Voices of Defiance: Soviet Jewry and the Refuseniks

The Wende Museum’s Robin Center for Russian-Speaking Jewry – an initiative envisioned and funded by the Peggy and Edward Robin Family Foundation – is pleased to invite the public to a weekend of thought-provoking programs on January 25 and 26, 2025, dedicated to the history of Soviet Jewry, resistance movements, and the cultural revival sparked by underground publishing efforts in the Soviet Union.

As the events of the Soviet Jewry movement transition from recent memory to recorded history, this is a pivotal time – a “Wende moment” – to shape the course of future scholarship of Soviet Jewry and to ensure that the significant contributions and experiences of those who led and guided the movement are preserved and accurately represented in historical narratives.

Spurred forward by a three-year grant from the Arcadia Fund to digitize endangered archives from the Refusenik movement and guided by vision of Ed Robin, the Robin Center for Russian-Speaking Jewry was launched at the Wende Museum in 2021. Its goal is to deepen and expand awareness of the history of Russian-speaking Jews, Jews who lived in the Soviet Union, and the Refusenik movement through digitization, public partnership, acquisition of at-risk collections, and sustained, dynamic programming with an emphasis on engagement with archival materials through artmaking workshops and educational activities. With support from the Koum Family Foundation, the Wende is engaged in an unparalleled comprehensive, interdisciplinary project to illuminate this history for current audiences through public and educational programs.

To further these efforts, the Meyer & Renee Luskin Public History Program at the Wende Museum presents “Voices of Defiance: Soviet Jewry and the Refuseniks,” a one-day symposium dedicated to the examination of the resistance movements of American and Soviet Jews during the Cold War period and reflection on the enduring legacy of the Soviet Jewry activist movement. Convening esteemed scholars, students, community members, and key historical figures, the event will take stock of the movement and assess and possibly shape the direction of scholarship of a history that defined a generation of Jewish life globally and contribute to a celebration of its legacy.

Sunday, January 26th, 2025

Glorya Kaufman Community Center @ The Wende Museum

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration and Welcome Reception

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM: Opening Remarks – Setting the Stage for the Symposium

Speakers: Justin Jampol and Richard Robin

9:15 AM – 9:45 AM: Keynote Address – “My Fight for Russian-Speaking Jewry: Past, Present, Forever”

Speaker: Zev Yaroslavsky

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM: Panel Discussion #1

Topic: Refuseniks and Activists (USSR)
This panel will be a platform for the personal stories of resistance, struggle, and triumph in the face of Soviet repression by Jews living in the USSR. Together, they will discuss the efforts within the Soviet Union that helped secure the freedom of Soviet Jewry and the lasting impact of this movement on human rights advocacy.
Speakers: Alexander Smukler, Marina Furman, Dr. Gennady Estraikh
Moderator: Dr. Shaul Kelner

11:00 AM – 11:15 AM: Morning Break

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Panel Discussion #2

Topic: Jewish Leaders in the Free Soviet Jewry Movement (USA)
This panel will bring together American activists who played key roles in the Soviet Jewry movement. Demonstrating transnational solidarity through coordination with Refuseniks, aid travel to the USSR, and organizing pressure campaigns against US politicians, these leaders played an outsized role in amplifying the cause of Soviet Jews and setting a powerful precedent for grassroots activism in human rights movements globally.
Speakers: Frank Brodsky, Alan H. Molod, Morey Shapira
Moderator: David Waksberg

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM: Lunch Break

Details: Kosher food trucks in the sculpture garden with fireside and fountain-side seating
Location: Victor Family Garden Terrace

1:45 pm – 2:15 pm Special Presentation

Topic: Unveiling a New Global Research Portal
Presenters: Julie Chervinsky and Dr. Brandon Schechter (Blavatnik Archive)

2:15 PM – 3:30 PM: Panel Discussion #3

Topic: Researching the Past: Opportunities and Obstacles to Providing Access to Scholars and Students
This panel will address the experiences of leading academics and institutional leaders in accessing and studying artifacts and archives of Soviet Jewry and the related activist movement. Discussions will highlight efforts made with available archival material, alongside reflections on challenges like restricted access and preservation concerns. The panel aims to give insight into ways these materials can be made more accessible for scholars and students in order to expand and deepen our knowledge of the movement and to draw connections between the past and the present.
Speakers: Dr. Ann Komaromi, Dr. Michael Beizer, Dr. Elissa Bemporad, Dr. Nadia Iermakov
Moderator: Dr. David N. Myers

3:30 PM – 3:45 PM: Afternoon Break

3:45 PM – 4:30 PM: Closing Remarks – “Where do we go from here?”

Speaker: Mark B. Levin

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Sunset Reception in the Garden

Details: Light bites and vodka-infused cocktails for event attendees. Curated Jewish music by Dr. David MacFadyen (Professor of Musicology, Music Industry, and Comparative Literature, UCLA).
Location: Victor Family Garden Terrace

Saturday, January 25th, 2025 – Soviet Jewry Archival Community Access Event

Location: Glorya Kaufman Community Center at the Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230
Time: 11am – 3pm

The Digital Collections team at the Wende is hosting a community access event for the public to interact with and study archival materials from the Wende’s Soviet Jewry archives. Participants may reserve time at different stations of materials organized thematically.

**Saturday, January 25th, 2025 – Refusenik Film Screening w/ Director Q&A**

Location: A-Frame Theater – the Glorya Kaufman community Center at the Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230
Time: 7pm – 9:30pm

Director Laura Bialis provides an introduction to her 2007 feature-length documentary chronicling the struggle of Jews to emigrate from the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s.

Monday January 27th, 2025 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day Tour

Location: Holocaust Museum LA, 100 Grove Dr, Los Angeles, 90036
Time: 11am – 12:30pm

Marking the liberation of Auschwitz, Holocaust Remembrance Day is a time to reflect on the deep losses of the Holocaust. The Wende extends an invitation to join a private tour of Holocaust Museum LA in commemoration.

Contact Michael Balot-Garza at mbalotgarza@wendemuseum.org in advance to RSVP.

Find your place in Culver City at The Shay, a unique hotel buzzing with the city’s creative energy. Warm and eclectic comforts can be found throughout: pop-up shops in the lobby, soft crackling sounds from the lobby fire pit, and rooftop socials on a pool deck overlooking downtown Los Angeles. Here, inventive living spaces mix with fun, quirky, and casual for an intimate house party vibe. The ideal spot to recharge and engage, our hotel lets you experience Culver City like a local.

Use the provided link to receive a discounted rate, exclusively for Wende symposium attendees.

Contact

MICHAEL BALOT-GARZA
MBALOTGARZA@WENDEMUSEUM.ORG
310-216-1600 EXT311

DONOVAN CLEGGETT
DEVELOPMENT@WENDEMUSEUM.ORG
310-216-1600 EXT301