After the Soviet Union collapsed 20 years ago, more than 1 million of its citizens took advantage of Jewish roots to flee to Israel.
Israel has the world’s third-largest Russian-speaking community outside the former Soviet Union. About one in five Israelis are Russian emigres, and they occupy virtually every corner of Israeli society.
By virtue of their sheer numbers and their tenacity in clinging to their culture and their old way of life, these immigrants have transformed the face of Israel. They live in the Middle East, but their lives are Eastern European.
