Guide to the Records of Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews and Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewalundated, 1952, 1954-1999

I-505*, I-505A*

Processed by Harvey N. Gardiner and Andrey Filimonov

as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation.
Selective digitization of the Records of Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews and Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal (I-505)
was made possible through a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

American Jewish Historical Society

Center for Jewish History

15 West 16th Street

New York, N.Y. 10011

Phone: (212) 294-6160

Fax: (212) 294-6161

Machine-readable finding aid for Part 1 of the collection (I-505) was created by Andrey Filimonov as MS Word document, December 2010. Part 2 of the collection (I-505A) was processed in 2013-2014, and the final finding aid was encoded by Andrey Filimonov, September 2014. Description is in English.

April 2015 Added dao links by Eric Fritzler. June 2015 Part 2, Series III folders corrected by Leanora Lange.

Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews and Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal records

Dates:

undated, 1952, 1954-1999

Abstract:

The collection documents the activities of a human rights non-government organization on behalf of Soviet Jewry and Jews in the Former Soviet Union. Organized by Harold Light in San Francisco in 1967, the group worked to bring the Soviet Jewry issue to national and international attention. The collection contains correspondence, minutes, case files, publications, newspaper clippings, card files of Refuseniks, subject files, audio/visual materials, and information on other Soviet Jewry and interreligious organizations. Also included are materials relating to Soviet Jewish emigration, Cold War relations, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and human rights conditions in Russia and the former Soviet republics.

The American Soviet Jewry Movement was initiated in the early 1960s, when the first public protests were made by American Jews against the suppression of Jewish religion and Jewish national culture in the Soviet Union. Though random and spontaneous initially, those actions started to attract attention of the mainstream Jewish community and incited creation of the organizations dedicated to the support of Soviet Jews. American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry (AJCSJ) and Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) pioneered the movement in 1964. AJCSJ was largely considered as a think tank rather than a defense organization. Its methods emphasized leveraging with the Soviet authorities via the official channels. It proved dysfunctional due to the inner conflicts in tactics and strategy, and failure to secure support of the broader American Jewish community. AJCSJ was restructured and renamed the National Conference on Soviet Jewry in 1971. SSSJ was conceptually limited to working with college students and youth volunteers. A need was felt for a more strategically versatile and more community-oriented organization.

The widely publicized Leningrad Trial incident, in which 34 men and women were accused of hijacking a plane at the Leningrad airport in order to emigrate, prompted many American Jews to protest against the injustices of the Soviet regime, and gave rise to a multitude of grassroots Soviet Jewry Movement organizations.

A network of the Soviet Jewry Movement organizations was created in 1970 by, most notably, Louis Rosenblum of the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism, Si Frumkin of the Union of Council for Soviet Jews, Zev Yaroslavsky of the California Students for Soviet Jews and the Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews.

The Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews (BACSJ) was founded in 1967 by four activists, Harold (Hal) B. Light, Edward Tamler, Sidney Kluger, and Rabbi Moris Hershman. Under the direction of Hal Light, the BACSJ became one of the leading organizations in the Soviet Jewry rescue movement nationwide. Born in Philadelphia in 1916, Light was educated as a mechanical engineer and moved to San Francisco in 1941 where he became a successful businessman and real estate investor. In 1965, after selling his businesses at the age of 49, he devoted his attention to the Civil Rights movement, becoming chairman of the Parents Mississippi Association of Northern California and coordinating aid for Civil Rights workers. In 1966, however, Light's interests turned toward the plight of Soviet Jewry after he heard a speech at Temple Sherith Israel in San Francisco. Following this speech, Light began the first efforts to organize a grass roots political movement on behalf of co-religionists in the Soviet Union.

The BACSJ and the Soviet Jewry movement received considerable impetus following the 1967 Six-Day Arab-Israeli War. The Israeli victory produced a movement among Soviet Jews to demand freedom of religion and the right to emigrate to Israel. To raise public awareness, Light wrote articles for newspapers, gave addresses and lectures, and appeared on numerous radio and television programs. While Light's initial efforts met with disbelief from audiences, they later gained a following and increasing publicity. In 1969, Light began writing and sending Passover cards to Soviet Jews under the pseudonym, Gerson Lazar. The purpose was to establish contact, offer spiritual and financial assistance, and determine the problems of Soviet Jewry. His aggressive tactics, however, earned the enmity of some major Jewish groups, which advocated quiet diplomacy. While these organizations gave the BACSJ tacit moral support, they refused to lend it financial assistance. As a result, for the first two years Light funded the organization with $40,000 out of his own savings.

