Much has already been, and will be written about the Boston Marathon bombers, but this article in New Yorker about the Russian reaction to the events caught my attention. As a refugee from the former Soviet Union who came to the United States 25 years ago, here is my take.
1. Russia has always thrived on feeling of its centrality to all the world events. John Paul II who was Polish, was considered practically “one of us” by the Soviets (especially since unlike Gerald Ford, Soviets believed the Eastern block countries to be an extension of the USSR); and Russians (as do others) appreciate being connected to notoriety of their countrymen and women (former and current) regardless of whether their government supports the policy of an individual or not. Golda Meir – former prime minister of Israel – and other Israeli politicians with Russian background, are frequently referred to as “ours” at least among the average Russian folk.
There are indeed a lot of natives of former Soviet Union and Russia, who have become famous worldwide, and if Russia could claim all the Olympic medals won by its former citizens now representing countries all over the world, I’m pretty sure Russia would be #1. The trick is that many people (some would say “most”) do not want to live in Russia, and chose citizenship of another nation whenever possible. There are of course exceptions, most recently French actor Gerard Depardieu who chose to have Russian citizenship for tax reason, but to me, that’s just one more reminder that today’s Russia is not about ideology, it’s about money.
2. I’m not Russian. I know it’s confusing to many but I’m actually Jewish. A Russian Jew to be precise. However, the fact that many Jews from Russia or the former Soviet Union do not practice Judaism (and never have) while having the deepest respect for our heritage and culture, confuses many people even more. The reality is that calling a person a Jew – meaning someone who is practicing Judaism – exists ONLY in America. In Israel, you’re considered Jewish only if your mother was Jewish and converting to Judaism means little there. On the other hand, my parents’ passport in Soviet Union said “Jews” (“Yevrei”) and it was presumed that my parents were Atheists just like every other normal Soviet citizen was presumed to be.
Thus, the question of whether the accused Boston Marathon bombers, are ethnic Russians or Chechens is fairly irrelevant anywhere but in the chauvinistic Russia. There, there is no question about the nationality of the brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. From their faces and names its clear they are not “Russian”, but there is the desire is to both claim and reject these made-back-at-home terrorists. Personally, I would consider many questions to be much more relevant, such as: was FBI aware of Tsarnaev brothers activity prior to the bombing? How have American policies over the last 4 years increased or decreased chances of terrorism occurring in the United States, and what needs to change going forward on local, state and federal levels following the tragic events in Boston? But that’s me.
3. Russians are all too aware of the risk that comes from Chechen terrorists and radicalized Islam, as well as the harm of potentially being associated with terrorism, and thus the condolences and even some apologies that have come from Russia already. As the result of the two wars, and the Russian government policies towards Chechnya over the past 20 years, Chechen refugees have been spread all over the world. As the article in New Yorker points out, this tragedy could potentially force the Russians (or more appropriately “Russian Government”) to own up to the damage it has done in Chechnya, not that anyone would ever argue with the Russian government ability to deny the obvious. On the bigger scale, events like what happened in Boston, need to remind all of us the ultimate harm of War which creates refugees, trauma, and aftershocks that can resonate around the world in ways that can be hard to predict and impossible to fully control.
4. Here’s the irony: as this fascinating article (albeit in Russian) points out: according the latest research, genetically-speaking, there are no Russians. There are only Russian-speaking Finns. This is a huge insult to the Russian sense of self-importance, especially combined with the fact that Russians have historically looked down on Finns (and on many other smaller ethnicities populating the former Soviet Union). With the added pressure of the steadily decreasing population, (population down 5% since 1991), Russia may want to claim every notable Russian worldwide (no matter how notorious or ethnically different), just in attempt to stay relevant.
UPDATE: To read this in Russian, go here: http://yurirashkin.com/...