Author Description

Placed within the context of the international Soviet Jewry movement, this book argues that Philadelphia's Jewish community was the most organized and effective Soviet Jewry advocacy network in the world. Through its Soviet Jewry Council (SJC), Philadelphia overcame intramural disputes that plagued most communities by blending grassroots groups with establishment agencies and developed intricate coalitions with interfaith organizations and the black clergy. SJC programs helped reinvigorate Jewish customs in the Soviet Union and relieved starvation and suffering among elderly Soviet Jews.