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Descriptive Summary
Creator:	Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism
Title:	Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism Soviet Jewry Collection
Dates:	undated, 1959, 1962-1973, 1976-1990, 1993-1994, 1996
Abstract:	The collection documents the advocacy on behalf of the Soviet Jewry of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, a non-profit organization concerned with Jewish social justice and legislative activity in Washington, D.C.
Languages:	The collection is in English.
Quantity:	1 linear foot (2 manuscript boxes)
Identification:	I-538
Repository:	American Jewish Historical Society

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Historical Note

Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism Soviet Jewry Collection represent one collection housed within the Archive of the American Soviet Jewry Movement (AASJM). These papers reflect the effort, beginning in the 1960s through the late 1980s, of thousands of American Jews of all denominations and political orientations to stop the persecution and discrimination of Jews in the Soviet Union. The American Soviet Jewry Movement (ASJM) is considered to be the most influential Movement of the American Jewish community in the 20th century. The beginnings of the organized American Soviet Jewry Movement became a model for efforts to aid Soviet Jews in other countries, among them Great Britain, Canada, and France. The movement can be traced to the early 1960s, when the first organizations were created to address the specific problem of the persecution and isolation of Soviet Jews by the government of the Soviet Union.

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. that educates and mobilizes the Reform Jewish community on legislative and social concerns, advocating on issues including economic justice, civil rights, religious liberty, Israel and more.

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Scope and Content Note

Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism Soviet Jewry Collection reflects the organization's involvement in the American Soviet Jewry movement. It contains correspondence, clippings, releases, pamphlets and publications.

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged into a single series.

• Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism Soviet Jewry Collection, undated, 1959, 1962-1973, 1976-1990, 1993-1994, 1996

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact:

American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16^th Street, New York, N.Y., 10011 email: reference@ajhs.org

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Related Material

The Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism Soviet Jewry Collection is one individual collection within the Archive of the American Soviet Jewry Movement (AASJM) located at the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS). Other Soviet Jewry Movement collections at AJHS include the records of Action for Soviet Jewry (I-487), the National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ; I-181 and I-181A), the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews (I-410, I-410A), Houston Action for Soviet Jewry (I-500), Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews (I-505), Seattle Action for Soviet Jewry (I-507), The Jewish Chronicle Soviet Jewry Collection (I-523), B'nai B'rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum Soviet Jewry Movement Collection (I-529), Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry (I-530), the papers of Joel Ackerman (P-787), Julia Mates Cheney (P-806), Jerry Goodman (P-863), Laurel and Alan J. Gould (P-866), Carolyn W. Sanger (P-870), Leah Lieberman (P-869), Si Frumkin (P-871), Elaine Pittell (P-873), Sanford A. Gradinger (P-880), Shaul Osadchey (P-882), Leonard S. Cahan (P-883), Doris H. Goldstein (P-887), David H. Hill (P-888), Margery Sanford (P-889), Pinchas Mordechai Teitz (P-891), David Waksberg (P-895), Pamela B. Cohen (P-897), Moshe Decter (P-899), William Korey (P-903), Morey Schapira (P-906), Charlotte Gerper Turner (P-907), Myrtle Sitowitz (P-908), Kathleen M. Hyman (P-911), Babette Wampold (P-912), Rabbi David Goldstein and Shannie Goldstein (P-918), Leslie Schaffer (P-923), Arthur Bernstein (P-925), Dolores Wilkenfeld (P-927), Sylvia Weinberg (P-928) , Irwin H. Krasna (P-934) , Constance S. Kreshtool (P-935), Grace Perlbinder (P-942), Mort Yadin (P-943), Ann Polunsky (P-886) and Lillian Foreman (P-945).

Additional materials from other collections include records dealing with the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) located within the North American Jewish Students Appeal (NAJSA, I-338) and the records of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC, I-172). Related records are also located at the AJHS in Newton Centre, MA including memorabilia and ephemera of the New England Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (I-237) and the Records of the Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry – Brandeis University (I-493).

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Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism Soviet Jewry Collection ; I-538 ; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

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Acquisition Information

Donated by the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism in 2007.

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Access Points

• Subject Organizations:

  • Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

• Subject Topics:

  • Antisemitism
  • Emigration and immigration
  • Human rights
  • Jews, Soviet
  • Jews--Soviet Union--Politics and government
  • Refuseniks

• Subject Places:

  • Soviet Union
  • United States

• Document Types:

  • Articles
  • Clippings
  • Correspondence
  • Memorandums
  • Pamphlets

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Container List

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Soviet Jewry Collection, undated, 1959, 1962-1973, 1976-1990, 1993-1994, 1996.
The series is in English.
2 manuscript boxes.
Scope and Content: See the collection Scope and Content Note.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	1	American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry	undated, 1964, 1966-1968, 1971-1973, 1980-1981, 1985-1986, 1988-1989
1	2	Clippings and Articles	undated, 1972, 1976, 1979, 1984-1987
1	3	Coalitions	1980, 1983-1985, 1988-1989
1	4	Events	undated, 1985, 1968-1971
1	5	Interfaith	1978, 1984, 1987
1	6	Legislation	undated, 1989-1990, 1993-1994
1	7	Operation Exodus (UJA)	1990
1	8	Publications	undated, 1972, 1976, 1978-1980, 1987
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	1	Refuseniks	1962-1964, 1970-1972
2	2	Social Investing	undated, 1984
2	3	Soviet Antisemitism	1990
2	4	Soviet Emigration Policy	undated, 1982
2	5	Soviet Jewry General Background Information	undated, 1959, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1977, 1982-1983, 1985, 1989
2	6	Soviet Jewry Manual	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	7	Soviet Jewry Materials, Miscellaneous	1962-1966, 1970-1971, 1985, 1988, 1996
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	8	Soviet Jewry Programming	undated, 1963, 1965, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987

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