When They Come for Us We'll Be Gone - The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry (Gal Beckerman, 2010)

This book was more interesting than I expected.  Maybe one of the big surprises was how much we (or at least "I") am already forgetting how amazingly different the world was just a little over two decades ago (the Berlin Wall came down only in 1989). 

I had heard about much of this in the media, in the later years of this struggle, but didn't have a clue how the story fit into other historical themes.  And pretty much forgotten it all.

The story line here is that three million Jews remained in the Soviet Union after World War II.  Stalin distrusted them; part of the general theme of crushing any non-standard behaviors.  And also wouldn't let them emigrate - this would signal that the classless workers' paradise perhaps wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  An odd existence ensued.  These folks were often highly educated, with important jobs.  And typically not actively persecuted - just prevented from being Jews for all practical purposes.

Some started to push back.

And it's hard to recall, or believe, that folks like this were hounded by KGB agents and shipped off to the gulag such a short time ago.

The author feels that U.S. Jews were much ashamed of not doing more during the Nazi years, and also looking for ways to affirm "Jewish-ness" (however one should word that) after achieving great material success in the U.S.  Somehow they got onto the Soviet situation - often led by a Cleveland synagogue.  This led to organized politicking by Jews in new ways.  And elevated an issue that otherwise probably would have gone nowhere.

The situation in the Soviet Union was complicated - some Jews were interested in politics and emigration, others in providing a way for Jews to learn about Judaism in a situation where the authorities blocked or interfered with learning.  Others didn't care much.

And Israel was highly interested - the Middle East demographics always were daunting, and Israel viewed Russia as a great source for increasing its Jewish population.  Sought to have emigres routed to Israel.

As discussed in this book - the Holocaust per se didn't come much to the public attention until the Eichmann trial (which I understand makes good viewing on YouTube these days).  These triggers led to the U.S.-based efforts (per above).

The complicated relationship between Jews and blacks in the civil rights era.  The way the Helsinki accords (human rights provisions) backfired on the Soviets.  U.S. politicians - Kissinger, Nixon, Scoop Jackson.  Protests in NYC.  Refuseniks in Russia.  Anatoly Shcharansky.  Trials.  Internal exiles.  Chernobyl disaster as a confirmation of the rotted Soviet state.  Andrei Sakharov.  Gorbachev.  1989. 

It really is an interesting story, very helpful in looking back at the era.