Presenter: Yefim Kogan
Format: Download MP3 Audio

My family emigrated from the Soviet Union 30 years ago. It is very strange to hear us being called Russians. No one in the Soviet Union, a Jew or a non-Jew, would consider calling us Russians. Recently, while visiting Williams College Art Museum, which has a terrific collection of artists from different schools and styles, we were surprised to find several works from Marc Chagall with the labels: French, Belarussian, 1887-1985. The online collection is written: Marc Chagall (French, born Belarus, 1887 - 1985). Were we born Russians? In my case - born Moldovan? No, we were both, myself and Marc Chagall, born Jewish. We will explore the history of Jewish identification and documents, including passports from the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. We will touch on the terms of Nation, Nationality, Citizenship, Ethnicity, and look at differences in how our ancestors used them, compared to the present day.