Jacob Birnbaum was the unsung father of Jewish freedom
Jacob Birnbaum, a founder of the Soviet Jewry movement, was a heroic, legendary figure, writes Rabbi Avi Weiss. More ▸
Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry
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Jacob Birnbaum, founder of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, dies
Jacob Birnbaum, the founder of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, has died. More ▸
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Kahane, Though Vilified by Many, is Remembered As Protector of Jews
Rabbi Meir Kahane, the former Knesset member and Jewish Defense League founder who was assassinated Monday night, was eulogized Tuesday in Brooklyn as a man who stood up for Jewish pride and principles. “He was the second Moshe Rabbeinu — Moses took the Jews out of Egypt and Kahane took the Jews out of anti-Semitic… More ▸
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Jewish Groups Applaud Conviction in Soviet Union of Pamyat Leader
American Jewish groups have applauded the conviction in Moscow of a leader of the anti-Semitic group Pamyat as an important first step in the fight against anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union, which for decades was sanctioned by the government. Konstantin Smirnov-Ostashvili was convicted by a Moscow court Friday and sentenced to two years in jail… More ▸
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Gorbachev Threat on Emigration, Not Trade Pact, Alarms U.S. Jewry
American Jewish leaders have expressed satisfaction with President Bush’s pledge that he will not ask Congress to ratify a trade agreement he signed Friday with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev until Moscow adopts promised emigration reform legislation. But Jewish leaders were alarmed by Gorbachev’s threat Sunday to cut off Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union unless… More ▸
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Protest at Aeroflot Office Makes Little Headway for Direct Flight
Nine Soviet Jewry activists failed last week to convince the regional manager of the Soviet national airline Aeroflot to begin direct flights to Israel. Rabbi Avraham Weiss, who led the group, even tried to lay down cash for a ticket to Israel, but was politely told he could not do so. The group, made up… More ▸
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On Eve of Superpower Summit, U.S.-Soviet Trade Pact in Doubt
Two days before President Bush was scheduled to host Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at their first full-scale summit meeting, the White House was still up in the air about whether a trade agreement would be signed. White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said Tuesday that neither news reports that the agreement will be signed at the… More ▸
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Dreaded Pogroms Don’t Materialize, but Soviet Jews Still Living in Fear
The long-dreaded pogroms against Soviet Jews that had been threatened for May 5 did not materialize Saturday in the Soviet Union. But fear among Jews there is still very much alive. May 5 is widely known in the Soviet Union as the birthday of Karl Marx and as a religious day in the Russian Orthodox… More ▸
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Gorbachev Condemns Anti-semitism, in a Long-awaited Public Statement
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, addressing a meeting of the Communist Youth League in Moscow, has made what is believed to be his first public statement condemning anti-Semitism. Leaders of Soviet Jewry advocacy groups responded to the long-awaited statement in mixed fashion, some welcoming it, but others saying it minimized or only partially addressed the problem…. More ▸
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Solidarity Sunday Revived in N.Y., but with a New Slant and Slogan
After more than two decades of activism on behalf of Soviet Jews, the rallying cry of "Let My People Go" was changed to "Let My People Fly" and "Bring My People Home." It was the first Solidarity Sunday amid glasnost. Official police estimates of 127,000 people–although more realistic figures put the number at a fraction… More ▸
