Finalist, 2026 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature: Nonfiction
Winner of The 74th National Jewish Book Award: AmerÂiÂcan JewÂish Studies CelÂeÂbrate 350 Award
Reveals the mass mobilization tactics that helped free Soviet Jews and reshaped the Jewish American experience from the Johnson era through the ReaganâBush years
What do these things have in common? Ingrid Bergman, Passover matzoh, Banana RepublicÂŽ, 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.
A Cold War Exodus delves into the gripping narrative of how these men and women, through ingenuity and determination, devised mass mobilization tactics during a three-decade-long campaign to liberate Soviet Jewsâan endeavor that would ultimately lead to one of the most significant mass emigrations in Jewish history.
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.
- English
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- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- 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 Weâve Said No to PepsiCo
- 6 Natashaâs Dream
- 7 My Soviet Twin
- Conclusion: Voices of the Vigil
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix: Soviet Jewish Emigration Statistics
- Notes
- List of Interviews
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author
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Yes, you can access A Cold War Exodus by Shaul Kelner in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Jewish History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.