No American should feel secret intrigues of the underlying dark Kremlin politics, sharper than Michael Rubinstein, who came from Russia almost 40 years ago, when Brighton beach in Brooklyn has become a Bastion for those who fled from Moscow regime.
“Putin? Interfere in American politics?” — asked in amazement Rubinstein, sitting in his popular Brighton beach cafe. “Of course not excluded. This is fake news spread by the Democrats,” he said, repeating the words of the universal refutation, invented by its beloved President trump, who continues to enjoy solid support among local residents-immigrants. Very solid, says Rubinstein, despite the growing number of reports that Russia has developed a secret plan to carry out cyber attacks before the elections in America in order to help Trump.
“This is America, he says. — To get someone in this country to believe in something, you have to prove it.” He fled in those days, when Moscow democratic rights and gusts violently suppressed by the Kremlin — in much the same way as now.
In the Brighton beach got the same mystery that in other places where there is a “base of support” of trump. Why not President trump nor his supporters not sounding particular alarm about the unceremonious interference of Russia in us policy, which has been documented by us intelligence agencies? This question seems even more difficult when they ask the old Soviet immigrants, who are more reasonable and don’t believe anything. They had better figure it out, using unrestrained freedom on Brighton beach and seeing full shelves in the shops.
“Putin served in the army,” says Vlad, a veteran of the Soviet army, according to which, this is enough to trust the authoritarian Russian President. And this despite the professional training of the Russian leader, his long-term work in the KGB and a number of suspicious deaths of politicians and journalists who dare to challenge his regime. “He controls the situation in Russia — continues to Vlad, refusing to give his name. — Putin and the tramp — these people make decisions”, he added with admiration.
In this area, among these people, the words “strong man” are heard constantly, but lately Brighton beach is much more complicated, says sociologist Sam Kliger (Sam Kliger), head of the Russian Department of the American Jewish Committee. Kliger — refusenik, who managed to escape from the Soviet Union 27 years ago, notes that members of the Jewish community have traditionally supported Republicans at the presidential level, so the victory trump was expected despite the fact that, according to the voting in 2012, its probability is less than winning MITT Romney (Mitt Romney).
“They hate anything that remotely resembles communism,” says Kliger, noting that even the proposals of the Democrats to focus on public services may cause them confidence. So these are adherents of the Republican party hung on Hillary Clinton not just the label of “rogue”, already familiar from trump’s statements, but also called her “a socialist” — the word on Brighton beach and I think I hate almost abusive.
“Byzantine Empire” politely sums up Kliger, underscoring just how Brighton beach in recent years has changed with the emergence of young immigrants from a much greater number of regions of the former Soviet Union who have arrived more freely, and for different reasons. According to him, many believe that modern Russia, whatever it was, it is not the same as the old Soviet Union. “Some are very afraid of Russia, while others believe that it is necessary to conduct a dialogue,” he says. Similarly, he says, there are sharp disagreements about how much to trust Putin.
Signs of change are visible on the waterfront, where some of the first refugees, and “pioneers” Gorbachev’s era, now I sit and gaze at the ocean from the day home for the elderly Garden of Joy Adult (“Garden of joy”).
“Look, — says Sam Rubenstein, trying to drown the noise in your cafe. — The people I know have long left Russia, and they don’t care what happens in Russia.” He meant that they forgave and forgot that old world in which they once lived. “I wish Russia all the best,” he said.
