The New Russian Jewish Diaspora and 'Russian' party politics in Israel

The second half of the twentieth century was the period of intensive ethnic migrations worldwide, which became an important resource for the political developments in the host countries. Such an example is Israel, which during last three decades received about a million Russian Jewish immigrants. This immigrant community reflects its ideological, class, and sub-ethnic diversity and political aspirations through the network of 'sectarian' parties, which in their turn show the different models of leadership, political activities and organizational infrastructure. Whether these movements will disappear within the generation, will become a long-run phenomenon, or will be transformed into a mainstream political movement, may become evident in the near future.