Kol hakavod to Gary Rosenblatt for his analysis of the massive Dec. 6, 1987 Soviet Jewry rally in Washington, D.C., in “30 Years Later, ‘The Big Rally’ Is Little Remembered” (Nov. 17). It was a crucial turning point, but certainly not the culmination of the Soviet Jewry campaign.
What deeply bothers me is not the article but the accompanying video online [produced by the Genesis Philanthropy Group], which was shown at a plenary of the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) last week in Los Angeles.
In the video’s almost five minutes, the words “Israel” and “aliyah” are not mentioned once. Although it’s understandable that many Russian Jews came to the U.S., aliyah to Israel is what numerous brave refuseniks and Prisoners for Zion risked their lives for. The video also shortchanges the plethora of Jewish federations comprising the JFNA, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Russian absorption into Israeli society. Presenting this “alternative fact” video is misleading.
Manhattan
