Crossing the Borders: Dynamic Identity Variations of Former Israeli Russian-Speaking Migrants of the 1.5 Generation

This study shows the complexity of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and national identities among individuals who immigrated to Israel from Russian-speaking countries as children, and later immigrated again as adults to the US or Canada. After immigration to Israel, these individuals exhibited various identity facets of what we term “assimilated migrants” (AM). These characteristics were subsequently revised and reconstructed during various changes in personal circumstances, particularly during periods marking decision making points around a second migration. We also describe the identity components of those we coin “pragmatic migrants” (PM), which all study informants adopted after their second migration. Finally, we focus on key decision-making stages, primarily a constitutive phase of transition (from AM to PM) in the context of the hybrid (Soviet-Jewish, Israeli, and Western) identities these informants adopt.