Celebrating Memory and Belonging: Young Russian Israelis Claim Their Unique Place in Tel-Aviv’s Urban Space

Abstract

Drawing on the theoretical concept of collective memory and migration, and politics of belonging, this article explores performative belonging enacted in the series of holidays and commemorative rites organized by young Russian immigrants in Israel's major metropolis. Our ethnography is based on 18 months of participant observation at the cultural association Fishka in South Tel-Aviv. As part of our field work, we documented public celebrations of Jewish and Russian-Soviet holidays organized by Fishka as acts of public performance seeking to elevate the prestige of Russian culture in Israel. These events reinforced visibility of Russian Israelis in Israel's cultural capital and helped reach out to other urban communities, both native and immigrant. The article discusses the unique contribution of these bicultural young adults to Tel-Aviv's diverse and dynamic urban scene. Our main argument is about the importance of collective memory in migration, whereby holidays and commemorative rites reinforce feelings of belonging and fortify the immigrants' claim on the respectable place in the receiving society.

Subversive identity and cultural production by the Russian-Israeli Generation 1.5

“…We first paid attention to the organizational efforts by young Russian Israelis around the year 2010, when Fishka club was in its prime. Our field work included 20 months of participant observation during 2012–2013, when Fishka sponsored dozens of public events, holiday celebrations and street weddings (Prashizky and Remennick, 2014, 2016a, 2016b). Since early 2015, we started following the online forums and live events organized by Generation 1.5.…”

“…Their cultural initiatives catered to co-ethnics and typically transferred familiar cultural practices and genres to the new soil. Tending to self-isolation and perceiving Russian-Soviet culture as superior in the Israeli-Levantine milieu, they rarely challenged the local political and cultural norms (Remennick, 2007, 2012); Generation 1.5 raised mostly in Israel is more prone to expressing active citizenship and bridging cultural gaps (Prashizky and Remennick, 2016b). Their identity quest manifests as cultural activism and the drive for inclusion and solidarity with other minorities and social causes.…”

“…As was already mentioned, the ethnic awakening among Russian Generation 1.5 manifests mainly in the media and cultural field, that is organizing bilingual events and urban festivals, writing for the print and electronic social media, starting FB groups (Prashizky and Remennick, 2016b). The initiative to organize a 3-day festival of Russian-Soviet culture in Jerusalem belonged to Alex Rif (32) and a few other activists of Generation 1.5 .…”

“…Driven by their own (and their mothers’) experiences of negative stereotyping as Russian ‘sluts’, and fortified by the feminist ideology, these women initiate online and media discussions on sexual harassment and ethnic prejudice, organize conferences, poetry readings and street walks on International Women’s Day on 8 March. These articulate and confident young women who have the stamina to challenge the status quo comprise a new phenomenon on the Israeli social scene and may soon sound a fresh voice in the national media and politics (Prashizky and Remennick, 2016b).…”

“…These expressions of group identity, despite their small-scale nature, signify a growing openness, diversity of political outlooks and readiness towards civic action among young Russian Israelis that were not really typical for their parents, the first immigrant generation. In this article, comprising a part of our ongoing ethnographic study of Generation 1.5 (Prashizky and Remennick, 2014, 2016a, 2016b), we discuss social activism and creative writing as expressions of the identity quest by the young Russian Israelis. Below we briefly explain the main barriers to full social and political inclusion in their adopted homeland 2 that often fuel both their resentment and creativity.…”