Let My People Go: The Struggle of Kyivan Jews for Immigration to Israel

• In Event: Let My People Go: The Refusenik Movement in the Soviet Union

Abstract

Victoria Khiterer’s paper will analyze the struggle of Kyivan Jews for immigration to Israel, and the support of Israeli diplomats for their efforts, as well as for continuation of Jewish religious and cultural life in Kyiv. Kyivan Jewish refuseniks organized meetings of protest and memorial meetings in Babyn Yar, the largest Holocaust site in the Soviet Union. Documents show that the connections of Kyivan Jews with the State of Israel were never completely suppressed by the Soviet authorities, and Israelis helped Kyivan Jews continue their national and cultural life even under conditions of state antisemitism in the Soviet Union.

Author

• Victoria M. Khiterer, Millersville U