The Wende Museum Brings Together Activists and Scholars to Remember the Movement for Soviet Jewish Liberation

CULVER CITY, Calif., Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wende Museum's Robin Center for Russian-Speaking Jewry – an initiative envisioned Ed and Peggy Robin – is pleased to host a free day-long academic symposium, "Voices of Defiance: Soviet Jewry and the Refuseniks," on the enduring legacy of Soviet and American Jewish resistance during the Cold War.

Taking place Sunday, January 26, 2025 from 9:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. at the new Glorya Kaufman Community Center at The Wende Museum, the symposium will be an international gathering of distinguished specialists and civic leaders. The keynote speaker will be Zev Yaroslavsky, former Los Angeles City Council Member and a co-founder of California Students for Soviet Jews.

As the events of the Soviet Jewry movement transition from recent memory to recorded history, this is a pivotal time to shape how the Soviet Jewry movement is remembered and to ensure that the significant contributions and experiences of those who led and guided the movement are preserved and accurately represented.

The symposium will feature the following participants: Justin Jampol, Richard Robin, Alexander Smukler, Marina Furman, Dr. Gennady Estraikh, Dr. Shaul Kelner, Frank Brodsky, Alan H. Molod, Morey Shapira, David Waksberg, Julie Chervinsky, Dr. Brandon Schechter, Dr. Ann Komaromi, Dr. Michael Beizer, Dr. Elissa Bemporad, Dr. Nadia Iermakov, Dr. David N. Myers, and Mark B. Levin.

The Robin Center for Russian-Speaking Jewry at the Wende is dedicated to preserving and making accessible the history of Russian-speaking Jews in order to celebrate the success of Jewish activism, recognize Russian-speaking Jews' contributions to American culture, and support the global fight against antisemitism.     

This symposium is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Undercurrents II: Archives and the Making of Soviet Jewish Identity, on view through April 6, 2025.

The symposium and related events are generously supported by the Arcadia Fund, the Koum Family Foundation, Meyer & Renee Luskin, the Robin Family, and Alexander Smukler.

Media Contact:
Andrew Hartwell
Head of Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE The Wende Museum