Between marginal and transnational: post-Soviet immigration in Hebrew literature

Abstract

The paper deals with Hebrew texts written by Post-Soviet immigrants: Alona Kimhi (Viktor and Masha), Boris Zeidman (Split Tongue) and Sivan Beskin (A Vocal Piece for a Jew, a Fish and a Choir). This study aims to analyze issues of narratives of belonging and construction of identity as reflected in their writings while applying a number of interpretational approaches: sociological criticism, cultural studies, and post-Colonial criticism. The discussion corresponds with studies of Russian-Jewish diaspora as well as general migrations studies, in particular to the questions of social disorientation and disintegration of the original identity, the re-construction of home and the conceptualization of space accompanied by nostalgic tendencies.

Keywords:

• Immigration and literature
• Russian-Jewish Diaspora
• Post-Soviet Jewish idenity
• Israeli culture

Notes on contributor

Rafi Tirkin-Sadan completed his doctoral studies at the Hebrew University. Currently he serves as post-doctoral fellow at the Israeli partnership of Russian Studies and I-Core Center Da'at ha-makom. His book Jewish Letters in the Pushkin Library: Yosef Haim Brenner's Work and its Connection to Russian Literature and Thought was published by Bialik Insitute.

Notes

1. Wisse, Modern Jewish Canon; Sidra Ezrahi, Booking Passage; Schachter, Diasporic Modernism.

2. Alroye, Ha-Mehapekha Ha-Shketa.

3. Lerner “Russians in Israel as a Post-Soviet Subject.”

4. On the difference between the two waves of immigration from the Soviet Union to Israel, see Remennick, “Retired and Making a Fresh Start.”

5. Brenner, Breakdown and Bereavement; Hever, Ha-Sipur Ve-Ha-Leom.

6. Deleuze and Guattari, Kafka. Chana Kronfeld's On the Margins of Modernity argues that Deleuze and Guattari's model of minor literature renders invisible the modernist work done in “minor” languages like Hebrew and Yiddish. In this case Hebrew itself becomes like French or German in having its own “minors” within.

7. Bhabha, The Location of Culture, 265.

8. Kimhi, Viktor Ve-Masha, 334–5.‏

  Iahad im Nimrod avad lo ha-kesher ha-iashir, ha-bilti emtsaii le-ha-aerz she-ba hai: etsem israeliuto nisdeka ve-nashra ke-klipat betsa mi-peger gozal. Kaet mi-she-hekir be-kah she-shuto hahatufa be-gan eden higia le-ketsa, hitorer le-haim ha-nof ha-mukar, lelo pina mutselet shel safek o tikvah. Zar, sot eve-boded iheh, bein sotim ve-bodedim aherim, she- rak ha-nehama ha-mefukpeket shel tsarat rabim meshameshet lahem mahase. Afilu me-ahoto ve-me-sabato nitek. Afilu et mokdei ha-kirva ha-tsnuim ha-ele hitslih leharhik me-alav mi-toh tikva lehapoh helek bilti nifrad me-ha-mako haze ve-anashav. ioter lo shaiah le-muhlat ehad, hovek-kol – nimrod, ha-baherim, ha-arez ha-zot, me-ata ve-ad-olam iahug bein sfor halkikim be-kosmos ha-perud ha-kafui.[ … ]. Ve-haedot atsman hai mufradot be-tohan – le-shvatim, le-havurot, le-meshpahot, le-iahidim. Ve-kol adam iahid – mufrad gam hu, le-milionei taim, le-molekulot,le-atomim, le-halkikim ve-tatei halkikim she-hiburam iahad eino ela marit ein bilvad, ki mitahat rohesh ha-kaos, kaos muhlat, she-bo gam ha-katan mikol mitparek le-ieshim nosafim, mevudadim’ he-hagim lelo kivun o matara. Iakum she-bo davar lo nikshar be-davar, ve-rak ashlaiot shel me-kvatsim mikriim bo

9. be

10. See interview with Itamar Hendelman-Smith, Maariv NRG, 19 July 2012; interview with Yaniv Magal, Globs, 20 August 2012.

