Where Would Russia’s Jews Go?

Maxim Shrayer’s perceptive, moving, and funny essay, “The Prospect for Russia’s Jews,” puts me in mind of a joke that was fresh when the world was still young and that I’ll render here in an updated version.

An elderly Jew goes to see the ruler of his country, with whom he shares a bond forged in youth. The political climate has taken a turn for the worse, and Jews fear they will end up paying the price. So they want out—but the borders are closing. “Let my people go,” the Jew pleads. The ruler is heartbroken: he does not want to lose his old friend yet cannot refuse him, and so he grants the request. “Where will you be going?,” he inquires solicitously. “Western Europe?”

“To those anti-Semites? Over my dead body.”