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Jewish migration in Kyrgyzstan

“In the last quarter of a century, migration theory has undergone fundamental change, moving from the classic "individual relocation" genre initiated by Ravenstein a century ago, to a variety of new approaches which nevertheless share important elements: they tend to be historical, structural, globalist and critical. Historicization implies a constant modification of theoretical concerns and emphases in the light of changing social realities, and commitment to a critical approach entails a view of research as one element in a broader project concerned with the elucidation of social and political conditions.” The article uses elements from two major theoretical traditions -- a modified world-systems approach and state theory -- to project current trends. Global inequality is considered as a structural given. The article then reviews major topics, including the persistence of restrictive immigration policies as barriers to movement, changing patterns of exploitation of foreign labor, liberalization of exit from the socialist world and the refugee crisis in the developing world. It concludes with a brief consideration of the normative implications of these trends. Scientific principals explain migration not just as human activity, but also reflection of culture which can be disturbed by the whole experience of migrants in their motion. Migration include the ideas about different experiences that have got people form generation to generation and explain every experience by motion of diverse groups of people. Those experiences in Jewish culture got huge impact in their development, and form those experiences they got their diversity many large regions as USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, France, England, Russia, Caucasia, Asia and Africa. Jewish migration though all countries gave them ability to be very different, but will be Jewish all the time. In migration there are isolated classes of factors which may influence on the decision to migrate in terms of the push factors (revulsion from the place of origin) and the less tangible pull factors the place of intended destination (gaining more opportunities for life). Historical background shows that Jewish people in the largest part of migration had not free motion, they were forced and they did not have any choices. With time they have lost something, but moreover they had gained an experience. There are two main perceptive of individual and group migration. The reasons why people migrate can be very different such as housing, family, marriage in order to achieve your personal goals and make life as you planed, but also there are causes that bring people to make decision and migrate, because of ethnic pressures, nationalism, isolation, conflict situation, many other and unfortunately exactly those cases by force influence on Jewish migration. Generally as history shows, individual migration is free way, it is decision that one person or one family gets, but when there is group migration it entails of global motion that could be imprint in history. Therefore, it is always possible to find family members in different parts of the world for variety of reasons. This type of migration led to a family chained connection and migration which they use the language, culture and the way of living in a new society.

Jewish presence on Kyrgyz territory “History is the heroic homeland in time; today it is already not interesting for Jews: they won entitlement for homeland in expense.”

“Jewish movements to the territory of Kyrgyzstan were before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and they were little. Jews began to settle along the Great Silk Road starting in the 4th century. Jews populated the Turkistan region, which encompassed the territory that is modern-day Kyrgyzstan. Their history stretches over 2,000 years in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.” “In the middle of 19th century, Russia absorbed the region into its vast empire. Ashkenazi (see in glossary) Jews settled in the provincial cities of Kyrgyzstan, particularly in Karakol,, and Osh. In 1898, Osh became as home to the largest Jewish community in Kyrgyzstan and maintained a separate Jewish cemetery. The majority of “Kyrgyz” Jews lived in cities after the Russian Empire instituted a policy forbidding Jews to settle in villages. In 1900, the Turkistan regional census stated that 800 Jews lived in Osh and 250 in Bishkek. Until 1915, Kyrgyzstan had no synagogues. As there were no Jewish schools in Kyrgyzstan, some Jews sent their children to Heder (see in glossary) in Samarkand. Ashkenazi children went to Russian schools and Jewish traditions were maintained through the family.” But today in case of Jews in Kyrgyzstan the situation with traditional, religious and educational places are changing in Bishkek and in Osh, despite of little Jew population there today. “In 1916, groups of Jewish war refugees and POWs from the German and Austro-Hungarian armies (see in glossary) were sent to Kyrgyzstan to work in coalmines, irrigation projects, factories, and railroad construction. During the Stalinist purges of the 1930s, a number of Russian Jews moved to Kyrgyzstan to escape persecution. That is very visible that Russian and Ashkenazi Jews still live on the territory of Kyrgyz republic. In my case many of them do not show their ethnic identity and people in Kyrgyzstan perceived them as Russian, Ukraine or German. Usually such suggestions by other nations about Jews are appearing because of their last names that are very attractive mark to identify Jews among others. But also it can confuse people because each Jew’s last name exactly depends on their origin. During World War II, a wave of more than 20,000 Jewish refugees fled to the country from western regions of the Soviet Union. The majority of these immigrants were Ashkenazim from Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. They settled in Kyrgyz cities and villages with relative ease.” World War II had a profound effect on Soviet official policy on the relationship between state and religion due to the intense hardships the Soviet Union suffered. The new Soviet theory was that all forms of religion had an important role in bringing the territories together. “In 1941, the authorities allowed the establishment of a Synagogue (see in glossary) in Bishkek. The Jewish community purchased a building in the center of the city and received a Torah (see in glossary) scroll from their first Rabbi (see in glossary), Y. Levin. Soon after, synagogues were founded in Osh and Kant. At that point, 70 members attended services at the Bishkek synagogue daily, 200 weekly, and more than 2,500 on high holy days. The community was allowed to celebrate official Jewish holidays and continue Jewish activities until the 1950s, when all religious activities, save High Holiday services (see in glossary), were prohibited. Synagogue in Bishkek is acting today, and Jews pray there, make all traditional customs and celebrate holidays. From the interview and observation it seems that little population it is not matter for performance in Synagogue, because sometimes Kyrgyz Jew community can go to Kazakhs Jews and celebrate some events together, but weekly things that they obligate to do as Shabbat (see in glossary), they generally perform in Kyrgyzstan.” “The Jewish population of Kyrgyzstan has dropped increasingly since World War II. By 1979, the community had diminished to 6 900, with 5 700 living in Bishkek. In 1989, it had shrunk to 5 800. Today, there are approximately 2 000 in the country. Continued immigration to Israel is the main cause of the decrease in the Jewish population, combined with economic problems and military conflicts in the 1990s. From 1989 to 2000, 4 907 Jews made aliyah and in 1990 more than 1,000 immigrated to Israel.”  In the present day immigration and repatriation to Israel become very frequent occurrence among Kyrgyz Jewish and such phenomenon develop into progress, because some difficult political and economic instability in Kyrgyzstan by 2005 and 2010, when were two revolutions, which were destroyed not only political and economic structure of this country, but also social steadiness. These troubles within country were difficult to forget and will be confident with tomorrow, so decision by many Jews was to go to Israel. “Jewish population in 2 000 was 4 500 people on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, exactly in Bishkek were 4 000 people. But because of such events these numbers became more less, and today in Kyrgyzstan there are approximately 2 000 of Jewish people.” Moreover, migration of Jews to Kyrgyzstan is canceled, but there are still some Jews who do not leave Kyrgyzstan, they had migrated to this country and they would be here. < < Joanna Sloame. Virtual Jewish Library .The Jewish History Tour Kyrgyzstan. Web. 2012 />