| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism |
| Title: | Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Photographs, Series II |
| Dates: | 1975-1980 |
| Extent: | 0.20 linear feet (1 container) |
| Abstract: | 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, Veterans Administration Hospital 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 counted 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 U.S. to allocate funds for this issue by providing funds for the CCSA's educational activities. The collection consists of approximately 150 black and white and color photographs depicting CCSA members, Soviet Jews, CCSA events, and views of the Soviet Union. |
| PG Number | PG 577 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
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, Veterans Administration Hospital 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 counted 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 U.S. to allocate funds for this issue by providing funds for the CCSA's educational activities.
The Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Photographs, Series II, 1975-1980 and undated consist of approximately 150 black and white and color photographs depicting CCSA members, Soviet Jews, CCSA events, and views of the Soviet Union.
This collection is of value to researchers seeking illustrative material depicting the movement for the freedom of Jews in the former Soviet Union in general and, more specifically, the activities of the Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism. Of particular note are portraits of well-known refuseniks and activists, including members of the families of Natan (Anatoly) Sharansky and Andrei Sakharov.
None.
Related MaterialResearchers 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.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 577 Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Photographs, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Herbert Caron and Alan Riga, 2009.
Processed by Arthur Diamond, Jessica Marra, and Sean Martin in 2012
Cleveland Council on Soviet Anti-Semitism Photographs, Series II 1975-1980 undated |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Portraits, identified undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Portraits, unidentified undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Subjects, Deli Dinner ca. 1980 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Subjects, Installation undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Subjects, New Membership Weekend undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Subjects, Telethon 1980 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Views, Leningrad undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Views, Moscow 1975 | |||||||||