Following 1967, other Soviet Jewry councils were established across the country as the movement gained increasing momentum. In 1970, several councils, including the BACSJ, formed the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews to bring the various autonomous groups under one umbrella organization. As the councils and other Jewish and interreligious groups lobbied Congress and the White House to link Detente with the rights of Soviet Jews to emigrate, the cause soon became a prominent issue in American-Soviet relations. With Soviet Jewry now an international issue and despite the opposition of several major local Jewish organizations, the BACSJ continued to campaign aggressively and publicly on behalf of Soviet Jewry. The organization used public sporting events, visits by Soviet dignitaries, Soviet ballet performances, and other political and cultural events to stage vigils and protests. They carried out similar activities at the Soviet Consulate in San Francisco.

The efforts of the BACSJ and other groups proved to be a major impetus behind passage of the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which linked the granting of Most Favored Nation trading status to the Soviet Union with the easing of emigration policies. Additionally, the BACSJ helped to marshal support among many in Congress to press the cases of dozens of individual Refuseniks. The Soviets, however, attacked the Jackson-Vanik Amendment as an unreasonable interference in their internal domestic affairs and subsequently dramatically limited Jewish emigration. Nevertheless in 1975 the Soviet Jewry movement was bolstered following the signing of the Helsinki Accords, which sought to lower international tensions by finalizing post World War II borders in Europe in return for human rights guarantees. The Accords also established the right of freedom of movement and emigration. Although the Accords were not legally binding and focused primarily on security and cooperation between East and West, the agreements proved pivotal in fueling the human rights movement that would later sweep the Soviet Union.

Despite the signing of the Accords, the Soviets continued their oppression of Soviet Jews and the imprisonment of dissidents in labor camps and psychiatric hospitals. The number of Jewish émigrés permitted to leave the Soviet Union paralleled the changing climate of Cold War relations with the United States. In 1979, emigration climbed to 51,320 but then plummeted to only 896 in 1984 as international tensions mounted. During this period, the BACSJ continued their domestic political activities on behalf of Soviet Jewry. In addition, BACSJ members visited the Soviet Union to investigate human rights conditions of Jews and to offer a wide range of support, including financial assistance, medical supplies, and equipment. They provided Soviet Jewry with cameras and film to document their plight, supplies for teaching Hebrew and Judaism, materials for demonstrations, as well as typewriters, and later, computers and printers, to list and keep track of thousands of Refuseniks, and to produce press releases for the Western Press.

With Gorbachev's ascendancy to power and the subsequent unraveling of the Soviet empire,
conditions for Soviet Jews improved considerably. After 1988, the Soviets allowed the
emigration of hundreds of thousands of Jews, and officially permitted the free
expression and practice of religion. In the early 1990s, the dissolution of the Soviet
Union was accompanied by a resurgence of Antisemitism, resurfacing of nationalist
sentiments, and worsening economic conditions. Amidst this climate, the BACSJ, now known
as Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal (BACJSRR), helped the Union of
Councils for Soviet Jews to establish offices in the former republics to support the
human rights of Jews and other religious and national minorities. These offices also act
to monitor the move toward democratic pluralism in Russia and the former Soviet
Republics.

References

BACSJ Mission Statement, November 1989
Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews and Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal, Records, I-505, Box 16/Folder 7, Collection of the American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY.

The records document the founding, development, operations, campaigns, and activities of the Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews
(BACSJ) and Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal (BACJRR) on behalf of Soviet Jewry and Jews in the Former
Soviet States. While pertaining to the activities of the BACSJ, the materials also
contain considerable documentation on Soviet repressive policies regarding freedom of
emigration and religion for Soviet Jewry. In addition, the materials provide insight
into the Soviet Jewry movement as a whole, which involved numerous domestic and foreign
organizations that forced the issue onto the international stage.

Part 1 of the collection contains the records of the Bay Area Council for Soviet
Jews from its inception in 1967 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the
early 1990s. The bulk of Part 1 dates in the 1970s.

