, 1974) is a retired Russian decathlete and Israeli Olympic athlete, who competed in the pole vault. ...
*
Anna Smashnova Anna Smashnova ( he, אנה סמשנובה, russian: Анна Смашнова; born July 16, 1976) is a Soviet-born Israeli former tennis player. She retired from professional tour after Wimbledon 2007. Smashnova reached her career-high singles ...
*
Jan Talesnikov Jan Talesnikov ( he, ז'אן טלסניקוב, russian: Ян Талесников, born December 11, 1972) is an Israelis, Israeli retired Football (soccer), footballer and current manager. Early life Talesnikov was born on 11 December 1972 in th ...
*
Vadim Alexeev Vadim Alekseyev ( he, ודים אלכסייב, russian: Вадим Алексеев ; born April 11, 1970) is a retired Olympic breaststroke swimmer who competed for first the Soviet Union, then Israel. Alexeev was born in Almaty, Kazakh SSR, Sov ...
*
Michael Kolganov Michael "Misha" Kolganov (or Kalganov, he, מיכאל (מישה) קולגנוב, russian: Михаил Калганов; born October 24, 1974) is a USSR-born Israeli sprint kayaker and former world champion (1998–99). Competing in th ...
*
Alexander Danilov Alexander Danilov ( he, אלכסנדר דנילוב, russian: Александр Данилов; born November 10, 1969) is an Israeli pistol shooter competed for his country at the 2000 Sydney Games and 2004 Athens Games. Athletic career Danil ...
*
Evgenia Linetskaya Evgenia Simonovna Linetskaya (russian: Евгения Симоновна Линецкая, he, יבגניה לינצקיה; born 30 November 1986) is an Israeli professional tennis player. She won seven singles titles and one doubles title on ...
*
Marina Kravchenko Marina Kravchenko (born May 19, 1975 in Soviet Union) is a champion Israeli table tennis player. She is Jewish. She participated in the Olympics in 2004. See also * List of select Jewish table tennis players References External links * Marin ...
*
David Kazhdan David Kazhdan ( he, דוד קשדן), born Dmitry Aleksandrovich Kazhdan (russian: Дми́трий Александро́вич Кажда́н), is a Soviet and Israeli mathematician known for work in representation theory. Kazhdan is a 1990 Ma ...
* Leonid Nevzlin *
Vadim Akolzin Vadim Akolzin ( he, ודים אקולזין, russian: Вадим Акользин, born October 19, 1982) is an Israeli former pair skating, pair skater. He achieved his best ISU Championship result, tenth, at the 2005 European Figure Skating Cha ...
*
Roman Bronfman Roman Bronfman ( he, רומן ברונפמן, born 22 April 1954) is a Ukrainian-born Israeli politician. He speaks Hebrew ,English, Russian, and Ukrainian. Biography Bronfman was born in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine),
*
Michael Cherney Michael Cherney ( he, מיכאל צ'רנוי, russian: Михаил Чёрный, also Mikhail Chernoy, Mikhail Semenovitch Chorny or Mikhail Chernoi; born 16 January 1952) is an Uzbek-born Israeli entrepreneur and industrialist. He is known for h ...
* Victoria Veinberg Filanovsky *
Sergei Sakhnovski Sergei Sakhnovski ( he, סרגיי סחנובסקי, russian: Серге́й Сахно́вский; born May 15, 1975) is an Israeli ice dancer. With partner Galit Chait, he is the 2002 World bronze medalist for Israel. With previous partner Ek ...
*
Roman Zaretski Roman Zaretsky ( he, רומן זרצקי, russian: Роман Зарецкий, be, Раман Зарэцкі; born December 4, 1983) is an Israeli retired Ice dancing, ice dancer. With his sister, Alexandra Zaretsky, he is the 2009 Skate America ...
*
Alexandra Zaretski Alexandra "Sasha" Zaretsky ( he, אלכסנדרה זרצקי, russian: Александра Зарецкая, , be, Аляксандра Зарэцкая) (born December 23, 1987) is an Israeli retired ice dancer. With her brother Roman Zaretsky, ...
*
Larisa Trembovler Yigal Amir ( he, יגאל עמיר; born May 31, 1970) is an Israeli right-wing extremist who assassinated former Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin. At the time of the assassination he was a law student at Bar-Ilan University. The assass ...
*
Boris Tsirelson Boris Semyonovich Tsirelson (May 4, 1950 – January 21, 2020) ( he, בוריס סמיונוביץ' צירלסון, russian: Борис Семёнович Цирельсон) was a Russian–Israeli mathematician and Professor of Mathematics ...
*
Daniel Samohin Daniel Samohin ( he, דניאל סמוכין; born 12 March 1998) is an Israeli figure skater. He is the 2016 World Junior champion, and has won two ISU Challenger Series medals, including a gold medal at the 2015 U.S. International Classic. Sa ...
*
Margarita Levieva Margarita Vladimirovna Levieva (russian: Маргари́та Влади́мировна Леви́ева; born 9 February 1980) is a Russian-American actress. Early life Levieva was born in then Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, ...
* Anna Zak *
Diana Golbi Diana Golbi ( he, דיאנה גולבי; born January 16, 1992) is an Israeli-Russian singer and actress, the eighth winner of ''Kokhav Nolad'', the Israeli version of ''Pop Idol''. Golbi is the third female participant to win the show (following ...
* Arkadi Duchin * Arcadi Gaydamak *
Neta Rivkin Neta Rivkin ( he, נטע ריבקין; born June 19, 1991) is a retired Israeli individual rhythmic gymnast. She is one of Israel's most successful rhythmic gymnasts. A three-time Olympian, in 2011 she won the silver medal in clubs at the 20 ...
* Artem Dolgopyat *
Eliezer Sherbatov Eliezer "Elie" Alexeevich Sherbatov ( he, אליעזר שרבטוב; born 9 October 1991) is an Israeli-Canadian ice hockey player who plays for the Jonquière Marquis of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey, after having played for HC Mariupo ...


See also

*
Aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
* Refusenik *
1970s Soviet Union aliyah The 1970s Soviet Union aliyah was the mass immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel after the Soviet Union lifted its ban on Jewish refusenik emigration in 1971. More than 150,000 Soviet Jews immigrated during this period, motivated variously by rel ...
*
1990s Post-Soviet aliyah The 1990s post-Soviet aliyah began en masse in the late 1980s when the government of Mikhail Gorbachev opened the borders of the USSR and allowed Jews to leave the country for Israel. Between 1989 and 2006, about 1.6 million Soviet Jews and the ...
*
Russian language in Israel The Russian language is spoken natively by a considerable proportion of the population of Israel, mostly by immigrants who came from the former Soviet Union from 1989 onwards. It is a major foreign language in the country, and is used in many ...
*
History of the Jews in Russia The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
*
Jewish ethnic divisions Jewish ethnic divisions refer to many distinctive communities within the world's ethnically Jewish population. Although considered a self-identifying ethnicity, there are distinct ethnic subdivisions among Jews, most of which are primarily the ...
*
Israel–Russia relations Israel–Russia relations are the bilateral ties between the State of Israel and the Russian Federation. Israel is represented in Russia through an embassy in Moscow and a consulate-general (to be opened) in Yekaterinburg. Russia is represen ...
* Russians in Israel


References

{{Israeli Jews by ethnic or national origin in Israel Israeli Jews by national origin Israeli people of Russian-Jewish descent