Demographic and institutional indicators of Yiddish language maintenance in the Soviet Union, 1959-1986

Official Soviet figures indicate that the number of Jews in the USSR, & the number of Yiddish speakers among that population, are decreasing. Besides emigration, population decrease is attributable to low birth rates & a high proportion of mixed marriages where the children are not considered to be Jewish. A rapid decline in the number of Jews declaring Yiddish as their native lang is noted since the 1950s, with a somewhat corresponding increase in the number claiming Russian as a native lang. The highest % of Yiddish speakers is found among persons over age 60. Regional efforts to maintain & revive Yiddish lang use are described. It is projected that although Yiddish will be maintained in the USSR for at least several generations, it will remain largely a second lang, within an increasingly small circle. 7 Tables, 12 References. B. Annesser Murray