Part 2 of the collection represents the records of the Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal, a post-Soviet incarnation of BACSJ that operated through the 1990s. BACSJRR evidently largely continued using
the files generated by BACSJ before the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, thus the bulk of Part 2 dates in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

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.

This collection contains audiovisual or electronic media that requires special equipment to access. Please notify reference staff at reference@ajhs.org 24 hours in advance of needing access.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Executive Director 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 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011email:reference@ajhs.org

The records were donated by the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2007, in two parts. The collection also includes an earlier accession by AJHS of several pamphlets and newsletters by the Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews, previously accessible at the American Jewish Historical Society as Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews Records under the call number I-350.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:Identification of item, date (if known);
Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews and Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal records;
I-505*, I-505A*; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.

Part 1 of the collection was partially processed at the University of Colorado at Boulder, by Harvey N. Gardiner. Part 1 was reprocessed by Andrey Filimonov in 2010.
Part 2 processed in 2013-2014, and the final EAD Finding Aid was created by Andrey Filimonov in September 2014.

Arrangement:

Alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content:

Harold Light's personal files include business and civil rights materials concerning his activities before his involvement in the Soviet Jewry cause. As a leading figure in the Bay Area Council and in the movement nationally, Light accumulated important materials on the incipient struggle on behalf of Soviet Jewry. The degree that the rescue movement succeeded as a political cause was later reflected at international conferences and summits.

Box

Folder

Title

Date

1

1

Biographical Materials

1969, 1971-1972, 1974

1

2

Articles by and Letters to the Editor

1968-1971

1

3

Articles by and Letters to the Editor

1972-1973

1

4

Articles by and Letters to the Editor

1974

1

5

Business Affairs (Unrelated to BACSJ)—Chico and Oroville Properties

1966-1967

1

6

Business Affairs (Unrelated to BACSJ)—Freeways and Highways Departments

Arrangement:

Alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content:

The series contains materials on the activities, campaigns, and operations of the BACSJ.
Although the files overlap the Harold Light materials, they relate exclusively to
the BACSJ. Files include Refusenik case files, trip reports to the Soviet Union,
protest materials, advertisements, minutes, correspondence, executive director
files, BACSJ by-laws and constitution, fund raising files, briefing materials,
articles, clippings, speeches, reports, photographs, other Jewish organization
materials, information pertaining to interreligious groups, and a wide variety of
other records. The series also includes a run of the BACSJ newsletter, Outcry, published from 1971 until 1993. The Refusenik
case files contain particular significance in documenting Soviet repressive
policies. A considerable amount of material relates to the celebrated cases of
Anatoly Sharansky and Andrei Sakharov, both original founders and members of the
Moscow Group, a dissident organization formed to monitor Soviet compliance with
the human rights provisions of the 1975 Helsinki Accords. Most of this material,
however, relates to lesser-known individuals who were denied exit visas, fired
from their jobs, and subjected to official state harassment.

Box

Folder

Title

Date

33

46

106 Baden St.—Lease Agreement

1976

Box

Folder

Title

Date

43

3

12 From the Soviet Underground 1989 (Includes Exhibit Catalog)

1989

Box

Folder

Title

Date

111

24

1991—The Year in Review for Soviet Jews

1991

Box

Folder

Title

Date

10

34

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1967

10

35

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1968

10

36

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1969

10

37

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1970

10

38

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1971

10

39

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1972

Box

Folder

Title

Date

11

1

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1973

11

2

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1974

11

3

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1975

11

4

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1976

11

5

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1977

11

6

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1978

11

7

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1979

11

8

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1980

11

9

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1981

11

10

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1982

11

11

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1983

11

12

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1984

11

13

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1985

11

14

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1986

11

15

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1987

11

16

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1988

11

17

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1989

11

18

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1990

11

19

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

1991

11

20

Activities and Projects of Newspaper Clippings About Events in the San Francisco Area
and General Materials

Arrangement:

Alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content:

The series contains materials on subjects and organizations concerned with Soviet Jewry. Included is information regarding emigration, repressive policies, cultural rights, Antisemitism, dissidents, legal status of Soviet Jews, international trade, interreligious activities, Cold War politics, refugees, U.S. foreign policy, human rights commissions and conferences, the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, and many other subjects. The files also comprise materials on local, national, and international organizations involved in the rescue movement, and their correspondence with BACSJ, most notably: the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry; American Jewish Congress; Amnesty International; Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry; Committee to Save Jews in Arab Countries; International League for the Repatriation of Russian Jews; Jewish Community Relations Council; Jewish Welfare Federation; Long Island Committee for Soviet Jews; National Conference on Soviet Jews; South Florida Conference on Soviet Jewry; Southern California Council for Soviet Jews; Soviet Jewry Legal Advocacy Center; Student Struggle for Soviet Jews; and Union of Councils for Soviet Jews.