11. Hall, “Ethnicity.”

12. Kimhi, Viktor Ve-Masha, 362–3.

  Hu hashav al Israel, lo izrail ha-galutit shel horav ela irsael shel israelim, kazot she-hi mi-beit alfa ad nehalal, shel ha-shrim ha-rusiim ve-ha-kibutsnikim ve-ha-bhirot ve-ha-haim ha-neimim im ha-mishpahot ha-mesudarot. Ve-hu hashav sheuli pam ha-israel ha-zot tehihe gam ktsat shelo. Hu hashav al nofim she-hekir – shikunei amdar – shekunei amidar mukafim be-sadot trashim ve-mifalei taasia al plitatam ha-matshina, ha-mezuhemet, ah gam al mataei ha-bananot ha-avotim le-orko shel kvish she-nimtah mi-neharia tsafona. al-iam ha-karov ad lehaftia, mesunvar be-kahol be-shivrei ha-marah ha-meratsdim shel odototav, tomeh bi-shmei thelet atumim she-ha-shemesh tvua be-romam, ktana ve-shtuha ke-pruta [ … ] hu hashav al bijo mudaki she-nitsel et hulshato ve-gamar be-dato she-miad im ahlamto ikaseh le-eled ha-armumi et ha-tsura be-mishak gomlin. zo haita mahshava neima be-miuhad ve-hu nisa leehoz ba od rega ad she-gam hi hamka ve-nemoga. hu hithil lehitnamnem, ah rega lifnei she-shaka el ha-sheina, be-havlaha ahrona shel erut, heira et hakarato vadaut muhletet ve-bilti nitenet le-afrakah she-ha-kol be-seder. Hu haia ba-bait.

13. Derrida, Of Hospitality.

14. Zaidman, Hemingway Ve-Geshem Ha-Tsiporim Ha-Metot.

15. Ibid., 173–5.

  Be-leilot ha-ahronim, mamash lifnei nesiatam, hu halam oto halom, she-hazar al atsmo be-kviut mavita. halom meik ve-maem, she-nikta halkik shnia lifnei she-ze kara. Lifnei she-hu hotef et ha-kadur bein ha-einaim. ve-be-kol laila, lifnei she-nirdam, haita ohezet bo harada shelo iatsliah lehitorer be-rega ha-nahon, ha-aharon … be-halomo nifras lefanav shde teufa katan, snaim-shlosha maslulei hamrah be-lev ha-midbar, migdal pikuah she-kirotav mukhtamot be-tsivei hasvah ve-kanei miklaim somrim me-kharahei halonotav. Haialim habushim kovaim kolonialiim, atuei madim menumarim, pitreliu le-oreh ha-maslulim. bi-iadeihem hehziku tat-miklaim muzarim, ktsarim ve-shmenim, ktsutsei kane, kmo ele she-raa be-karikturot poltiot, bi-hlal lo domim le-kalatshim ha-iafim shel he-hailim shelianu. matosim tsvaiim nahatu sham be-hufza, parku et noseihem ve himriu mi-iad, bli lehitakev al ha-maslul [ … ]. Ve-haiu be-halom gam itsei bananot ve-mango ve-pikusim ve-od tsmahim eksotiim shelo raa mi-iamav. Shurot dkalim tsfufa hekifa et ha-sadeh, ve-beinehem sihei tsabar anakiim ve-kotsaniim she-iatsru homat magen bilti-avira saviv ha-migdal ve-ha-maslulim.

