Soviet Jewry movement

The Soviet Jewry movement was a Jewish political movement opposed to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was primarily active in the United States, where advocacy campaigns were organized to raise public awareness and rally support for Jews in the Soviet Union. Among the movement's top goals was levying political and economic pressure against Soviet anti-emigration policy, which largely targeted the country's Jewish citizens. A variety of American Jewish organizations and individuals affiliated with the Soviet Jewry movement regularly protested at Soviet diplomatic missions in the United States, and the movement's alignment with the Cold War agenda of the Western Bloc put it in a position to receive strong American government support. Although it was also represented in Israel, the movement's American Jewish organizations frequently came into conflict with Israeli agencies over their support for Soviet Jews who would emigrate on an exit visa for Israel before abruptly changing their destination to the United States or another country. Nevertheless, the Israeli government continued to aid the Soviet Jewish emigration effort until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Western Bloc did not become involved in the movement until the mid-1960s. One of the earliest organized efforts was the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism, a grassroots organization that brought attention to the plight of Soviet Jews from 1963 until 1983. It began as a study group led by three of the founding members of Beth Israel – The West Temple in 1963: Louis Rosenblum, Herbert Caron, and Abe Silverstein. Though the council included prominent rabbis, pastors, priests, and city officials, many initial council members were fellow congregants. As the first such group in the world, this organization spawned other local councils and a national organization. Between 1964–69, the Cleveland council developed educational tools, such as organizational handbooks for other communities, the newsletter Spotlight, and media presentations. They also devised protest strategies that became integral to the movement to free Soviet Jewry. One of the council's most successful activities was the People-to-People program of the late 1960s, which represented 50,000 members.

Although not officially sponsored by Beth Israel – The West Temple, the temple provided office space to the council from 1964–78, and the council periodically reported to the congregation's Social Action Committee. Although the Cleveland council was still active in 1985, by the late 1970s the Jewish Community Federation had taken over the major local organizing effort for Soviet Jewry. By 1993, the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism no longer needed to exist, as it had accomplished its mission, and the Soviet Union had also ceased to exist.

Later, Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, was founded by Jacob Birnbaum at Yeshiva University in 1964, and grew to include students from the New York metropolitan area and beyond. In 1969, the Jewish Defense League began a series of protests and vigils while employing militant activism in order to publicize the persecution of Soviet Jewry. The Union of Councils for Soviet Jews was formed in 1970 as an umbrella organization of all local grassroot groups working to win the right to emigrate for oppressed Jewish citizens of the Soviet Union.

The movement was represented in Israel by Nativ, a clandestine agency that sought to publicize the cause of Soviet Jewry and encourage their emigration to Israel.

The majority of activities in the Western Bloc were aimed at raising awareness about the lack of freedom to emigrate from the Soviet Union.

In the United States, a number of Jewish organizations became involved in the struggle for Soviet Jewish emigration. Jewish establishment organizations such as the American Jewish Committee and the World Jewish Congress coordinated their efforts in the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry (AJCSJ), later renamed to the National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ). New grassroots organizations also played an important role. Examples are the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism and Jacob Birnbaum's Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. Most organization kept their activities within the realm of public outreach, diplomacy and peaceful protest. An exception was the Jewish Defense League led by Meir Kahane whose members occasionally turned to violent protest. The main slogan of the movement was: Let my people go.

Activities, particularly demonstrations, continued year after year.