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Aaron Rosenbaum and Associates Washington, D.C., "The Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews—An Assessment Of Its Research Function With Options For Restructuring and Future Growth”

June 5, 1985

74

15

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Agricultural Cooperation Between US and USSR

1985

74

16

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1976-1977

74

17

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1978

74

18

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1979

74

19

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1980

74

20

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1981

74

21

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1982

74

22

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1983

74

23

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1984

74

24

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1985

74

25

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1986

Box

Folder

Title

Date

120

11

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert

1979-1983

Box

Folder

Title

Date

74

26

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—Alert Magazine

1981-1982

74

27

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)—American Bar Association—Statement Of Position On Revised ABA/ASL Agreement

Arrangement:

Alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content:

National Adopt-A-Family Bank records relate to the Minnesota-Dakotas Action Committee for Soviet Jewry, which operated the data bank from 1973 to 1980. The program sought to provide moral and financial support for selected Soviet Jewish families who wished to emigrate. Materials comprise mostly case files, including profiles of individual Refuseniks; correspondence from Refuseniks, the BACSJ, and other Soviet Jewry groups; and newspaper clippings. Files also contain information on status of VISA applications, Soviet harassment activities, and periodic updates of Refusenik emigration cases.

Box

Folder

Title

Date

94

12

"Adopt A Family,” Examples Of Group Activity

1972

94

13

Aberdeen, SD

1972-1978

94

14

Address Corrections

1978-1980

94

15

Administration

1975, 1978

94

16

Adopt-A-Family Related

1972-1978

94

17

Akron, OH

1977-1978

94

18

Alabama Council

1976-1980

94

19

"Appeals, Etc.—Many Signers” (Includes Text Of Petition To Mayor Of Leningrad and
Signers)

1973-1976

94

20

Arizona

1976-1980

94

21

Assigned (Names Of People In USSR)

1976-1980

94

22

Baltimore, MD

1974-1975, 1977

94

23

Bay Area

1973-1980

94

24

Boston, MA

1976-1979

94

25

Canadian Committee For Soviet Jewry Toronto

1975-1976, 1978

94

26

Charleston, SC

1975-1976

94

27

Chicago Action For Soviet Jewry

1975-1979

94

28

Chicago Action For Soviet Jewry, A-G

1975-1980

94

29

Chicago Action For Soviet Jewry, H-R

1975-1979

94

30

Chicago Action For Soviet Jewry, S-Z

1974-1979

94

31

Children's Articles

1972, 1975

94

32

Cincinnati Council For Soviet Jewry

1974-1976, 1978-1980

94

33

Cleveland, OH

1974-1980

94

34

Congregation Of Liberal Judaism, Maitland, FL

1975-1978

94

35

Connecticut

1978-1979

94

36

Conscription—Veterans

1973-1975

94

37

Correspondence

1973-1975

94

38

Correspondence

1976-1980

94

39

Data Bank Mailings

1979-1980

94

40

Denver, CO

1974-1980

Box

Folder

Title

Date

95

1

Des Moines, IA

1975-1976, 1978

95

2

Detroit, MI

1974-1980

95

3

England I

1974-1975

95

4

England II

1975-1980

95

5

Eugene, OR (Elaine Barror)

1974-1980

95

6

Exodus

1978

95

7

Family Appeals—Israel and Other Appeals

1977-1979

95

8

Friedland, Rabbi Eric, Chicago, IL

1973-1976

95

9

Friedman, Alvin F., Chicago, IL

1975-1980

95

10

Friedman, Shirley , Morton Grove, IL

1974-1977

95

11

"From Israel”

