Where Have All the Jews Gone? Mass Migration from Independent Uzbekistan · 209are narrow, winding, and mostly unpaved, and the homes are made of
mud and brick. These urban structures, which may appear shabby and
even “horrid” to the Western eye, are in fact resilient, vernacular forms.
The streets were designed for foot traffic, and their layout reflects the
neighborhoods’ organic growth. The homes were made from indigenous,
natural materials, which keep the interior spaces cool in the hot summers
and warm in the winters.
While some of the homes in these residential quarters do not have
indoor bathrooms, and hot water is not always available, most do have
electricity, phone lines, and running water. Most significantly, in assess-
ing the standard of living, it is critical to note that from the street, any
casual visitor would see only the homes’ tall, blank walls and iron gates.
But when these gates are thrown open, an invited visitor would see that
the homes in which Bukharan Jews lived (like those of their Muslim
neighbors) were multi-unit structures built around courtyards. In the
days before the Jews’ great migration, grandparents, their sons, daugh-
ters-in-law, and grandchildren dwelled together in these homes. Each
nuclear family lived in its own single unit, and together they shared the
courtyard space, which was used through much of the year as a place
for cooking, eating, and relaxing. The courtyard was also used for enter-
taining large groups of friends and relatives during weddings, memorial
services, and other family events.
When people thought about immigrating, one of the major issues
taken into consideration was that they would be leaving these spacious
living conditions for cramped apartments. Indeed, it was not uncommon
for extended families, which lived in multi-unit homes in Uzbekistan,
to move into a single apartment when they first arrived in Israel or the
United States. This not only meant severely cramped living conditions
but also the loss of large, private outdoor space, which had been so inte-
gral to family life in Uzbekistan. Given this set of circumstances, it is clear
why so many of the people whom I visited in Uzbekistan showed me
around their homes—which many Westerners might call “ramshackle”—
and say, “Why should we move? We have everything we need here.”
Despite this strong feeling of self-sufficiency, people also had a sense
that it was impossible to plan for a financial future in Uzbekistan. During
the first few years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan’s
currency changed three times, totally devaluing people’s assets. Berta, for
example, told me that a year after she and her husband deposited money