The Unique Oral History of a Jewish Family After the Russian Revolution with Historical Context

Abstract

This project is a melding of conventional and oral history of the Jews in the Soviet Union. It shows how life changed immediately after the Revolution and the rapid social changes in the subsequent decades before the Second World War. The aforementioned, conventional [but brief] A-to-Z history is a precursor. It’s a basis of understanding for what’s at the heart of this project. That is the oral history of one Jewish family in the Soviet Union. Specific individuals with interesting life stories speak about everything ranging from: their childhood, work, grappling with their Jewish identity, anti-Semitism, loss and service during the war, and how they rebuilt their lives. What we find is that the oral histories of this family and the conventional history of Jews in Russia complement one another and explain more than just one would individually. The oral histories, however, are what make this work unlike any other traditional analysis of this period.