1976, 1978-1980

95

12

Gillen, Sister Ann

1976-1977, 1979

95

13

Goldstein, Barbara, Highland Park, IL

1975-1978

95

14

Gould, Laurel, Moraga, CA

1974-1978

95

15

Greater Fall River Commission Fall River, MA

1974-1980

95

16

Greater New York Conference On Soviet Jewry

1974-1980

95

17

Harrisburg, PA

1978-1980

95

18

Hawaii

undated

95

19

Hollywood, FL

1975-1980

95

20

Indiana

1976, 1978-1980

95

21

Interdenominational

1974-1980

95

22

Intrator, Mrs. Genya, Toronto

1975-1980

95

23

Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Evanston, IL

1975, 1977-1978

95

24

Kahn, Doug, Venice, CA

1975

95

25

Kansas City, MO

1976-1979

95

26

Lansing, MI

1976, 1978-1979

95

27

Lawyers Committee For Soviet Jewry, Minneapolis, MN

1975-1976, 1978

95

28

Laufer, Shirley, Dallas, TX

1974, 1976, 1978-1980

95

29

List Of Russians—Leningrad

1977

95

30

Long Island Committee For Soviet Jewry

1974-1980

95

31

Los Alamos, NM

1976-1979

95

32

Mail Regulations

1976-1978

95

33

Medical Mobilization

1975-1980

95

34

Michigan City, IN

1973, 1975-1978

95

35

Milwaukee, WI

1976-1978

95

36

Montreal, Canada

1974-1979

95

37

Myers, Bert, Chicago, IL

1975-1978

95

38

National Conference On Soviet Jewry

1975-1976

95

39

Netherlands

1975-1980

95

40

New York State

1975-1980

95

41

Newspaper Clippings

1971-1977

95

42

North Shore, MA

1979

95

43

Oceanfront Council For Soviet Jewry Brooklyn, NY

1974-1976

95

44

Omaha, NE

1975-1976, 1978-1979

95

45

Other States, A-E

1978-1980

Box

Folder

Title

Date

96

1

Other States, F-L

1976-1980

96

2

Other States, M-W

1975-1980

96

3

Parcels Sent To Soviet Union

1976, 1978-1979

96

4

Permission To Immigrate To Israel

1976-1980

96

5

Philadelphia, PA

1974-1979

96

6

Portland, OR

1977-1980

96

7

"Program Descriptions From Various Groups”

1972-1977

96

8

Reference Material

1971, 1974-1979

96

9

Right To Identity

undated

96

10

Sarasota, FL

1978-1980

96

11

Scientists and Engineers Emigrant Fund, Cambridge, MA

1974-1978

96

12

Seattle, WA

1974-1979

96

13

Solnsev, Victor Monterey, CA

1977-1980

96

14

Soloway, Elaine and Barry, Woodbridge, CT (Includes Photo)

1976-1979

96

15

"S.O.S.”

1978-1979

96

16

Southern California

1974-1978

96

17

South Florida I

1973, 1976-1978, 1980

96

18

South Florida II

1978-1980

96

19

Soviet Jewry Action Group San Francisco, CA

1975-1978

96

20

Student Struggle For Soviet Jewry N.Y.

1975-1980

96

21

Toronto, Canada

1975-1979

96

22

Tourist Info

1975

96

23

Tracers

1978

96

24

Tucson, AZ

1979-1980

96

25

Tulsa, OK

1976-1980

96

26

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)

1975-1979

96

27

Union Of Councils For Soviet Jews (UCSJ)

1979-1980

96

28

Washington, D.C.

1975-1980

Box

Folder

Title

Date

97

1

Dollie Brandwein's Files—A (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

2

Dollie Brandwein's Files—B (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

3

Dollie Brandwein's Files—C (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

4

Dollie Brandwein's Files—D (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

5

Dollie Brandwein's Files—E (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

6

Dollie Brandwein's Files—F (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

7

Dollie Brandwein's Files—G (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

8

Dollie Brandwein's Files—Goldshtein, Isai and Grigory (Includes Correspondence From
Adopted Families In Soviet Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

9

Dollie Brandwein's Files—H-I (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

10

Dollie Brandwein's Files—J-K (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

11

Dollie Brandwein's Files—L (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

12

Dollie Brandwein's Files—M (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

13

ollie Brandwein's Files—N-O (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

14

Dollie Brandwein's Files—P (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

15

Dollie Brandwein's Files—R (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

97

16

Dollie Brandwein's Files—S (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

Box

Folder

Title

Date

98

1

Dollie Brandwein's Files—Sharansky, Anatoly (Includes Correspondence From Adopted
Families In Soviet Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

98

2

Dollie Brandwein's Files—T (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

98

3

Dollie Brandwein's Files—U-V (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In Soviet
Union With More Info In Some Cases)

1976-1980

98

4

Dollie Brandwein's Files—W-X-Y-Z (Includes Correspondence From Adopted Families In
Soviet Union With More Info In Some Cases)

Arrangement:

Chronologically.

