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Soviet Jewry Movement 60th Anniversary

Sep 6, 2023

A COMMEMORATION & DEDICATION

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023 • 12:00pm EDT

Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism, Founded October 1963
Dedication of Ohio History Marker
Preserving & Sharing These Stories: Soviet Jewry Movement Archives Project
Downloadable PDF with full details

EVENT DESCRIPTION
Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Soviet Jewry Movement. The Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism (CCSA), the first organization in the world formed specifically to advocate for Jews in the Soviet Union, was founded in October 1963 by members of Cleveland’s Beth Israel-The West Temple. Between 1963 and 1991, when the Soviet Union dissolved, countless individuals and organizations in the West joined what became a world-wide human rights campaign for the freedom of Soviet Jews to live as Jews wherever they desired.

“It All Started Here” on October 22nd will feature former activists, refuseniks, and academics who will share stories of the early days of the 30-year long Soviet Jewry Movement and tell of today’s work to preserve these stories. The Ohio History Marker, located in front of Beth Israel-The West Temple, will also be dedicated.

LOCATION
Beth Israel-The West Temple • 14308 Triskett Road, Cleveland OH 44111

EVENT REGISTRATION

Everyone attending in-person is asked to register in advance. Register here.

LIVE STREAM INFORMATION
https://youtube.com/live/mkCJHUG0FvQ?feature=share

SPEAKERS

Miriam Rosenblum
Former Soviet Jewry activist in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Boston; Co-Founder & Executive Committee, Soviet Jewry Movement Archives Project (SJMAP); Ohio Historical Marker Planning Group

Shaul Kelner
Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt University; Author, numerous papers and chapters about Soviet Jewry movement; Advisory Board, Soviet Jewry Movement Archives Project

Dan Goldin
Former Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Coordinator of Youth Initiatives; former NASA Administrator

Eti Ganin
Former activist & refusenik from Kishinev USSR; Board of Directors, Soviet Jewry Movement Archives Project; Ohio Historical Marker Planning Group

John Grabowski
Senior Vice-President, Western Reserve Historical Society; Krieger-Mueller Associate Professor of Applied History, Case Western Reserve University; Advisory Board, Soviet Jewry Movement Archives Project; Ohio Historical Marker Planning Group

Rabbi Enid Lader
Rabbi Emerita at Beth Israel-The West Temple; Ohio Historical Marker Planning Group

Rabbi Rachel Brown
Rabbi at Beth Israel-The West Temple

Walter Wright
President, Beth Israel-The West Temple

EVENT SPONSORS
Beth Israel-The West Temple
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Menorah ParkSoviet Jewry Movement Archives Project
Western Reserve Historical Society

EVENT PARKING
Event parking is available on nearby streets and, starting at 11:00 a.m. in the parking lot of St. Mel’s Catholic Church (14436 Triskett Road). Enter St. Mel’s parking lot from Orchard Park Road, one block west of Triskett from the temple.

The Temple’s small parking lot (14308 Triskett Road) is reserved for those with limited mobility. If you have mobility needs, reserve a space in advance by email to [email protected] or call 216-941-8882.

THE BEGINNING OF THE SOVIET JEWRY MOVEMENT IN 1963
https://www.sovietjewryarchives.org
https://www.clevelandjewishhistory.net/sj/index.htm

OHIO HISTORY MARKER
https://www.sovietjewryarchives.org/news/historical-marker/

OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS

Hotel

Out-of-town guests are invited to reserve rooms using the CCSA 60 rate ($119.00 a night) at LaQuinta by Wyndham Cleveland Airport North. This block is being held only until October 6th. The hotel is located for easy access to both the temple and the airport. Access the CCSA 60 room reservation link here.

Associated events – TBA

QUERIES
[email protected]

Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Soviet Jewry Protest Stamp
Designed by Mort Epstein, 1967

Ohio Historical Marker recognizes the Cleveland Council for Soviet Anti-Semitism