Soviet Jewry movement

The Soviet Jewry movement was a Jewish political movement opposed to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was primarily active in the United States, where advocacy campaigns were organized to raise public awareness and rally support for Jews in the Soviet Union. Among the movement's top goals was levying political and economic pressure against Soviet anti-emigration policy, which largely targeted the country's Jewish citizens. A variety of American Jewish organizations and individuals affiliated with the Soviet Jewry movement regularly protested at Soviet diplomatic missions in the United States, and the movement's alignment with the Cold War agenda of the Western Bloc put it in a position to receive strong American government support. Although it was also represented in Israel, the movement's American Jewish organizations frequently came into conflict with Israeli agencies over their support for Soviet Jews who would emigrate on an exit visa for Israel before abruptly changing their destination to the United States or another country. Nevertheless, the Israeli government continued to aid the Soviet Jewish emigration effort until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.