Guide to the Akiva Garber Soviet Jewry Collection 1970-1990

Guide to the Akiva Garber Soviet Jewry Collection
1970-1990

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© Copyright 2009.  Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University Archives | Mendel Gottesman Library | 500 W. 185th St., New York, NY 10033 | Phone: (646) 592-4058 | Email: archives@yu.edu

Collection Overview

Creator: Garber, Akiva
Title: Akiva Garber Soviet Jewry collection
Dates: 1970-1990
Size: 2.0 Linear feet
Number of Boxes:3 manuscript boxes and one tape box
Abstract:Steve/Akiva Garber was active in the Yale University chapter of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) during the 1970s. After leaving Yale, he became active in the Israel Public Council for Soviet Jewry, which helped many Soviet Jews escape and resettle in Israel. The collection consists of reports, newspaper clippings, publications, correspondence, notes and sound recordings relating to the struggle for Soviet Jewry in the United States and Israel, and especially relating to the Yale chapter of the SSSJ.
Languages:Materials are in English, Hebrew and Russian.
Call No: 2007.005

About This Guide

Finding aid encoded November, 2009

Finding aid encoded in English.

Biographical Note

Steve/Akiva Garber was active in the Yale University chapter of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) during the 1970s, and was also a contact person for students in other chapters nationwide. He corresponded frequently with Glenn Richter, one of the leaders of SSSJ. After leaving Yale, Garber became active in the Israel Public Council for Soviet Jewry, which helped many Soviet Jews escape and resettle in Israel. He currently works as a scribe and lives in Israel.

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of reports, newspaper clippings, publications, correspondence, notes and sound recordings relating to the struggle for Soviet Jewry in the United States and Israel, and especially relating to the Yale chapter of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ), created and compiled by Steve/Akiva Garber, one of the leaders of the Yale chapter of the SSSJ.

The reports, newspaper clippings, and publications mainly pertain to the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, though some also pertain to other similar organizations, such as the National Conference on Soviet Jewry and the New York Legal Coalition for Soviet Jewry, as well as a small amount of material from the Jewish Defense League (JDL). There are articles about strikes and boycotts, anti-semitism, United Nations decisions regarding trade with the Soviet Union, and ways in which individuals can help Soviet Jews escape their terrible conditions.

The correspondence and notes pertain mainly to Steve/Akiva Garber's work with the Yale chapter of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. Garber and other students wrote letters to individuals in the Soviet Union, many of which are included in the collection. There are also some letters to and from individuals involved in the struggle for Soviet Jewry in Israel. There are also copies of Garber's notes and scripts of interviews which he conducted, some handwritten and some typed, as well as a page of handwritten Torah commentary.

Also included in the collection are two copies of a record entitled "The All-Party Parliamentary Committee for the Release of Soviet Jewry Presents A Bar Mitzvah Gift for Leonid Slepak" as well as 7 cassette tapes containing recordings of some telephone conversations as well as a seminar at Temple Shalom in 1973 and a press conference with Abba Eban at the Yale Political Union in 1975.

Index Terms

This collection has been indexed under the following terms:

Persons:
Eban, Abba Solomon, 1915-2002
Richter, Glenn
Organizations:
Jewish Defense League
Moatsah ha-tsiburit lemaan Yehude Berit ha-Moatsot (Israel)
National Conference on Soviet Jewry (U.S.)
New York Legal Coalition for Soviet Jewry
Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry.
Yale University
Subjects:
Jews -- Persecutions -- Soviet Union
Jews -- Soviet Union
Refuseniks
Students -- United States -- Political activity -- History -- 20th century -- Case studies
Places:
Soviet Union -- Emigration and immigration
Soviet Union -- Ethnic relations
Document Types:
Articles
Clippings
Correspondence
Notes
Reports
Sound recordings

Conditions Governing Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is available to researchers deemed to be qualified by the Archivist.

Conditions Governing Use

Restrictions may apply concerning the use, photoduplication, or publication of materials in this collection. Please contact the Curator of Special Collections for information regarding Yeshiva University's reproduction policies and fees.