Dual Diaspora

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.

"Jewish literature has long awaited a book about Soviet-born Israelis. Reading compelling stories by a diverse array of writers from the Soviet refusenik and scientist turned Israeli politician Natan Sharansky to the post-Soviet émigré Dina Rubina, Moshkin helps to interpret the rich literature of Israel’s largest – and arguably most enigmatic – recent wave of immigrants. These writers and artists are at once the subjects of a narrative of return to a historical homeland and exiles from Soviet and post-Soviet culture. This important new book will help us to better understand the cultures of Israel, Palestine, and the former Soviet Union and the transnational literary networks of the global twenty-first century." Amelia Glaser, University of California, San Diego

"Dual Diaspora presents novel, compelling, and fascinating interpretations of the works of post-Soviet Israeli artists and the way they responded to the challenges of their new country." Miriam Finkelstein, University of Konstanz

"An excellent and timely book that transforms the nascent and understudied field of post-Soviet Israeli culture." Melissa Weininger, California State University, Northridge