Get Involved

 

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the historic Soviet Jewry March on Washington. Held on December 6, 1987, the March brought together over 250,000 people on the eve of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s first visit to the United States.

By rallying our communities to unite to free Soviet Jews, the Jewish Federations and Jewish Community Relations Councils were key in making the March one of the most effective efforts of the Soviet Jewry Movement.

In preparation for the December anniversary, and in coordination with the Freedom 25 community initiative, NCSJ has developed a list of ways to involve your community in commemorating one of the great events in modern American Jewish history. 

GET INVOLVED

• Invite former refuseniks and activists to speak about their fight to leave the Soviet Union.

• Have American Soviet Jewry activists speak about what it meant to participate in the March.

• Connect with the local émigré community and learn about their life before and after emigrating to the United States.

• Create a local “artifact suitcase” using examples from existing curricula, local articles, and artifacts.

• Screen the Refusenik documentary with director Laura Bialis. Her U.S. tour is coordinated by Freedom 25.

• Give a Shabbat sermon on Jewish community solidarity and religious freedom.

• Discuss your local Federation's ongoing partnership with an FSU community:

Atlanta, GA and Minsk, Belarus
Baltimore, MD and Odessa, Ukraine
Boston, MA and Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine
Chicago, IL and Kiev, Ukraine
Cleveland, OH and St. Petersburg. Russia
Greensboro, NC and Beltsy, Moldova
Los Angeles, CA and the Baltic States
MetroWest, NJ and Cherkassy, Ukraine
New York, NY and Moscow, Russia
Washington, D.C. and Moscow



PROGRAMMING RESOURCES

Freedom 25
HIAS
NCSJ