Finding aid for the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Records, Series II


Repository: Western Reserve Historical Society
Creator: Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism
Title: Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Records, Series II
Dates: 1948-2000
Extent: 1.40 linear feet (4 containers)
Abstract: The Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism is a Cleveland, Ohio, organization founded in 1963, by three NASA scientists, to help Soviet Jews to emigrate and to monitor anti-semitism in the USSR. The movement spread to other cities in North America and led to the formation of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews to coordinate the local groups. The collection consists of appeals, correspondence, minutes, letters to the editor, flyers, booklets, pamphlets, and press releases.
MS Number MS 5110
Location: closed stacks
Language: The records are in English

History of the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism

The Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti Semitism (CCSA) was a volunteer organization whose goals were to assist Soviet Jews to emigrate, to inform the American public about Jewish activities in the Soviet Union, and to monitor anti-Semitism in the USSR. The CCSA, the first organization of its kind in the world, was established in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1963 through the efforts of NASA scientists Louis Rosenblum and Abe Silverstein, psychologist Herbert Caron, and Rabbi Daniel Litt. The four men, members of Beth Israel The West Temple, were supported by the congregation which provided volunteer workers and office space for the CCSA.

The CCSA sought to educate the public regarding the plight of Soviet Jews at a time when the problem was not generally recognized. The Council organized letter writing campaigns to government officials, sponsored rallies and protests, corresponded with Soviet Jews, and lobbied Congress and the President in an effort to link economic aid to the Soviet Union to the issue of human rights. Between 1964 and 1969 the CCSA produced a handbook for community activity, created a motion picture and slide show depicting the problem of Soviet Jewry, and published Spotlight, the nation's first newsletter on Soviet Jews. By 1965, the CCSA had 600 members. Its success was recognized nationally and it became a model for other local groups. By 1969, five other councils had been established and in February 1970 the six organizations joined to create the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews (UCSJ) to share information and to strengthen the movement nationally. In 1966, the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland became the first Federation in the United States to allocate funds for this issue by providing funds for the CCSA's educational activities.

Herbert Caron, one of the founders of the CCSA, was its first executive secretary and chair of its Action Committee. Caron was a psychologist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Cleveland, and he also taught psychology at Case Western Reserve University. Caron was active in Jewish and community affairs, particularly in the city of Parma, Ohio, where he lived. In his role as executive secretary for the CCSA, Caron wrote both letters and newspaper articles on behalf of the Council. He was also a member of the CCSA's Speakers Bureau and gave presentations and speeches on Soviet Jewry in the name of the CCSA.

Click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry on the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism


Scope and Content

The Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Records, Series II, 1948-2000 and undated, consist of appeals, correspondence, minutes, letters to the editor, flyers, booklets, pamphlets, and press releases.

This collection is of value to the scholar studying the origins of the Soviet Jewry movement and the problems, failures, and successes experienced in its early and mature stages. In addition, the collection provides information regarding relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and the lobbying effort in Congress to affect policy toward the Soviet Union. Of particular note are letters from prominent civil rights leaders and politicians expressing support for the CCSA. Those interested in the writings and civic actions of Herbert Caron will also find the collection useful.


Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series.
Series I: Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism is arranged alphabetically by document type and then chronologically.
Series II: Herbert Caron is arranged alphabetically by document type and then chronologically.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material

Researchers should also consult MS 4011 Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Records; MS 4926 Louis Rosenblum Papers; and PG 287 Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Photographs.

Separated Material

All photographs have been removed to PG 577 Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Photographs, Series II. All audio-visual materials have been moved to the audio-visual collection.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Antisemitism -- Soviet Union.
Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism.
Jewish refugees -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Jews -- Ohio -- Cleveland -- Societies, etc.
Jews -- Soviet Union -- Social conditions.
Jews -- United States -- Societies, etc.
Jews, Soviet -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Refuseniks.
Soviet Union -- Emigration and immigration.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5110 Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Records, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Herbert Caron and Alan Riga in 2009.

Processing Information

Processed by Art Diamond, Jessica Marra, and Sean Martin in 2012.

Detailed Description of The Collection

Series I: Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism 1963-2000 undated

Box Folder
1 1 Agendas 1964-1965 1968 undated
1 2 Appeals (original material removed to Oversize Container 1) 1963-1964
1 3 Article, "Impact of the Current Mid-East Crisis on Soviet Jewry" 1967
1 4 Articles of Incorporation 1963
1 5 Biographies, Soviet Jews 1979-1984 undated
1 6 Biographies, "Soviet Prisoners of Conscience" 1972
1 7 Biographies, "How to Emigrate to Israel from the USSR" 1981
1 8 Biographies, "Repression of Jews in the Soviet Union" undated
1 9 Biographies, "Soviet Terror Against Jews: How Cleveland Initiated an Interfaith Protest" undated
1 10 Biographies, "To the Leaders of the Soviet Union" 1964
1 11 Brief 1966
1 12 Budget 1965-1966 1980
1 13 Certificate of Twinning undated
1 14 Comics undated
1 15 Constitution 1965-1966
1 16 Correspondence 1963
1 17 Correspondence 1964
1 18 Correspondence 1965
1 19 Correspondence 1966
Box Folder
2 1 Correspondence 1967-1968
2 2 Correspondence 1969-2000
2 3 Correspondence undated
2 4 Diary, "A Mission to the Refuseniks" 1978
2 5 Draft, "The Spotlight" undated
2 6 Flyers undated
2 7 Handbook undated
2 8 Letters to the editor 1963-1999 undated
2 9 Lists 1965 1980 undated
2 10 Membership cards undated
2 11 Memorandums 1964-1985 undated
2 12 Minutes 1965-1967
2 13 New Year's cards undated
2 14 Newsletters 1965-1971
2 15 Newsletters 1977-1986 undated
2 16 Newspaper clippings 1963-1999 undated
2 17 Notes 1959-1999 undated
2 18 Pamphlets 1978 undated
2 19 Paper, "Initiating the Cleveland Movement on Anti-Semitism and the Pivotal Participation of Congressman Charles Vanik" undated
2 20 Poster (original material removed to Oversize Container 1) 1963
Box Folder
3 1 Press releases 1963-1967 1984 1999 undated
3 2 Proclamations 1964 1966 undated
3 3 Programs 1965 1970 1972 1980
3 4 Questionnaires 1964 1979
3 5 Registration Form 1975
3 6 Report, "My Visit to the Soviet Union" 1961
3 7 Report, visit of Aron Vergelis 1963
3 8 Resolution undated
3 9 Script, slide show undated
3 10 Statements 1964 undated
3 11 Surveys 1964

Series II: Herbert Caron 1948-2000

Box Folder
3 12 Certificate of training 1967
3 13 Correspondence 1948 1960-1970
3 14 Correspondence 1971-1985
3 15 Correspondence 1986-2000 undated
3 16 Curriculum Vitae 1987
3 17 Letters to the editor 1963-1999 undated
3 18 Newspaper clippings 1965 1971 1999 undated
3 19 Paper, "The Arab-Israel 35 Year War" 1982