User:AbigailStern0702/Sephardic Judaism in the Soviet Union/Rfgovaerts Peer Review

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Contents

 * 1Peer review
 * 1.1General info
 * 1.2Lead
 * 1.2.1Lead evaluation
 * 1.3Content
 * 1.3.1Content evaluation
 * 1.4Tone and Balance
 * 1.4.1Tone and balance evaluation
 * 1.5Sources and References
 * 1.5.1Sources and references evaluation
 * 1.6Organization
 * 1.6.1Organization evaluation
 * 1.7Images and Media
 * 1.7.1Images and media evaluation
 * 1.8For New Articles Only
 * 1.8.1New Article Evaluation
 * 1.9Overall impressions
 * 1.9.1Overall evaluation

Peer review
This is where you will complete your peer review exercise. Please use the following template to fill out your review.

General info

 * Whose work are you reviewing? (provide username): AbigailStern0702
 * Link to draft you're reviewing: AbigailStern0702/Sephardic Judaism in the Soviet Union

Lead
Guiding questions:


 * Has the Lead been updated to reflect the new content added by your peer? N.A.
 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic? Yes, it does
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections? Yes, it does
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article? No, it does not
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed? The lead is concise. It consists of two paragraphs with the first describing how practices and rituals of Sephardic Judaism in the Soviet Union were adopted by ethnic Jews in the Soviet Union, focusing on Mountain, Georgian and Bukharan Jews. The second paragraph explains that these practices and rituals were distinct from those practiced by Russian Jews who are Ashkenazi Jews.  It then also explains the extent of anti-semitism and resulting oppression of not only the ethnic Jews but also the Ashkenazi Jews from non Jewish elements as well as from amongst each other.

Content
Guiding questions:


 * Is the content added relevant to the topic? Yes, the content very relevant to the topic. Jews worldwide, also in the Soviet Union, as becomes clear from this article, irrespective of their ethnicity, were (are) subject to antisemitism.
 * Is the content added up-to-date? It appears so as the sources for the article range in date from 1974 to 2015 with the majority from 2000 onwards. In other words, the sources do not appear dated.
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong? There is no content that does not belong.
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics? Yes, it does. Having scanned through the Wikipedia pages on Sephardic Judaism, Anti-semitism and each of the Georgian, Bukharan and, Georgian Jews, relative little attention was paid to the Mountain, Georgian and Bukharan Jews during the Soviet era with the exception perhaps, of the page on the Georgian Jews.

Tone and Balance
Guiding questions:


 * Is the content added neutral? Yes, the content is very descriptive and explanatory in nature providing facts about the topic of the article.
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position? No, there are not. Anti-semitism was not only described on the part of the non Jewish populations towards the different  the different Jewish groups but also forms of discrimination and oppression between different Jewish populations amongst each other.
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented? No, they seem in balance
 * Does the content added attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another? No, that does not appear to be the case.

Sources and References
Guiding questions:


 * Is all new content backed up by a reliable secondary source of information? Yes, they are
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic? Yes, they do
 * Are the sources current? Yes, they are
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible? Yes, they do. Not certain if Jewish scholars are considered historically marginalized, if they are, many are referenced in this article.
 * Check a few links. Do they work? Yes, they all work, as do the footnotes to the references.

Organization
Guiding questions:


 * Is the content added well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read? The writing may be improved upon with some rewriting, and during this process, paying attention to the following: 1) Avoiding the passive voice by trying to place the subject of a sentence as close to the beginning of a sentence as possible. This helps to construct shorter and clearer sentences and helps to avoid long and awkward sentence construction.  2) Moreover, a re-examination of the instances where the words "in order to" are used as they may provide an opportunity where "in order" can easily be left out. This technique also shortens, simplifies and clarifies what is being written. 3) Finally, consider eliminating redundancies. For example, in the "Religious conflicts" section of the article in the first paragraph under the heading "Antisemitism among Russians", it is written "antisemitism and displays of discrimination against the Jews".  Displays of discrimination against Jews is antisemitism.
 * Does the content added have any grammatical or spelling errors? Not materially although in instances, use of different words may be considered to improve the article. For example, consider the use of words like "subsequently" or similar over "later on". Another example is the use of the word "liquidate".  When used in the context of centers of Jewish cultural significance in the "Georgian Jews" section, perhaps consider using the word "destroyed" instead and in the context of addressing the Judeo-Tajik language in the "Antisemitism among Russians" section, consider using a word like "suppressed" or "discouraged" or even "outlawed" depending on exactly how it was attempted or accomplished.
 * Is the content added well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic? In general, yes, it is.  Perhaps, however, the focus on antisemitism in the article is to such a degree that it warrants inclusion in the title, e.g. "Sephardic Judaism and Antisemitism in the Soviet Union"? This would also help set it apart from the current separate Wikipedia pages on each of he Mountain, Georgian and Bukharan Jews.  The Wikipedia page on the Georgian Jews titled "History of the Georgian Jews" contains a specific section focusing on the Soviet era and it contains some similar information but it does not go into depth on the aspect of antisemitism. That page is especially thin on the conflicts between the Ashkenazi and Georgian Jews, it only states that "relations were strained". The current Wikipedia page on the Bukharan Jews is especially thin on their situation during the Soviet era.

Images and media evaluation
Not Applicable

For New Articles Only
If the draft you're reviewing is a new article, consider the following in addition to the above.


 * Does the article meet Wikipedia's Notability requirements - i.e. Is the article supported by 2-3 reliable secondary sources independent of the subject? Yes, they are. The secondary sources appear to be academic articles written by scholars.
 * How exhaustive is the list of sources? Does it accurately represent all available literature on the subject? There is a variety of sources dated from 1974 to 2015 with the majority from 2000 onwards.
 * Does the article follow the patterns of other similar articles - i.e. contain any necessary infoboxes, section headings, and any other features contained within similar articles? Yes, it does.
 * Does the article link to other articles so it is more discoverable? Yes, it does although not certain about the rules in regard to links. In the introductory section, for example, the groups of Jews are introduced but without links. In the more detailed section of the article, they are linked. Not certain if every time a term which is linked somewhere in the article, needs to be consistently linked throughout.  They are not in this article. Moreover, also not certain is to what extent words, terms and concepts need to be linked to related Wikipedia pages. For example, in the introductory section, for example, words "Sephardic Judaism", "Jews", "Soviet Union" and "North Caucasus" are not linked but they could be.

Overall impressions
Guiding questions:


 * Has the content added improved the overall quality of the article - i.e. Is the article more complete? N.A., for existing articles only
 * What are the strengths of the content added? N.A, for existing articles only
 * How can the content added be improved? See rest of review.

Overall evaluation
The article provides the reader with a comprehensive detailed account of the different Jewish groups in the Soviet Union, with a focus on their differing ethnicity and how these groups adopted Sephardic Jewish practices as distinct from Ashkenazi practices observed by the majority of Russian Jews. It also explains how these ethnic Jewish groups became part of the Soviet Union after the Bolshevik revolution. The article also explains the sources of and manner in which all Jewish groups, the ethnic as as well as the Russian Jews, experienced antisemitism. Overall, a very worthwhile additional Wikipedia source.