Review by Choice Review
Altshuler has written a valuable sourcebook on the social and demographic developments within Soviet Jewry since WW II. He reports that the Jewish national minority is the only entirely urban Soviet ethnic group, and that the number of Soviet Jews has declined because of the Holocaust, assimilation, and emigration. Altshuler also finds that significant numbers of Jews (relative to their percentage of the total Soviet population) tend to be highly educated and hold important jobs in science, medicine, and higher education. In these ways, the sociodemographic profile of Soviet Jewry parallels that of Jewish groups in other developed countries rather than that of other national groups in the USSR. The author also points out that a fairly large number of Jews belong to the Communist party for reasons of ideology, career opportunities, or inertia. The percentage of Jews tied to the party-nearly 15%-far exceeds that of any other Soviet national group. The Jews also account for close to 2% of party members and candidates, more than double their proportion of the population. On the other hand, anti-Jewish discrimination remains strong throughout the Soviet Union. The book is well documented and contains important demographic tables and graphs. It is especially recommended for libraries with strong collections of Soviet and East European materials.-D.J. Dunn, Southwest Texas State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
