A Cold War exodus : how American activists mobilized to free Soviet Jews /
"From twinning bar and bat mitzvahs to smuggling blue jeans across the Iron Curtain, A Cold War exodus analyzes how Cold War-era social movement activists invented the mass mobilization tactics that helped free Soviet Jews-and reshaped Jewish American culture in the process"--
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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New York :
New York University Press,
[2024]
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| Summary: | "From twinning bar and bat mitzvahs to smuggling blue jeans across the Iron Curtain, A Cold War exodus analyzes how Cold War-era social movement activists invented the mass mobilization tactics that helped free Soviet Jews-and reshaped Jewish American culture in the process"-- Reveals the mass mobilization tactics that helped free Soviet Jews and reshaped the Jewish American experience from the Johnson era through the Reagan-Bush years. What do these things have in common? Ingrid Bergman, Passover matzoh, Banana Republic®, 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. 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. 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. -- Provided by publisher. |
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| Physical Description: | xviii, 436 pages : illustrations, charts, facsimiles ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 381-424) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781479879397 1479879398 |