Author Talk with Shaul Kelner: The Washington Area Movement to Free Soviet Jewry

In the fight to free Soviet Jewry, the Greater Washington community played an outsized role on the national stage. Discover how local activists pioneered the movement’s iconic tactics, like refusenik bracelets, bat mitzvah twinning, and more. Professor Kelner will be in conversation with refusenik, Yelena Luckert, discussing his book, A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews. Followed by a Q&A and book signing.

This event is offered both in person and virtually. For the virtual option, click here.

In partnership with the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies.

About the Book

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 Jews—an 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.

About Professor Shaul Kelner

Prof. Shaul Kelner is sociologist of Jewish life at Vanderbilt University. He has held visiting positions at Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University. His newest book, A Cold War Exodus (NYU Press, 2024) is a National Jewish Book Award-winning study of mass mobilization tactics in the movement to free Soviet Jews. His first book, Tours That Bind: Diaspora, Pilgrimage and Israeli Birthright Tourism (NYU Press, 2010), won the Association for Jewish Studies’ Jordan Schnitzer Book Award was named Honorable Mention for the American Sociological Association Culture Section’s Mary Douglas Prize for Best Book.

About Yelena Luckert

Yelena Luckert is the Director of Research, Teaching & Learning at the University of Maryland Libraries. In addition, Ms. Luckert has been the subject specialist librarian for Jewish and Slavic Studies. Luckert’s research interests include library administration, assessment of academic library services, international librarianship, and Russian and Jewish area studies. Ms. Luckert grew up in St. Petersburg (Russia) in a family of Refuseniks. She holds a Master of Library Science from Albany University and a Master of Arts in History from Binghamton University, with a specialization in Russian and Soviet Jewish history.

Image Credit: Promotional photos provided courtesy of the speakers