July 4, 2023 Speech by a faculty of the Institute for African Studies at the international conference “Litvak Diaspora”

July 4, 2023, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Southern Africa Studies at the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ph.D. in History Boris Gorelik spoke at an international conference held by the leading university in South Africa - the University of Cape Town.

The international conference “Litvak Diaspora” was dedicated to the history of Jewish communities in the western part of the Russian Empire (the so-called “Litvaks”). Boris Gorelik made a report “On the numerous channels of communication between Litvaks in the Russian Empire and South Africa).”

Looking at migrations between the Russian Empire and South Africa during the period of mass migration of Eastern European Jews (1880–1910s), the researcher concluded that throughout this period, family and kinship ties remained the most important source of information about the destination. Sharing information with trusted individuals within transnational networks was crucial in shaping collective perceptions of South Africa among potential migrants. Secondary sources of information were representative offices and publications of the Jewish Colonization Society, as well as periodicals in Russian, Yiddish, and Hebrew published in the Russian Empire.

The event was organized and hosted by the Center for Jewish Studies. Isaac and Jesse Kaplan University of Cape Town July 3–5, 2023. The conference was prepared by the German Historical Institute in Warsaw, the Parkes Institute at the University of Southampton, the Pennsylvania State University College of Liberal Arts, the Institute of Jewish Studies at Emory University, and the Center for Jewish Studies at Fordham University.