Reception & Exhibit - September 2000

 

CELEBRATING A DECADE OF FREEDOM       September 20, 2000       6:00 to 8:00 p.m.       Senate Russell Office Building 385  (RSVP)       Washington, DC

An evening reception at the United States Senate to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the peak exodus of Soviet Jews to Israel. Cosponsored by Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and the U.S. Helsinki Commission, NCSJ, the Anti-Defamation League, HIAS, the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews, B'nai B'rith, the Republican Jewish Coalition, the National Jewish Democratic Council, American Jewish Committee, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

Please join us in Celebrating a Decade of Freedom, honoring the artistic accomplishments of photographer Patricia Dalzell and author Michele Clark who have combined their talents in an exhibition entitled Voices of Ascent: The Return of the Soviet Jews to Israel. The exhibit, coordinated by the Washington Arts Group, will open Tuesday, September 19, 2000, in the Russell Rotunda on Capitol Hill.

Israeli Ambassador David Ivry, Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Christopher H. Smith and other distinguished guests and advocates will present their remarks on this occasion for historical remembrance.

The release of the Jews from the former Soviet Union has been one of the most compelling events of the 20th century. This legacy is a testimony to the heroic perseverance of the human spirit in the face of extraordinary persecution. For decades, Soviet Jews were imprisoned for their religious beliefs, denied the right to emigrate, and suffered a second-class status within the country of their birth.

Yet, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, thousands continued to believe that they would one day be allowed to live in Israel.

Then, in 1989, the pendulum of history swung dramatically. Following Mikhail Gorbachev’s newly implemented policies of glasnost, the Soviet government finally heeded the international outcry and permitted Soviet Jews to emigrate to Israel in substantial numbers.

Beginning with a trickle, the exodus rapidly grew to historic proportions when almost 200,000 people returned to Israel in 1990. This was a victory for the Jews of the Soviet Union, as well as the thousands of organizations and advocates worldwide who had labored tirelessly for their freedom.

Close to one million Soviet Jews have immigrated to Israel since the Soviet Union began respecting their right of freedom of movement. This exhibit of photos and narrative text is a fitting way to mark the decade anniversary of the return of the Soviet Jews.

For additional historical background on the Soviet Jewry movement, click here.

RSVP to September 20th Reception.