Cultural work as a tool for educating participants in the Zionist movement in Soviet Russia

Within the framework of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the so-called Jewish issue is acute both throughout the world and in Russia. The term “Zionist” is often used in a negative context. In addition, people do not distinguish between Jews and Zionists, believing that these are identical words. However, there are differences and nuances in addressing the Jewish topic, and in particular – Jewish culture and traditions. In this regard, the work is intended to clarify a number of issues on the subject and expand its historiography. When preparing the publication, historical-genetic and historicalsystemic research methods were used. The novelty of the matter lies in the fact that there are very few research papers devoted to the cultural work in the Zionist movement, and the introduction into scientific circulation of the documents devoted to this issue will expand the historiography of the Zionist movement. A distinctive feature of the cultural work of the Zionists as part of the education of the participants in the movement was that it was carried out not only among young people, but also among the adult supporters of the movement. Studying the trends in the cultural work aimed at educating the builders of the future state of Israel will allow us to identify the main directions of this activity and draw parallels between a traditional Jewish upbringing and education and the upbringing and education in the Zionist environment. The article was prepared on the basis of Russian and foreign archival documents, whose introduction into scientific circulation will replenish the source base on the history of the Zionist movement in Soviet Russia.

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