16. Zaidman, Safa Shesua.

17. See Shumsky, “Post-Zionist Orientalism?”

18. Zaidman, Safa Shesua (Tel Aviv, 2010), 95

  Az matai be-emet ha-kol mishtane?haim hal ha-shinui be-eize nikuda geografit znuha be-shulei ha-mapa o be-nekudat zman baalat hashivut historit afsit? Haim esh rega mesuiam she-bo mitrahev ve-mitaden otsar ha-milim shelha, mitmale niuansim kririm kmo ha-or ha-tsonen ha-otef oth bi-mlo otsmato gam be-shaot ha-erev ha-meuharot?shaot shebehen, be-ota nekuda geografit znuha she-mimena himreta lifnei arba-shaot charter, hakol mi-zman kvar mihuse be-alatat he-hamsinim ha-mukdamim shel pesah? ve-ulai kore be-rega she-ata shav ve-mathil liklot et kol ha-katuv, mi-smol le-iamin, ve-lo hashuv ma.bein im ele shiltei hakvanah shel knisot ve-itsiot ve-bein im ele misparei nehitot le-isuf ha-mitan mi-nahalei ha-gumi ha-zormim be-maagal sagur. ve az ata mathil gam lahsov be-oto kivun. ve-harei lahsov mashma lehitkaem ki-divrei (shit, shuv ha-tsarftim!) dekart, ve-lehutkaem mashma lahzor ve-ledaber be-sfat imha, ve-im lo sfat imha, lefahot be-safa doma. dome rak be-kah she-hi nikret ve-meduberet be-kivun she-mimeno bata be-ialdtutha ve-she-elav, be-sofo shel davar tahzor.

19. Boym, The Future of Nostalgia, 3–70.

20. Hall, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora.”

21. See Ho! 8 (2012), edited by Dori Manor.

22. Beskin, “Ha-Zriha Be-Tel Aviv.”

23. Hever, El Ha-Hof Ha-Mekuveh.

24. Beskin, “Hoy Ha-Gader.”

25. Beskin, “Tlunata Shel Ha-Neoclasikanit.”

26. Beskin indeed translated Marina Tsvetayeva, Joseph Brodsky, and Sergei Dovaltov.

27. Sivan Beskin (autotranslation), from “Eight Studies for Guitar”, in Masao Shel Yona:

Notar bi masheu aluv ve-dak

me-ha-mitbah ha-miti ha-rusi,

mitbah she-bo shotim ve-menagnim,

ve-ma ohlim – hashed iodea. Dag

maluah, kamuvan, mitsrah bsisi.

be-te tsalul taval matsof ha-tsnim

menain li? hen lo haiti sham.

ze zikaron mushtal, kmo kol davar:

Pseudo-italia, pseudi sfarad

gam hem shatu be-dam. Kmo be-dvasham

ha-mitlahet shel shizifei-avar,

ve-mashirot shoval nozli vradrad,

she- et ha-lev le-shnaim mevater.

ve ein li zikaron barur ioter.

28. Beskin, “Bluz Shenikhtav im Ha-geshem Ha-rishon.”

29. Beskin, “Variatsiot.”

30. Beskin, “Monolog Shel Sirena.”

31. Tzamir, Be-Shem Ha-Nof, 17–58.

32. Sivan Beskin's poetry is different in essence from Alex Epstein's poetry, which expresses nothing of his personal experience as an immigrant or of his childhood in the Soviet Union, but rather uses it for utterly abstract aesthetic experimentation. See Epstein, Blue Has No South and Lunar Savings Time.

33. Gomel, Pilgrim Soul.

34. Cf. Markish, Stat’ Liutovym; Isaakova, Akh Eta Chernaia Luna; Rubina, Na Solnechnoi Storyny Ulitsy; Goldstein Rastavanie S-Nartsysom.

35. Bhabha, The Location of Culture, 265. Kimhi, Viktor Ve-Masha.

36. For immigration and dialogism see Bhabha, The Location of Culture, 245–82.

37. Bhabha, The Location of Culture, 303–37.

38. Nemade, “Native in Literature.”

39. Kovasevich, Narrating Post-communism, 1–80.

40. Cf. Baher, Ana Min Al-Yahud; Baher, Tsimaon Baarut; Sakal, Yolanda; Kashua, Aravim Rokdim, Kashua, Guf Sheni Yahid.