Good criticism of my latest piece from @returnstosender. https://twitter.com/returnstosender/status/1284983680834826240

There were important successes in advancing Jewish civil rights in the Soviet Union relative to their treatment in the Russian empire. e.g., Jews could move to cities in Russia proper, could take on new professions, etc... All without having to renounce being Jewish.

Like any history of human beings, it's complicated and often a mixed bag. Those advances in civil rights and material advancement also happened in a place that gave us the 5th line, conducted show trials of Jews, and only failed to implement a second Holocaust because Stalin died

With respect to the Holocaust, the roots of the Otkaznik movement among Jews began with Soviet authorities punishing Jews who sought to memorialize their loved ones who were murdered *because they were Jews.* Can we really say it was a friendly climate for Jews?

We can acknowledge the decisive role American Jewry played in enabling us to leave, but it's worth noting that roughly 1.5 million people don't usually up and move out because things are great for them. (And it's not even the first time millions of Jews fled Russian lands!)

So to @returnstosender's point, yes, I am not giving a definitive account of history. You're not going to get a complete account in 1500 words.

But the discrimination and material deprivation was experienced *and* the belief in it does inform older FSU Jewish politics.