Why Jews of Russian-Speaking Backgrounds Matter to our Communal Future.

RUSSIAN Jews; AMERICAN Jews; SOCIAL integration; JEWISH identity; FAMILY values; JEWISH families; TWENTIETH century; SOCIAL history

The article explains the importance of Russian-speaking Jews (RSJs) to the future of the Jewish community in North America. Topics discussed include the role of inclusivity in the long-term survival of the Jewish community in the region, the results of a study conducted in New York in 2011 that indicated that RSJs show very high levels of Jewish identity as well as the distinctive characteristics of the RSJ population that are often attributed to the strong family bonds in the community.