The war is long over, but a writer from New Zealand wonders if we in Russia still fear the Germans. We'll examine that issue. And what is the letter-writer from Manchester driving at this week? How about the number of cars on Russia's roads? Also, do we in Russia prefer British English over American English? On a more serious note, is there anti-Semitism in Russia?

Q: Does Russia fear Germany to some extent today? Or has the past been forgotten? – Charles Wirth, Wellington, N.Z.

A: The Germany of today is not the Germany of the war years. But, unfortunately, we still retain some of the old Communist mentality – some of our leaders and millions of ordinary people alike. Maybe it's because the standards of living are lower now.

Until recently, we had a Communist majority in parliament! I can't imagine a Nazi majority in the Bundesrat. I hate to say this, but the Germans got rid of their past much quicker than we did. With time, we'll do it. I don't know any Russian today who thinks of Germany as a potential enemy, or of any danger emanating from that country.

Q: You once mentioned the number of cars in Moscow. How many cars are there in Russia? – John Henderson, Manchester, U.K.

A: Yes, I did say that there were 2.8 million private cars in Moscow. In Russia as a whole, there are more than 21 million. Which means there is one car for every seventh citizen. In the States, there is one car for almost every citizen. Any Muscovite will tell you that there are many imported cars on the streets, about one-fifth of them.

What I find interesting is that most of the imported cars are second-hand. In general, Russians have a tendency to drive their cars for much longer than in the West. Our cars are 20 years old on average. I drove two of my cars for 17 years each.

The price of a new Russian Volga begins at $5,000, while a used import will cost at least $1,000 more.

I kept a record of all I spent on repairs and spare parts for my first Volga 24, and it turned out that I spent much more than the original cost of the car. In Soviet times, one kept a car for such a long time because, unlike today, it was extremely difficult to buy a new one. People signed up and waited for years.

Today imported cars are expensive because of high import tariffs. But you can buy a Rolls-Royce or a Mercedes 600 as easily as in the West, not to mention the cheaper makes. We constantly complain about our low average standard of living, yet in Moscow there is one car for every 3.5 persons. Which means a large percentage of people can afford a car.

Q: Have you personally witnessed anti-Semitism in Russia? – Rosemary Hart, Sydney, Australia.

A: There's a fellow in my house who constantly tries to prove that our Revolution was planned and led by Jews. All the evils of our past totalitarian system he attributes to Jews, and all of today's economic setbacks are the work of the Jews.

I once told him: "Let's deport all the Jews to Israel, or any other place. Will that make our economic and political situation better? Yes or no?"

No answer!

In the past several months, I've been called a Jew twice. Late one evening, I entered a bus only to hear a young drunkard say, "There comes another Jew." I calmly said, "Are you a Russian?" He proudly answered "Yes." I said, "Your people accepted Christianity 1,000 years ago. My people accepted Christianity 1,700 years ago. I'm 100 percent Armenian."

Then I said: "If you think your anti-Semitism will help our country, you're mistaken." He kept looking out of the window and got out two stops later. He felt the passengers were not on his side.

Q: Why is there a preference for British English in Russia? – Rosemary Hart, again.

A: I don't think there is a preference today. But as far back as I can remember, Russians studied British English in schools and colleges because it was considered the only correct English. At that time, 250 million people in the United States spoke a dialect, don't you see, a distorted sort of English.

I heard one well-known teacher say he didn't know how they spoke in the States (since, at that time, people could not go abroad). Most forget that standard English, or the King's English, was spoken by no more than 15 million in Great Britain – a fraction of the population.

There are roughly a dozen local dialects, very distinct from what you hear on the BBC, in addition to working-class English, not to mention Cockney. Remember "My Fair Lady" or "Pygmalion"? There you can hear what only 15 million people speak. Strange, but true.

(E-mail Joe at editor@russiajournal.com.)