Chekhov in Brighton Beach

. , (), , - . , , , , . . . , , , . Emil Draitser's book can be called without exaggeration an encyclopedia of Jewish life in Soviet Russia. In lively stories, peppered with Odesa humor, the reader is presented with a series of numerous big and small sorrows ("tsores"), with which Soviet Jews were "gifted" by the anti-Semitic state and under the oppression under which they were born, grew up, and had to exist somehow. The author begins chronicling the lives of his characters from early childhood, leading them through the difficulties of entering a university, choosing a specialty, finding a job, and being promoted.Draitser convincingly paints a psychological portrait of Jewish emigration to America. In the new life some cannot find themselves and indulge in nostalgic whining about their past's real or imagined charms. Others, with persistence, overcome the obstacles of an unfamiliar culture, rebuild themselves, and find happiness in meaningful, favorite activities.