Search for a command to run...
The article examines the situation of Bukharan Jews in the context of the state national policy of the 1920s and their role in the formation of the statehood of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, on the territory of which they historically lived. Measures to support their language, cultural characteristics, and inclusion in educational programs, which was determined by the state policy towards national minorities, were of great importance for attracting Bukharan Jews to the side of the Soviet government. Due to the traditional desire to obtain an education as an indicator of social status and material well-being, the number of Bukharan Jews — students of comprehensive schools, literacy courses, and vocational education institutions was more significant than among the neighboring population — Uzbeks and Tajiks. In addition to knowledge, they were introduced to the new, Soviet ideology in these educational institutions. The common language with the Tajiks, the knowledge of the Uzbek language by the majority allowed the Bukharan Jews who received a Soviet education to teach not only in Bukharan Jewish schools, but also in Tajik and Uzbek schools, and to participate in the economic and cultural transformations that took place in those years. With the Latinization of the alphabet of the peoples of Central Asia, as a result of which the Bukharan Jews abandoned the Hebrew alphabet adopted by them, the differences in the culture of writing and text that historically existed between them and the Muslim population disappeared, which contributed to their rapprochement and the involvement of Bukharan Jews in social, economic and cultural processes. The article uses materials from published studies, but the main source was the memoirs of Bukharan Jews — participants in the events of the 1920s (published and from archives), which not only contain unique facts, but also force us to take a new look at the role of Bukharan Jews in the national and state policy of that time.