Dual Diaspora: Post-Soviet Culture in Search of Israeli Identity: McGill-Queen’s Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly one million Russian-speaking Jews have settled in Israel, reshaping its cultural, social, and political fabric. This influx has sparked a complex dialogue about the intersection of post-Soviet and Jewish identities in the Israeli context. Dual Diaspora offers a groundbreaking exploration of the cultural contributions of Russian-speaking immigrants to Israel over the past thirty years. Through the lenses of literature, cinema, and visual art, Alex Moshkin investigates how immigrants reconcile their Soviet past with their Israeli present, and what role the Russian language – central to the identity of Soviet Jews in the second half of the twentieth century – plays today. Highlighting works in both Russian and Hebrew, Moshkin describes how authors, artists, and filmmakers navigate their dual identities and engage with Jewish history, religious life, and cosmopolitan ideals while confronting the traumas of displacement and immigration. Expanding the study of contemporary Israeli life beyond its Hebrew-centric narratives, Dual Diaspora sheds light on a vibrant and overlooked cultural scene. It not only deepens our understanding of Russian-speaking Jews in Israel but also enriches a broader conversation about hybrid identities in an increasingly globalized world.