A Cold War exodus : how American activists mobilized to free Soviet Jews / Shaul Kelner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kelner, Shaul, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--Soviet Union--Migrations.

Jews.

Jews--Soviet Union--Social conditions.

Antisemitism--Soviet Union.

Antisemitism.

Soviet Union--Ethnic relations.

Soviet Union.

Refuseniks.

Social movements--United States.

Social movements.

Protest movements--United States.

Protest movements.

Cold War--Diplomatic history.

Cold War.

United States--Foreign relations--Soviet Union.

United States.

Soviet Union--Foreign relations--United States.

Physical Description:

xviii, 436 pages : illustrations, charts, facsimiles ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, [2024]

Summary:

"From twinning bar and bat mitzvahs to smuggling blue jeans across the Iron Curtain, A Cold War exodus analyzes how Cold War-era social movement activists invented the mass mobilization tactics that helped free Soviet Jews-and reshaped Jewish American culture in the process"-- Provided by publisher.

Reveals the mass mobilization tactics that helped free Soviet Jews and reshaped the Jewish American experience from the Johnson era through the Reagan-Bush years. What do these things have in common? Ingrid Bergman, Passover matzoh, Banana Republic®, the fitness craze, the Philadelphia Flyers, B-grade spy movies, and ten thousand Bar and Bat Mitzvah sermons? Nothing, except that social movement activists enlisted them all into the most effective human rights campaign of the Cold War. The plight of Jews in the USSR was marked by systemic antisemitism, a problem largely ignored by Western policymakers trying to improve relations with the Soviets. In the face of governmental apathy, activists in the United States hatched a bold plan: unite Jewish Americans to demand that Washington exert pressure on Moscow for change. The plight of Jews in the USSR was marked by systemic antisemitism, a problem largely ignored by Western policymakers trying to improve relations with the Soviets. In the face of governmental apathy, activists in the United States hatched a bold plan: unite Jewish Americans to demand that Washington exert pressure on Moscow for change. Drawing from a wealth of archival sources including the travelogues of thousands of American tourists who smuggled aid to Russian Jews, Shaul Kelner offers a compelling tale of activism and its profound impact, revealing how a seemingly disparate array of elements could be woven together to forge a movement and achieve the seemingly impossible. It is a testament to the power of unity, creativity, and the unwavering dedication of those who believe in the cause of human rights. -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

List of figures and tables

List of acronyms

Introduction: Let them live as Jews or let them leave

1 Illuminate the past and present

2 This is the matzoh of hope

3 How to find and meet Russian Jews

4 From Russia, with angst

5 We've said no to PepsiCo

6 Natasha's dream

7 My Soviet twin

Conclusion: Voices of the vigil

Acknowledgments

Appendix: Soviet Jewish Emigration Statistics

Notes

List of Interviews.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 381-424) and index.

National Jewish Book Awards - American Jewish Studies, Winner, 2024

ISBN:

9781479879397

1479879398

OCLC:

1400972656