Scope and Content:

Audio materials comprise recordings of Light's conversations with those in Congress, local and national news media, and others involved in the Soviet Jewry movement. Also included are interview recordings with leading figures in the BACSJ and the Soviet Jewry movement, as well as with Anatoly Sharansky, Vladimir Slepak, and other Refuseniks.

Audio Tapes—1971—Light, Harold—"King David Party..." In Israel. Interview Of Two Former Soviet Jews From Vilna Now Living In Israel; Then Singing and Harold Light Speaking Late In The Tape; Jerusalem News Broadcast

1971

99

13

Audio Tapes—1971—Light, Harold—Panel Discussion On Agenda For Action, Harold Light Is The First Speaker

Arrangement:

By Medium.

Scope and Content:

The Microfilm includes copies of documents pertaining to Soviet Jewry activities of the BACSJ,
the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews, and other organizations. Some of the
microfilmed documents relate to demonstrations at the Soviet Consulate, news
reports, and other events. Light produced and circulated the microfilm to
promote the activities of the BACSJ and to publicize the Soviet Jewry issue.
Movies and Videocassettes contain mostly recordings of television news
programs, interviews with BACSJ leaders, public service announcements, and
extensive video recordings of a 1983 mock media tribunal sponsored by the BACSJ
to publicize the plight of Anatoly Sharansky. The media event, "The People vs.
The Government of the USSR—An International Tribunal Investigating Crimes
Against Anatoly Sharansky," was intended to put the Soviet Union on public
trial for its crimes against Sharansky and against its own constitution. The
proceedings featured three prominent California jurists, including state
Supreme Court Justice, Stanley Mosk, joined on the bench by Justice Frank
Newman and San Francisco municipal court Judge Lillian Sing. The prosecution
team consisted of Alan Dershowitz of Harvard University Law School and Irwin
Cotler of McGill University Law School. The cast of witnesses included Alan
Pollack, Tel Aviv University historian; Congressmen Tom Lantos; and Sister Ann
Gillen, executive director of the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet
Jewry.

Box

Folder

Title

Date

99

112

Microfilm—Documents Re.: Soviet Jewry Activities—1970 Newspaper Clipping From The San Francisco Examiner; Other Soviet Jewry Groups Including The UCSJ, The Mack Truck Issue, News From The BACSJ, and Demonstrations At The Soviet Consulate. (2 Copies)

Arrangement:

Alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content:

The series contains photographs and slides depicting subject matter related to the Soviet Jewry
movement—Soviet Jews, Refuseniks, Prisoners of Conscience, American and Soviet
politicians, celebrities engaged in the Soviet Jewry movement, Soviet
dissidents, demonstrations, protests, celebrations, meetings and other events
and individuals. Also included are 3D objects worn by the BACSJ activists in
solidarity with Soviet Jews—bracelets and necklaces personalized With names Of
Prisoners Of Conscience and Refuseniks, pins and yellow cloth Stars Of David.

Arrangement:

Alphabetically.

Scope and Content:

The series contains oversize materials and garments used for public display at demonstrations, rallies and other events, to educate and raise awareness of the Soviet Jewry issues. The materials include maps, posters, demonstration placards, Refusenik lists, educational and exhibition display materials, t-shirts and sweatshirts with slogans and BACSJ insignia, and other items including petitions to Congress, certificates of honor, proclamations and resolutions.

Arrangement:

Alphabetically by last name.

Scope and Content:

The series contains individual files on the persons involved in the Soviet Jewry movement—Soviet Jewish Refuseniks and Prisoners of Conscience, staff members of the BACSJ, UCSJ and other
American Soviet Jewry movement activists, American, Soviet and Former Soviet States' politicians who had participated in the Soviet Jewry movement and influenced or affected the Jewish life in the USSR and the former Soviet
states.